General
#IStandWithDan vs #DictatorDan: how fringe accounts gamed Twitter during Melbourne’s lockdown
During the height of Melbourne’s lockdown, as the city struggled to contain the virus, a separate battle was being fought online.
Key points:
- Research shows hyper-partisan core of Twitter accounts drove pro- and anti-Dan Andrews hashtags during Melbourne’s lockdown
- Half of the top 50 Twitter accounts for anti-Andrews hashtags were fabricated or anonymous profiles
- The findings challenge the idea of trending hashtags as representative of popular opinion
On Twitter, it centred around rival hashtags backing or attacking Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
On one side: #DictatorDan and #DanLiedPeopleDied. On the other: #IStandWithDan.
Popular opinion mattered more than ever — controlling the virus required…
Continue Reading
-
General11 hours agoAlleged Croydon Park gunman Artemios Mintzas charged with 25 offences
-
General24 hours agoThree youths in police custody after fire at Ashley Youth Detention Centre in northern Tasmania
-
Noosa News18 hours agoPrime Minister Anthony Albanese calls for political temperature to be ‘turned down’ after alleged death threat
-
Noosa News12 hours agoPerth Royal Show attendance slumps to 10-year low