Alex Bruesewitz on how paid influence campaigns shape what you see online
A look inside political social media from a Trump-aligned operator, painting a bleak-heavy picture that's bad for anyone who trusts what they read online.
- Foreign governments and special interests quietly pay US influencers to push messaging, with tens of millions spent on social media alone every month.
- A rival operator, Brad Parscale, reportedly landed a $50M contract funded through Israel β said to be the largest foreign-agent deal ever for one firm.
- Spotting fake campaigns: watch for repetition β many accounts suddenly pushing the same obscure issue, then dropping it, usually means paid coordination.
- Over half of internet traffic and comments are bots, so what looks like public opinion is often manufactured.
- Young people are turning to socialist candidates because they genuinely can't get ahead β most 18-to-30-year-olds still live with parents and the average first-time homebuyer is now 41.
Outlook: Expect more AI-generated content and paid narrative wars online, with calls for stronger disclosure laws around who's funding political messaging.