
September 26, 2023
During the 2019 Indian general elections, researchers studied how organizers used a network of WhatsApp groups to manipulate Twitter trends through coordinated mass postings. The researchers joined 600 WhatsApp groups and found evidence of 75 hashtag manipulation campaigns in the form of mobilization messages with lists of pre-written tweets. During the election period, these campaigns produced hundreds of nationwide Twitter trends with the goal of influencing outcomes through persi ...