By Dustin Rowles | Politics | August 7, 2017 |
By Dustin Rowles | Politics | August 7, 2017 |
I know that there are a ton of bots out on social media disseminating fakes news and propaganda for our President. I never really see them, but I know that last week, Russian bots generated thousands of tweets with #FireMcMaster and #deepstate hashtags, designed to undermine the National Security Advisor, and that Russian-linked bots have created a surge in #ResignPaulRyan in the last two days.
I rarely see these tweets because even on Twitter, I live in an echo chamber. But I know they’re out there. In fact, over the weekend, Donald Trump himself tweeted one of those pro-Trump bots. The dumbass still hasn’t deleted it, either:
Thank you Nicole! https://t.co/KlWN05uFOx
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2017
You can’t see Nicole’s tweet there because the account has been deleted. Why? Because “Nicole” does not exist. Nicole is a bot. The original tweet, by the way, said: “Trump fights for us … Trump working hard for the American people….thanks,” followed by emojis of a heart and the U.S. flag.
“Nicole,” however, is a bot using a stock photo.
Nicole is also a model @protrump45 @williamlegate pic.twitter.com/DfWEchEE1H
— Michael Nanhu (@MichaelNanhu) August 6, 2017
It’s bad enough that Russian bots are stealing stock photos of T-shirt models, but they’re lightening skin complexion, which is stupid fucked up.
tfw you use a stock photo to make your fake black trump supporter account, but also lighten her complexion because dark skin scares you https://t.co/ewIHVVv87t
— Alex P 🔥ðŸ¶â˜•ðŸ”¥ (@SaddestRobots) August 6, 2017
There are scores more of these accounts, many of which use these fake T-shirt models.
Maybe just all the young Trump supporters happen to model for this same site https://t.co/U7XJwrHlbm pic.twitter.com/XSt8wLfELH
— Schooley (@Rschooley) August 6, 2017
You might actually recognize that fella up there from the header photo wearing a Pajiba T-shirt. Turns out, he’s both a fake Pajiba T-shirt model and fake Trump supporter.
Wait, are you telling me the @pajiba store tee shirt guy ISN'T one of the writers? Outrage! 😆 https://t.co/MV5oASCkUf
— CaliBadger (@BadgerCali) August 6, 2017
He’s very convincing as a Pajiba T-shirt model, however. In fact, I am wearing that very shirt as I type this, in part because I wanted to be as good looking as that guy. It totally works, too! You should buy one. The other day, in fact, a woman at the grocery store approached me about my T-shirt, and I excitedly thought, “Whoa! Does she recognize the Handmaid’s Tale quote or the Pajiba logo?”
“Is that Spanish?” she asked.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In the meantime, remember this: While Donald Trump continues to insist that he has 100 million social media followers …
The Fake News Media hates when I use what has turned out to be my very powerful Social Media - over 100 million people! I can go around them
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2017
… he actually only has 31 million Twitter followers, and HALF of those (or more than 15 million) are FAKE. Meanwhile:
I bet that keeps him awake every damn night.