Too many fake current affairs posts on MN

[inthetrenches1]

I’ve never started a post before (I don’t think?), I’m an on-off lurker for a while, but what’s become apparent is the number of posts on MN that have clearly been posted by political parties opposing the government. It’s just another tactic used these days like creating online petitions and fake polls about issues/fake issues to get sectors of society riled up about things they were never worried about before.

Misinformation filtering into society is at an all-time high. You can see them a mile away on here. Next time you see a “I’ve seen a poll saying Reform are more popular than Labour” just remember it’s probably a lackey of Farage and Tice’s, with seven mobile phones and three laptops, thirty different fake profiles on the go, gleefully making up these baseless posts on here and on social media.

If you want to leave a comment feel free, I only came here to post, I probably won’t be reading the replies

Evidence of what? You think I'm a bot? If that's what you think, spell it out.
Yes I did have a 'quick google' as it was 1am ffs! You should try it before you attack next time. I heard about the poll on the radio so i knew it existed, and it does. Why are you so nasty every time you post?

@QuimCarrey Someone with a Russian background or even a pro-Russian agent might post misiniformation to Mumsnet but a bot would have to automate the whole registration or name-changing process and they couldn't post very often. Why bother for something you're not doing often and have to tailor and even then according to you the results are a bit shit? Easier to have a person do it.

The Russian incident was an example of the 'other ways of targeting' that I mentioned in response to you bringing them up, rather than a bot.

It's not so much the varied views but the actual lies being posted by new posters, and the posters who just keep repeating 'facts' - no discussion, just endless repetition of 'facts'.

When some woke up this morning, it was either “I must accept labour may have mismanaged things and people are angry” or “Labour can’t do wrong ever so it must be them, must be bots, etc… not our fault, we are Labour, how could we ever be wrong?”

This thread looks indeed like desperate believers clutching at straws to maintain their beliefs and keep their collective momentum: everyone is a bot, everyone is far right, it’s a deliberate attack, look they use words that are used by other people, that’s a sign they’re in cahoots…

People who are more attuned to critical thinking, free expression, tolerance, diversity don’t go into such tantrums because they realise a lot faster their views may be wrong when reality hits them in the face.

When you got to deny reality to such an extent and with such despair, you are probably wrong.

I don't remember all this fuss about astroturfing bots on the constant anti-Tory threads when they were in government but dare to criticise Labour and all hell breaks loose. The Labour propaganda points like '£22 billion black hole' are laughable. There's so much misinformation on Labour threads, such as the way people cling to the Jay report, along with the desperate tooth and nail defence of policies that would rightly see the Tories shredded up one side and down the other if they did something a tenth as bad. Mumsnet politics is so out of touch with real life, probably because it's so middle-class and liking Labour is seen as a luxury personality type.

It's not so much the varied views but the posters that keep shouting 'bots' -no discussion, just endless repetition of 'bots'

Agree with that.

Mumsnet politics is so out of touch with real life

This was clearly shown on the threads about the removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance.

Justifying the removal because their parents don't need it, and yet failing to see those on a basic full state pension -of which this disproportionately affects women- do need it.

💯

I have never shouted 'bot' 😁 but when there are posters who just repeatedly post untruths with no attempt at discussion it does start to get a bit wearing.

You are 100% correct. There is a posse of usernames that are clearly political shills.

This is a good one for the poster going on about ‘shills’ in pp

Pretty sure there are social disrupters who may well be sponsored or supported by foreign governments and dodgy organisations posting quite a lot. Probably more than 10 years ago, because MN is more famous and the world is more unstable and many governments and organisations benefit from social instability elsewhere in the world - and the current state of the world means they need all the help they can get

Quite possible we are now at the stage where AI can post and learn from the responses how best to manipulate the audience. This will greatly increase the amount of dodgy stuff as it doesn't need a human in the loop

Not necessarily posting on or about politics but Things that make people feel dissatisfied with their lives - any post that treats a 150k plus salary as normal and struggling makes me suspicious ( actually think there are far fewer or those households than those with a DH into cycling or golf or other "too outing" hobbies )

. not saying it doesn't happen IRL and that's the rub - for any one "bot" post there could be one real one and the aim of any bot is to have a surprising amount of believability

Within politics I think you have always seen that far right communicate differently to many other segments of society and are happier to post aggressively ; the far right are currently gaining ground across Europe because they usually do when times get rough. So they will appear more on here naturally. And I think the things that drive that trend to the right ( very natural and instinctive responses to difficult times ) are at odds with the kind of discussion and debate that many of us prefer

I’ve been called a bot, a shill, a liar even (for saying I used to be a Labour Party member). They just can’t countenance people not agreeing with them. Laughable if their idols weren’t in power.

One in five people eligible to vote actually voted Labour. Two in five didn’t vote and two in five voted for other parties. It’s undeniable that Labour have a large majority in the commons. However, on the street/in the general population, only 20% of people voted for them and 80% didn’t. When you then consider that some of the 20% regret voting Labour, the support for the government as a percentage of people in this country is very, very low. And that’s reflected in the media and on MN.

So many times in the run up to the election on here, I was called a Tory bot. It was ridiculous and in retrospect I should have reported those comments and asked for them to be deleted - and asked for the people who repeatedly posted to be warned and banned if they didn’t stop. You aren’t allowed to troll hunt and that’s very similar to accusing someone of being a Tory bot. My politics are in the centre anyway. I don’t like Labour, I don’t like Starmer or Reeves and I think they are totally out of their depth and doing destructive things to the country. I appreciate that they are trying to help the country, I just don’t think either of them have a clue what they’re doing.

Then why haven’t MN banned them or whatever? If is so “clear”, get it reported and get them banned.

Are you judging posters by Your standards? Does that mean you’re a shill? Basic.

Absolutely. I think this might be the first and last post I’ve ever typed the word bot. It’s just an attempt to close down discussion. Some of the nonsense I see posted here as fact makes me despair. And “Google it” or “Do your own research” is so bloody lazy, especially to someone who regularly provides links.

Completely agree OP

Sometimes they pretent they voted Labour and are sooo disappointed, other times not. Always some truth in the opening post but then fill the thread with crap

No, it's not because I disagree with them, I didn't vote Labour myself and agree/disagree with various things

It's because it's repetitive, disingenuous and probably financed by someone

Thankfully posters who try to use it as an attack are deleted more often atm

I didn't use the bot word so where are you getting that from?

It's a common tactic, as pp have said on here,to tell people to Google rather than defend what they have said. It can mean that the person has no evidence.

1am means nothing. You were posting on MN so clearly awake!

Nasty? Hm interesting.

I didn't tell you to Google anything. Read my pp again. The op suggested that the poll was false, I explained to him/her that it did infact exist. It is not misinformation.

Rather than giving any actual links you just said "A quick Google shows..."

This is the pattern OP and other people have talked about. Nobody is calling you a bot. I'm sure you're not a bot. You just aren't giving actual evidence.

There’s a whole long thread on the poll the pp isn’t making it up