![]() ![]() While Spamouflage continued to use hundreds of fake accounts with little or no attempt at persona development, it began in parallel to experiment with persona accounts which looked and behaved as though they were real people, and thus gave a veneer of authenticity to what they posted. Second, and underpinning the first point, is a tactical shift. This is the first time that we have observed Spamouflage content reaching external audiences in this way. Nevertheless, in the past three months Spamouflage has been amplified by, among others, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, a Pakistani politician, a senior figure at Huawei Europe, UK commentator and former member of parliament George Galloway, and four YouTube channels for Chinese viewers with tens of thousands of followers. We use the phrase “begun to” advisedly: only a handful of assets, out of the many thousands that the network has deployed, have successfully engaged real users. Our latest report is prompted by several key developments.įirst is the fact that Spamouflage has finally begun to break out of the echo chamber of fake accounts that it controls. Nevertheless, the network has persisted and evolved. Throughout the last six months, the three platforms have taken down swathes of Spamouflage assets, often within hours of posting. ![]() This is Graphika’s fourth report on Spamouflage, following our initial exposure of the network’s activity on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook in September 2019, its pivot to comment on COVID-19 in February 2020 and its launch of English-language videos in June 2020. ![]() Combined with the sheer scale of the network, and the fact that it has reconstituted itself after repeated takedowns, these features mark Spamouflage as a persistent and increasingly assertive online presence with a limited but growing ability to engage real users. Moreover, the audiences it has reached are widespread and include influencers in Latin America, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. The network’s successes are still sporadic - a few tweets have reached viral influencers, and a few dozen videos on YouTube channels have garnered significant followings - but, for the first time, its content has had measurable reach. The sprawling pro-Chinese propaganda network that Graphika has dubbed “Spamouflage” and exposed multiple times over the past two years has begun to break out of its echo chamber of fake accounts and reach real social media users, including some heavyweight influencers, with hundreds of videos that praise China, criticize the United States, and attack the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement and exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui. Copy this codeħ0% of teenagers say they trust influencers more than traditional celebrities.Ĥ0% of people say they have purchased a product online as a result of seeing it being used by an influencer on social media.Ĥ9% of consumers rely on product recommendations shared by influencers for their purchasesħ2% of customers trust a business more after it is recommended by an influencerĬonsumers Trust Influencers 94% More than Friends or Family When Making Shopping Decisionsĩ2% of shoppers trust influencer reviews over classic ads and celebrity endorsementsģ3% of those participating in the survey admitted that social media influencers are their most trusted sources for shoppingĤ3% of respondents said authenticity was the top reason to “trust” an influencer 39% said the expertise of the influencer would make them trust the endorsement.Ĥ4% of all respondents said they have considered purchasing a product or service based on a social influencer postĢ4% said they have recommended a product or service based on an influencer post.Chinese Spam Network Finally Starts to Gain Some Traction Executive Summary To Publish this Image on your Blog or Website. Infographic by- Invesp Conversion Rate Optimization Company Did you know that 40% of people say they have purchased a product online as a result of seeing it being used by an influencer on social media? 72% of customers trust a business more after it is recommended by an influencer whereas 49% of consumers rely on product recommendations shared by influencers for their purchases.Ĭheck out our infographic to know about the growing importance of social media influencers and how social media influencers impact online buying decisions.
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