Facebook Russian Ads Revealed

[DanC78]

Please don't make political. Not sure if possible, but try not too; I know it's been a topic discussed without issue recently in a different thread. I would have posted in that thread if I remembered which one it was. So mods ('mots' for those paying attention) please feel free to move over if you need, or delete if it goes south.

So Facebook made their Russian ad purchases public. Here are the results:

They spent 100k over a two year period buying ads. These ads were intended to divide the country and spoke of hate. Ten million people saw at least one ad, 40% of those were seen before election.

I read in a different article (can't find now) that FB is going to be hiring 700 people to help better monitor ad purchases and where they come from. I think we can all agree that is a step in the right direction.

4 million people saw pre election ads is the net if it. Would like to know where they were geographically targeted; curious if it were a spray and pray across the entire US campaign, or if they were geo targeted towards swing state/cities??

How many clicked on the ads?
How many clicked on ad and then made a decision to vote differently because of it?

I don't think we'll ever know, but it has to be low. I worked in this industry selling these type ads for 5 years. If you can get 2% click thru rate on your ad (meaning 2% of the 4 million who saw actually clicked on the ad), you're doing awesome; if you can then get 5% of those who clicked to actually take action, you're a rockstar.

Regardless, in my opinion, it's not near as devestating as it originally appeared to be.

Thoughts?

http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/02/media/facebook-russian-ads-10-million/index.html

 

[GbrNole]

more of the same, the only thing that was ever important is the narrative created. ridiculous that you have to do due diligence on news.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

i think when you combine the ads with the troll farms, hashtag-hijacking, and bogus news blogs they created, you get a more holistic view of a fairly effective propaganda apparatus

the russians are professionals, they've honed their craft in the ukraine and a number of eastern european nations. they don't 'spray and pray'.

the number of times i saw friends retweet or share something from RT (russia today - state-run propaganda outlet) during the election was appalling.

IMO now they know how to effectively weaponize cyber propaganda in the US and I expect to see more of it, executed more effectively, before, during, and after events of social unrest (charlottesville, NFL take a knee) and also during elections at local and federal levels.

 

[RTM58]

Two hundred thousand over two years and only 10 million people, seems like their heart wasn't in it.

 

[CC0492]

i think when you combine the ads with the troll farms, hashtag-hijacking, and bogus news blogs they created, you get a more holistic view of a fairly effective propaganda apparatus

the russians are professionals, they've honed their craft in the ukraine and a number of eastern european nations. they don't 'spray and pray'.

the number of times i saw friends retweet or share something from RT (russia today - state-run propaganda outlet) during the election was appalling.

IMO now they know how to effectively weaponize cyber propaganda in the US and I expect to see more of it, executed more effectively, before, during, and after events of social unrest (charlottesville, NFL take a knee) and also during elections at local and federal levels.

This guy likes this. ^

 

[NYCNole]

I still don't see how fake ads fixed the election. Sending out fake facts about opponent is fair game. Like Hillary did to Bernie.

 

[DanC78]

I still don't see how fake ads fixed the election. Sending out fake facts about opponent is fair game. Like Hillary did to Bernie.

But it's Russia bro...you've seen the movie Red Dawn haven't you?????

 

[DanC78]

@BacardiNole I think people are just trolling you with bro.

I'd probably do the same to you if I were on the Twitter.

My advice is to turn it off next election season. Let CNN and FOX be the only ones trolling you moving forward.

 

[kc78]

To me the bigger issue was the number of blatantly false news sites that propped up who simply created news that wasn't even close to accurate and passed it off as news. I don't know whether it was Russia, Trump, fake news sites, or just sheer stupidity but somehow we managed to have a whole lot of people who bought into a completely ridiculous story about email to a point where they ignored every other aspect of the campaign. I think it was most likely a system of people simply needing a reason to not vote for Hillary because of their severe dislike for her and to convince themselves Trump was a better choice, not because he was but because they simply hated Clinton so much. If it wasn't email, it would likely have been something else.

I'm still blown away that this election came down to an email server, something that we're seeing from the Trump people apparently isn't that big of a deal since they're doing it too.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

@BacardiNole I think people are just trolling you with bro.

I'd probably do the same to you if I were on the Twitter.

My advice is to turn it off next election season. Let CNN and FOX be the only ones trolling you moving forward.

I don't use twitter, not sure what you're talking about.

More concerned about the average American voter who'll believe just about anything their stupid uncle posts.

 

[TennNole17]

news on news on news

stacks on stacks on stacks

 

[fsu1jreed]

Two hundred thousand over two years and only 10 million people, seems like their heart wasn't in it.

From what I understand is that each single fake news reached 10 million people..........not 10 million total.

 

[1handsomenole]

Any guess what level of exposure a $100k ad campaign, implemented over a 2 year period, gets you? In my business.....it gets DICK.

 

[Fijimn]

Any guess what level of exposure a $100k ad campaign, implemented over a 2 year period, gets you? In my business.....it gets DICK.

Porn producer?

 

[1handsomenole]

Porn producer?

Well done!
I'm certain you do understand the qualitative impact of that pittance...

 

[CC0492]

1handsomenole said: ↑
"Any guess what level of exposure a $100k ad campaign, implemented over a 2 year period, gets you? In my business.....it gets DICK."

Porn producer?

Gay pron?

 

[fsu1jreed]

To me the bigger issue was the number of blatantly false news sites that propped up who simply created news that wasn't even close to accurate and passed it off as news. I don't know whether it was Russia, Trump, fake news sites, or just sheer stupidity but somehow we managed to have a whole lot of people who bought into a completely ridiculous story about email to a point where they ignored every other aspect of the campaign.

HBO Vice did a report on this very thing a few months ago.......it was Russians that were living in Crete, IIRC.

 

[Fijimn]

Well done!
I'm certain you do understand the qualitative impact of that pittance...

Uh....takes more money to produce straight porn?

 

[1handsomenole]

Uh....takes more money to produce straight porn?

Thanks for sharing your ignorance. I'll move on...

 

[RTM58]

To me the bigger issue was the number of blatantly false news sites that propped up who simply created news that wasn't even close to accurate and passed it off as news. I don't know whether it was Russia, Trump, fake news sites, or just sheer stupidity but somehow we managed to have a whole lot of people who bought into a completely ridiculous story about email to a point where they ignored every other aspect of the campaign. I think it was most likely a system of people simply needing a reason to not vote for Hillary because of their severe dislike for her and to convince themselves Trump was a better choice, not because he was but because they simply hated Clinton so much. If it wasn't email, it would likely have been something else.

I'm still blown away that this election came down to an email server, something that we're seeing from the Trump people apparently isn't that big of a deal since they're doing it too.

It appears you missed the campaign.

 

[Fijimn]

Thanks for sharing your ignorance. I'll move on...

8 messages and just joined Warchant in July. Ok, Russian Porn Producing Bot....we are on to your game.

 

[Mugsy101]

I'm far more concerned about that propaganda put out by the US government and the fake news put out by so called "establishment" media.

 

[goldmom]

Citizens who love liberty are obligated to be informed as to events in their own country. Use many sources for information and then make a judgment.*
(Dr. Dye, Government Professor, FSU circa 1970)
*pre-internet

 

[seminole97]

They spent 100k over a two year period buying ads.

I don't expect this to surprise anyone. And it's a drop in the bucket to compared to the money the US pumps abroad to influence elections.

 

[kc78]

I don't expect this to surprise anyone. And it's a drop in the bucket to compared to the money the US pumps abroad to influence elections.

That's certainly true. America's hands are certainly not clean on trying to fix elections in our favor. We're not the good, wholesome, innocent people we like to pretend we are. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be outraged when it happens here, but yes, let's have some perspective.

 

[SoddyNole]

I WILL MAKE YOU VOTE!

 

[DFSNOLE]

Sorry Dan but this one was doomed from the beginning.