Using the social networking service Tik-Tok,
Fans of K-pop music disrupted sign-ups
for President Trump’s June rally in Tulsa.
They also tricked social media algorithms to
slow the spread of anti-Black Lives Matter hashtags.
These examples illustrate how powerful social media has
become in digital activism,
says Michigan State associate professor
Anjana Susarla.
First, social media gives an opinion-making role
to a few influencers with large followings.
Secondly, people tend to engage with
like-minded people on social media,
a phenomenon known as 'homophily.'
Together, these mechanisms enable a video
or a tweet to go viral,
creating a situation that’s impossible
for the targeted companies or individuals to ignore.
K-pop fans may have also flooded the Trump campaign
with bad data,
which could interfere with their voter turnout models
and targeted online advertisements.
The success of the TikTok teens’ campaign
also shows how it’s relatively easy for a group,
including foreign actors,
to interfere in the political process
by using social media.
