Write a detailed and accurate summary of "How Fake Accounts Constantly Manipulate What You See on Social Media – and What You Can Do about It" by Jeanna Matthews. (https://theconversation.com/how-fake-accounts-constantly-manipulate-what-you-see-on-social-media-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-139610) Describe the key ideas discussed in the argument, including the main claim, key reasons, counterarguments, rebuttals, and limits. If you feel the author did not include one of these elements, then you should explain your reasoning.Focus on the author’s ideas without giving your opinion.The summary must be at least 750 words long. Should be your own words

Answered: Write a detailed and accurate summary…

Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (7th Edition)

7th Edition

ISBN:9780133594140

Author:James Kurose, Keith Ross

Publisher:James Kurose, Keith Ross

Chapter1: Computer Networks And The Internet

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem R1RQ: What is the difference between a host and an end system? List several different types of end...

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Write a detailed and accurate summary of "How Fake Accounts Constantly Manipulate What You See on Social Media – and What You Can Do about It" by Jeanna Matthews. (https://theconversation.com/how-fake-accounts-constantly-manipulate-what-you-see-on-social-media-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-139610)

Describe the key ideas discussed in the argument, including the main claim, key reasons, counterarguments, rebuttals, and limits. If you feel the author did not include one of these elements, then you should explain your reasoning.
Focus on the author’s ideas without giving your opinion.
The summary must be at least 750 words long.
Should be your own words

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How Fake Accounts Constantly Manipulate What You See On Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram started out as a way to connect with friends, family and people of interest.

Anyone on social media these days knows it's increasingly a divisive landscape.

Undoubtedly you've heard reports that hackers and even foreign governments are using social media to manipulate and attack you.

As a professor of computer science who researches social media and security, I can explain - and offer some ideas for what you can do about it.

Social media platforms don't simply feed you the posts from the accounts you follow.

They use algorithms to curate what you see based in part on "Likes" or "Votes." A post is shown to some users, and the more those people react - positively or negatively - the more it will be highlighted to others.

Sadly, lies and extreme content often garner more reactions and so spread quickly and widely.

Who is doing this "Voting"? Often it's an army of accounts, called bots, that do not correspond to real people.

Researchers have reported that more than half of the Twitter accounts discussing COVID-19 are bots.

As a social media researcher, I've seen thousands of accounts with the same profile picture "Like" posts in unison.

I've seen accounts post hundreds of times per day, far more than a human being could.

I've seen an account claiming to be an "All-American patriotic army wife" from Florida post obsessively about immigrants in English, but whose account history showed it used to post in Ukranian.

Fake accounts like this are called "Sock puppets" - suggesting a hidden hand speaking through another identity.

In many cases, this deception can easily be revealed with a look at the account history.

In some cases, there is a big investment in making sock puppet accounts seem real.

Jenna Abrams, an account with 70,000 followers, was quoted by mainstream media outlets like The New York Times for her xenophobic and far-right opinions, but was actually an invention controlled by the Internet Research Agency, a Russian government-funded troll farm and not a living, breathing person.

Researchers in 2018 concluded that some of the most influential accounts on both sides of divisive issues, like Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter, were controlled by troll farms.

More than just fanning disagreement, trolls want to encourage a belief that truth no longer exists.

Even as a social media researcher, I underestimate the degree to which my opinion is shaped by these attacks.

Still, when I see a post that has millions of likes, part of me thinks it must reflect public opinion.

The social media feeds I see are affected by it and, what's more, I am affected by the opinions of my real friends, who are also influenced.

Does freedom of speech include the right to create 100,000 fake accounts with the express purpose of spreading lies, division and chaos?

So what can you do about it? You probably already know to check the sources and dates of what you read and forward, but common-sense media literacy advice is not enough.

Help your friends and family find your posts by using features like pinning key messages to the top of your feed.

Second, pressure social media platforms to remove accounts with clear signs of automation.

Ask for more controls to manage what you see and which posts are amplified.

Ask for more transparency in how posts are promoted and who is placing ads.

It's worth asking yourself how these positions might be good for Russian trolls, but bad for you and your family.

Perhaps most importantly, use social media sparingly, like any other addictive, toxic substance, and invest in more real-life community building conversations.

Listen to real people, real stories and real opinions, and build from there.

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