The Rest Is Politics 394. How We Trolled the Trolls: Putin, Trump, and Musk (with Anthony Scaramucci)
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Apr 14, 2025 
Anthony Scaramucci, an American financier and former White House Communications Director, joins the discussion on the chaotic world of social media. They unveil whether Elon Musk has enlisted fans for online support and analyze the prevalence of bot activity in political discourse. The group dives into the psychological effects of online criticism and the challenges it poses for politicians. They also address the dark tactics of misinformation campaigns and the need for honest communication to maintain productive political discussions amidst digital disarray.
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Social Media Trolling
- Rory Stewart noticed aggressive and dismissive replies to his social media posts, especially when criticizing the US administration or Russia.
- An analysis by Valant concluded many replies came from trolls and bots.
The Tweet Experiment
- Alastair Campbell, Rory Stewart, and Anthony Scaramucci tweeted about Trump and Musk to analyze bot and troll responses.
- The tweets varied in tone, from Scaramucci's "Trump is unwell" to Campbell's critique of Musk enabling autocracy.
How Bots and Trolls Operate
- Bots and trolls target social media accounts based on factors like tweet visibility and specific keywords or hashtags.
- They also target certain accounts, like those with many followers, and use preset scripts.