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Social Networks Advertising Politics

Trump and Biden Attack Social Media - By Running Ads on Social Media (apnews.com) 168

In 100 days the U.S. will vote on whether Donald Trump, Joe Biden or somebody else should be America's president. But both candidates are also running political ads attacking social media — on social media.

"They're shooting the messenger while giving it lots of money," reports the Associated Press: Biden has focused on Facebook, with a #MoveFastFixIt campaign that admonishes Facebook for not doing enough to protect users from foreign meddling or being duped by falsehoods, particularly those spread by Trump about mail-in voting. His campaign just last month spent nearly $10,000 to run ads scolding the company on its own platform. "We could lie to you, but we won't," says one of Biden's ads.... Despite criticizing Facebook, Biden's campaign said it's still purchasing millions of dollars in Facebook ads because it's one of the few ways to counter Trump's false posts — since Facebook won't fact check him. The ads are also a cheap and effective way for the campaigns to rally supporters who are unhappy with the platforms, said Kathleen Searles, a Louisiana State University political communications professor. "We do know that anger can be very motivating — it motivates them to get their name on an email list, or donate $20," Searles said...

While Biden has focused on Facebook, Trump has honed in on Twitter, and occasionally Snapchat, with his campaign running online ads that accuse both companies of "interfering" in the election. Twitter became a Trump campaign target after the company rolled out its first fact check of his inaccurate tweet about voting in late May. Twitter has since applied similar labels to five other Trump tweets, including two that called mail-in ballots "fraudulent" and predicted that "mail boxes will be robbed" if voting doesn't take place in person... Republican leaders have since joined in railing against Twitter. This month, Rep. Jim Jordan, a firebrand conservative from Ohio, demanded Twitter hand over a full accounting, including emails, of how it decided to fact check the president...

Facebook could be next for a face-off with the president and his allies now that the company has vowed to label any posts — Trump's included — that violate its rules against voting misinformation or hate speech. Facebook has yet to take such action, though.

"Social media censorship is going to be a very potent campaign issue," Brooking said. "And there's going to be incentive from a number of folks running for office in 2020 to push the envelope still further, to try to invite more and more social media moderation because they see it as a potent political stunt."

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Trump and Biden Attack Social Media - By Running Ads on Social Media

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  • People drive their cars to environmental protests too. You fight with the tools available.

  • by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Sunday July 26, 2020 @02:15PM (#60333575)

    Can you imagine what an excellent episode of Celebrity Deathmatch a Trump vs. Biden would make?

  • You idiots that voted for Green or Libertarian last time .. it's was the same as voting for the Trump. Hope you are happy!

    Third parties have done nothing, zero, on the grassroots level .. they didn't bother to build up any base. Where were the Libertarian and Green Party idiots hiding for the last four years? They'll show up from their hideout in late October demanding votes claiming to be the way out. Forget them, they forgot us.

    • You idiots that voted for Green or Libertarian last time .. it's was the same as voting for the Trump.

      Are you proud of voting for a lizard? [youtube.com]

      • Lizards have species. The choice was Iguana versus Crocodile. When you voted third party, in spite of what you think, you voted for the Croc.

        And by the way the third parties are lizards too, or at least their related reptile -- snakes. Snakes that burrow.

        • The goal isn't to get a less bad president, although that's what you want.
          • None of the thid party candidates could even win a third grade election where all they have to do is provide candy and all-day recess. They'll choose the one flavor nobody wants, and the all-day recess activies would consist of pop quizzes. You are rewarding that behavior by voting for them. They should try winning local elections first and build a base, instead they are chasing quixotic glory.

  • I have a lot less faith in Biden and associates to land on the side of free speech, even though I trust neither of them fully in this respect.

    I hate how leaders think the internet is their creation to mess about with.
  • "a lot of money" (Score:4, Interesting)

    by kenh ( 9056 ) on Sunday July 26, 2020 @02:32PM (#60333651) Homepage Journal

    Who, in this day and age, considers a campaign spending $10,000 on advertising as "a lot of money"?

    That's the catering budget for a reasonably large campaign rally, it's not a lot of money - please don't act like it is.

    • Who, in this day and age, considers a campaign spending $10,000 on advertising as "a lot of money"?

      That's the catering budget for a reasonably large campaign rally, it's not a lot of money - please don't act like it is.

      I take it you are unable to separate the concept of total campaign budget with the idea of advert spending on a single platform. Yes $10000 to run an add on Facebook is definitely considered a "lot of money". Just like if you went out and spent $300 on dinner at a restaurant it would be considered a "lot of money" despite being nothing in the overall budget required to keep you alive throughout the year.

      • The context of this spending is that $10K is not such a large amount of money that it would, in any way, influence Facebook's behavior one way or another.

        Then again, in 2016 the crafty "RUSSIANS!" were able to completely overturn our election with a social media budget of about $100K.

  • Haven't seen those ads, or any others at all, on Mastodon.
  • Facebook and Twitter should ban both candidates. I certainly would. It's not a free speech issue. It's like a black person allowing the Klan and Aryan Nations to hold meetings at their home.

  • Once Biden becomes president for heroically slaying the dragon, what will be the remaining difference between the two parties after the damage Trump has caused has been fixed? Pretty much all of the classic conservative topics (gay marriage, transgender rights, health insurance etc.) are gone and done. What's left for them to pick up? Or the democrats for that matter as their opponent doesn't have any distinguishable traits anymore?

    • Economically, the left has basic income.
      Socially, the left has trans rights, polyamory, and abortion rights.
      Foreign policy, the left can be nice to people.
    • Once upon a time, it was about constitutional views, not a particular political issue.

      The eighteenth amendment came and was repealed by the twenty-first.

      The US just might be farther "left" than is stated, weed is legal, so on.

      Papa Joe or tRump? Neither is a good choice.

  • Editing is officially dead

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