Investigation reveals influencers on X exploiting the Israel-Gaza conflict with false narratives for profit
A recent investigation uncovers a troubling trend as influencers capitalize on the Israel-Gaza conflict by spreading misinformation for personal gain. These influencers are accused of manipulating facts, feeding into the chaos surrounding the war, and jeopardizing the public's understanding of the complex situation.
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FollowThe Israel-Gaza conflict in the Middle East which began in October last year has created havoc. However, for some, it has also brought increased profit as a result of false narratives. A report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) revealed shocking developments taking place on X formerly Twitter.
Influencers have been spreading fake and sensationalist news of the Israel-Gaza conflict to increase their payout from X. The Elon Musk-headed company brought sweeping changes to the platform after a hostile takeover last year bringing a revenue program for content creators a.k.a influencers.
The X pays a monthly revenue for anyone having a premium account on the platform based on engagement and views. However, for a premium account, users need to have at least 500 followers and have to pay an $8 monthly fee. Many influencers having large followers have found the scheme high.
Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) said, “Cynical pay-for-play controversialists today deliberately induce anger for engagement to game Musk's platform into giving them more visibility, and therefore more revenue for their views.
Musk created a topsy-turvy platform on which authoritative sources struggle to be heard above the noise -- while liars and hate actors are put on a pedestal, generating revenue for themselves and the platform.”
Jackson Hinkle, a content creator on X, has been caught spreading fake and sensationalist news by fact-checkers. The American shared a video claiming it was the footage of Iran attacking US military bases in Iraq. A fact check found the video to be of an attack on Iraq's Kurdistan region.
Many such content creators have cropped up sharing sensationalist and fake news on popular narratives. The dangerous trend has facilitated many joining the bandwagon spamming comment sections of popular posts to broaden their outreach.
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