Roger-Luc Chayer (Photos: Clic farms in Asia – sources unknown)
Since the start of the federal election in Canada, numerous messages containing false information and hateful rhetoric against candidates or party leaders have been circulating on social media. This phenomenon was predictable, as some countries have a strong interest in manipulating public opinion to promote the candidate of their choice.
Obscure fake accounts attributed to Marc Carney, allegedly anti-Quebec and anti-French statements made by Pierre Poilievre, pseudo-Indian spies attempting to promote certain MP candidates… In short, disinformation is in full swing. These false claims are widely consumed by Canadians, who amplify them by commenting indiscriminately, giving free rein to their momentary outrage.
How to detect manipulative publications?
- Lack of interaction with the author: No matter what you say or ask, the original poster will never respond because it is often a bot.
- Lack of reliable sources: If the information is only found on social media and is not corroborated by any national or professional media—such as Radio-Canada, CBS, CNN, BBC, etc.—it is likely that journalists have filtered it out as false.
- Suspiciously high engagement: If you notice overwhelming unanimity in reactions (thousands of “likes” supporting a misleading post), chances are that click farms are artificially inflating engagement to create the illusion of widespread agreement on false information.
Does this also apply to LGBT issues?
Bots and click farms have already been used to manipulate public opinion on LGBT issues. Disinformation campaigns, often orchestrated by political groups or states hostile to LGBT rights, spread false narratives to fuel polarization. Algorithms amplify extremist rhetoric, creating a false impression of massive support for controversial ideas. By exploiting prejudices and fears, these manipulations influence public debates and political decisions. This strategy aims to divide societies and slow down legislative progress on LGBT rights.
Who are the main victims of these false publications?
The most vulnerable people to disinformation are those who consume their news exclusively on social media, depriving themselves of professional sources to verify facts. They also include those who, unfortunately, lack the education or critical thinking skills necessary to understand the manipulation they are subjected to. And these people are numerous: conspiracy theorists, denialists, those who believe COVID-19 vaccines were administered to control people’s minds, those convinced that airplane contrails are actually chemicals sprayed by governments to dull the population’s awareness, or even those who believe the Earth is flat.
Unfortunately, all these individuals have the right to vote, and they are precisely the targets of opinion manipulators, who encourage them to vote for anyone or anything. And sometimes, this strategy works—just look at what is happening with Donald Trump in the United States.
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