Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

There are no armies of Twitter bots swaying mass public opinion. That's another nonsensical conspiracy theory of the sort of the New York Times has gone all-in on to try and explain how Trump won without having to engage with his policies or arguments.

This article looks at just one news story+research paper alleging a Russian Twitter bot army swaying politics, but in the UK rather than the USA:

https://blog.plan99.net/did-russian-bots-impact-brexit-ad66f...

tl;dr - the paper is filled with fraud but was breathlessly reported by the (London) Times, and it convinced the Prime Minister despite being false.



Consider applying for YC's Summer 2026 batch! Applications are open till May 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: