Social media trolls as faux third-party agents of image repair

China’s disinformation campaign and statecraft in the Daryl Morey affair

Bibliographic Data

ID21422336
AuthorsGregory A Cranmer (0000-0001-5389-2688, Clemson University, corresponding author), Darren L Linvill (Clemson University), Darren Linvill (Clemson University), D Hudson Smith (0000-0003-3041-4602, Clemson University), Hudson Smith (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clemson, SC, USA), Bryan E Denham (0000-0002-8864-1368, Clemson University), Bryan Denham (Clemson University), Joseph Bober (0000-0003-4938-874X, Clemson University), Kevin Nutt (Clemson University), William Seaton (Clemson University)
Year2024
Volume52
Issue1
Pages5-26
Publication date2024-01-02
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Applied Communication Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-9882 • E-ISSN: 1479-5752
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00909882.2023.2282508
OpenAlexW4388897585
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited38

This study examines trolls affiliated with the People's Republic of China (PRC) that targeted conversations around former Houston Rockets' General Manager Daryl Morey, who tweeted support for Hong Kong protests and apologized in October 2019.Researchers coded 5,800 tweets to inform a machine-learning approach examining a corpus of over 163,000 tweets.Findings suggested that a PRC disinformation campaign was organized as a faux third-party image repair effort that sought to force an apology, deprive Morey of support, discourage future image threats, and shape public understanding.This effort used provocation, bolstering, barnacle, redirection, and attack the accuser.While apologies are generally held to be restorative in image repair and statecraft literature, Morey's apology was a turning point that rallied opposition to the PRC and support for democracy and Morey.Implications include insight into the prevalence, strategies, and efficacy of PRC trolls, as well as recommendations for social media practitioners

Advertising · Business · China · Democracy · Disinformation · Media studies · Opposition (politics) · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Social media · Sociology · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access