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The anonymity, borderless nature, and free flow of information online have been celebrated as attributes that contribute to a more inclusive public sphere. While the internet has emerged as a focal point of political discourse, algorithmically amplified attacks on the freedom of speech seek to suppress the voices of women, ethnical and cultural minorities. Orchestrated troll attacks and automated bot accounts target both group and individual actors with hate speech and harassment, spam, disinformation and an ongoing flood of messages designed to sow discontent, fear, withdrawal, and confusion. The investigations surrounding interference in the 2016 US elections have brought to light that attempts to silence or attack disadvantaged populations are closely connected to concerted propaganda campaigns. Building on political communication literature, this paper examines the different strategies used by trolls and bots to silence and smother minority voices online, shedding light on systematic targeting of female intellectuals, political activists and people of color. Using social media data collected during pivotal moments of public life with the Project on Computational Propaganda at the Oxford Internet Institute, we present an inventory of strategies pursued by bots & trolls. Qualitative interviews conducted with perpetrators, bot developers, victims and social media operators are used to highlight the implications for freedom of expression and the diversity of public discourse.
Samantha Bradshaw, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University
Lisa-Maria Neudert, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University
Philip N Howard, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University