rvawonk

@rvawonk@newsie.social

Same as https://newsie.social/@rvawonk on Twitter.
Wife. Mother. PhD in Social and Behavioral Science. Postdoc at UMD. Studying online spaces, cognitive security, weaponized influence, hostile social manipulation.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

rvawonk, to Russia

NEW: has jumped into the border controversy and is now cheering on civil war in the US and promoting the right-wing border convoy. Even more interestingly, I found evidence that disinformation accounts associated with the notorious Internet Research Agency (Russia’s “troll factory”) may be being “reactivated” to promote a secessionist movement in Texas.

My latest:
https://weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/russia-amplifies-calls-for-civil

rvawonk,

Propaganda outlets RT & Sputnik, which together function as one of the major instruments of Russia’s disinformation machine, have been amplifying both sides of the border conflict — a tactic straight out of the disinfo playbook — and promoting the right-wing border convoy in dozens of articles. This is significant because points of major focus on RT & Sputnik don’t just reflect the news cycle — they actually tell us something about Russia’s foreign policy priorities.

Collage of Russian propaganda articles.

rvawonk,

Even more interestingly, I searched on Twitter for a language phrase meaning “Free Texas” — a phrase that is associated with a secessionist movement and was used extensively & almost exclusively by Internet Research Agency accounts — and found more tweets using it in 3 days last week than in the past 3 years combined.

rvawonk,

In one particularly notable exchange, one of the accounts promoting the secessionist movement appealed to RT’s editor in chief to create a “resources” platform to “help the freedom-loving people of Texas.” In response, one account suggested sending “weapons” to Texas, to which the OP replied:

“Well, for now informational [weapons].”

Interestingly, RT’s editor in chief has previously referred to RT as an “information weapon.”

rvawonk,

All of this is occurring just as Russian government and propaganda accounts have seen a boost in new followers and engagement on Twitter, thanks to changes made to the platform by Elon Musk — so any disinformation campaigns they launch will have greater reach.

https://weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/kremlin-twitter-accounts-get-a-boost

rvawonk,

Russia is likely acutely aware of these changes and may be trying to see how much they can get away with. And that’s the great irony here: For all the outrage over who might be trying to cross the physical border, there’s a striking silence around who has already breached our virtual borders.

rvawonk,

@Huck @rvawonk thank you so much. That makes my day! (Seriously!)

rvawonk,

@lawyersgunsnmoney @rvawonk thank you for reading!

rvawonk,

@herhandsmyhands @rvawonk absolutely. There’s often an idea in people’s heads that there’s a barrier of some sort separating the two spaces, but they’re both part of the real world and the consequences of what happens online can jump offline very quickly (and severely).

rvawonk,

@tanyatussing @rvawonk the best thing we can collectively do is 1) learn to recognize it, and get the word out when it’s happening, and 2) dial down the partisanship and polarization, because that’s what Russia feeds off of.

rvawonk, to Texas

Yesterday I commented that some extremists view the border conflict in almost biblical terms, which could contribute greatly to the volatility and danger of the situation if militias converge on Texas.

Today, Vice News reported that exactly what I warned about … is happening.

image/png

rvawonk, to politics

So, the former president of the United States is calling on states to take up arms to support Texas in its standoff against the federal government. That’s about as close to calling for civil war as you’re going to get without actually saying the words.

This is a situation that could spiral out of control in a heartbeat. I would not assume it’s just bluster.

rvawonk,

One thing that I think a lot of people may be overlooking is that Abbott’s (armed) defiance of the federal government — now backed by Trump and 25 GOP governors — is exactly what right-wing extremists have been waiting for. And training for. I have been writing about this exact situation for 6 years (see below); extremists have been preparing for this day much longer. This is almost biblical for them.

https://americanjournalnews.com/trump-migrant-caravans-armed-militia-violent-extremists/

Article text
Article text

rvawonk,

And sure, Trump fans may cosplay civil war a lot, but when the governor of Texas is openly defying the federal government, and the former president is calling on states to send their national guards to help Texas stand against the federal government — and 25 states have pledged to actually do so — that’s not cosplay anymore. This is a real threat.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/25-gop-govs-texas-border

rvawonk, to politics

I wrote about the rise in political violence in America, and how our fractured reality is making it hard to see the perilous path we’re heading down.

https://weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/americas-fractured-reality-paves

rvawonk,

Almost three in four “MAGA Republicans” believe there will be civil war in America in the next few years. We are seeing the mainstreaming of the accelerationist motto, “there is no political solution,” but I fear we aren’t recognizing what’s happening right in front of us.

rvawonk,

What would civil war look like in 2024? What are the signs we should be looking for? My fear is that our fractured reality is getting in the way of seeing the perils we face — and that we won’t recognize the red flags until they’re in the rearview mirror.

rvawonk, to internet

I wrote about false flag conspiracy theories — like those swirling after the school shooting yesterday —and how conspiracy theorists exploit mental shortcuts that our brains use to process information — essentially hijacking these processes to make people more susceptible to falsehoods.

I hope you’ll give it a read.

https://weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/false-flag-conspiracy-theories-go

rvawonk,

For example, conspiracy theorists exploit cognitive shortcuts that make us more likely to believe information when we see it repeatedly, from multiple sources, and from sources within our own social networks. This is why you’ll often see conspiracy theory narratives echoed in nearly verbatim fashion by clusters of accounts. Even when we are talking about utter bullshit, the effects of repetition, familiarity, frequency, and perceived similarity still make information seem more credible.

rvawonk,

Conspiracy theorists prey on our cognitive vulnerabilities, but they rely on emotional processes to reel people in and keep them coming back. Conspiracy theories don’t have to be logical or rational or even internally consistent to go viral — they work by creating the feeling that something is or even could be true, not by convincing people that they actually are true.

rvawonk,

Something we don’t talk about much, but which I think is important to understand, is that conspiracy theorists — though often carrying out their craft wittingly & deliberately — are also trapped by their own deceit. In order to maintain the alternate reality they’ve sold to their followers, they are bound to a life of spinning evermore lies to account for every piece of new information that comes out.

rvawonk, to random

Happy New Year! You’re the author of the next 365 pages of your life, so write something good that you’ll be proud to look back on when you reflect on the story of your life. Here’s to 2024! 🍾🥂

rvawonk, to twitter

is somehow still headed downhill … in a ball of fire … with the wheels coming off. So I wrote about how to succeed on Elon Musk’s Twitter, and it turns out it’s really easy. All you have to do is give up your integrity and stop caring so much about things like truth and authenticity.

Here’s your 10 step guide to becoming the master of Twitter and the worst person on the internet:

https://weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/how-to-succeed-on-elon-musks-twitter

Teri_Kanefield, to random
@Teri_Kanefield@mastodon.social avatar

Answering this question:

"Eagerly awaiting to hear from Teri Kanefield if today's thing was just another Hail Mary toss or if things could actually be stayed."

I just talked to Politics Girl about that this morning! Yes, there is likely to be a stay. No, it is unlikely to delay the trial. I expect this to go quickly.

https://mastodon.social/@jimcarroll@futurist.info/111541386545717176

rvawonk,

@mastodonmigration @tmstreet @Teri_Kanefield thank you 🙏

rvawonk,

@mastodonmigration @tmstreet @Teri_Kanefield I really appreciate that. I will try to share more of this in the near future :) Hopefully in article format.

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