The Philippines: Topping online polls, Marcos denies employing troll farms

  • Presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has acknowledged that social media is “redefining” the way political campaigns are run, but reiterated not having his own online trolls.
  • In an interview streamed via Facebook on 21 Oct 21, Marcos reacted to informal surveys launched by so-called “influencers” and some news outlets, some of which had him topping the race for president. “I do not have troll (farms). I do not boost (my social media pages) because netizens are smart. They would know,” the former senator said in Filipino
  • The informal polls were apparently aimed at feeling the pulse of the electorate among netizens and users of social media sites.
  • Marcos said that despite the absence of scientific steps in that poll, the survey has “value.” “I think, because this is really not scripted, it is the natural reaction of people. This has value. Which is why, it is another way that social media is redefining the campaign,” he said.
  • Rogue Magazine’s in 2017 ran a Twitter audit of several Filipino celebrities and politicians to see who among them have inflated follower counts.
  • At the time of the Twitter audit, the Ilocos Norte politiko has 775,279 followers on Twitter. But out these, a staggering 45% or 342,673 of Marcos’ followers are fake.

External Link : https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/10/23/2136023/topping-online-polls-marcos-denies-employing-troll-farms

External Link : https://northluzon.politics.com.ph/nearly-half-of-bongbong-marcos-twitter-followers-are-fake-report/

23-Oct-2021