Electronic Flies: The Weapon of the Age in Information Wars

 Electronic Flies: The Weapon of the Age in Information Wars

Introduction

The world today is witnessing rapid development in the field of technology and communications, which has led to the widespread use of social networking sites and digital media. Social media has become an open arena for expression and interaction, and has begun to play a clear role in all aspects of life.

With this development, a new phenomenon has emerged that has become a threat to public opinion and democratic dialogue. This phenomenon is embodied in organized groups of fake accounts that are used to direct public opinion and mislead people about certain issues. This is the phenomenon of what has become known as “electronic flies.”

What is an electronic fly? How does it work? What are its goals? What are its repercussions on societies? We will try to answer these questions and more in this article

 

Electronic flies

Electronic flies: A modern phenomenon that reflects the ugly face and dark side of the great development in the world of communications and information technology. It is a modern term that refers to groups of fake accounts or individuals who work in a coordinated manner on social media platforms to spread certain opinions and ideas with the aim of influencing public opinion and directing it towards a specific direction. These accounts are used strategically to manipulate public opinion, spread hatred and violence, amplify certain voices, distort the reputation of others, and spread misleading or false information. Electronic flies represent a real threat to freedom of expression and a dishonest weapon used for purposes that are mostly illegal and contrary to the truth

Term emergence:

Although the practices described by the term “electronic flies” have been around for a long time, the term itself began to gain widespread popularity with the increasing use of social media and the emergence of digital media wars. There is no specific and clear date for the emergence of the term, but it can be linked to some global events that witnessed the widespread use of digital media campaigns, such as

Arab revolutions: The Arab revolutions in 2011 witnessed extensive use of social media, which led to the emergence of many fake accounts that worked to fuel or suppress protests

US Presidential Elections: In recent years, the US presidential elections have witnessed widespread use of electronic flies to influence election results and spread misleading information

Reasons for the spread of the term

Ease of creating fake accounts: Social media platforms make it easy to create fake accounts in large quantities and under fake names

Spread of fake news: The ease with which fake news and misleading information can spread on social media

Political competition: Politicians and political activists use electronic flies to promote their own agendas and discredit their opponents

Media wars: Countries and governments use electronic flies to influence international public opinion and direct it in a certain direction

 

What are electronic committees

Electronic committees, also known as “electronic armies,” are groups of people or automated accounts that work in a coordinated manner to spread certain opinions and ideas on social media platforms. These committees are used to achieve a variety of goals, such as:

Misleading public opinion: spreading false or fabricated information with the aim of influencing people’s decisions and opinions

Discrediting individuals or institutions: launching organized attack campaigns against specific individuals or institutions with the aim of undermining their credibility

Supporting political agendas: promoting certain ideas and ideologies with the aim of influencing elections and public policies

 

Using fake accounts on social media

Electronic committees rely heavily on creating fake accounts on social media sites. These accounts are created in large quantities and used to spread similar or consistent content, creating the impression that there is a broad public opinion supporting these ideas.

Methods and tricks used

Electronic committees use a variety of methods and tricks to influence public opinion, including:

Spreading fake news: spreading false or fabricated information in a convincing manner, making it difficult to distinguish from the truth

Using emotional language: resorting to emotional and charged language to inflame feelings and incite people to take certain positions

Incitement to hatred: spreading hate speech and inciting violence against certain segments of society

Amplification and repetition: Repeating the same messages repeatedly to increase their impact and entrench them in people’s minds

Use electronic hashtags: Use what is known as ( Hashtag ) to make messages spread more widely

How effective are electronic campaigns in misleading public opinion

Online campaigns are very effective at misleading public opinion, especially when they are carried out in a coordinated and large-scale manner. This is because they exploit human weaknesses, such as the tendency to believe information that aligns with one’s beliefs, as well as the ease with which misinformation spreads on social media

 

Ways to detect and combat electronic committees

Electronic committees can be detected and combated through

Verify sources: Information must be verified before sharing or believing it

Social media analysis: Social media networks can be analyzed to detect fake accounts and electronic committees

Develop detection tools: Specialized technical tools can be developed to detect automated accounts and suspicious activities on the Internet

Community awareness: People must be made aware of the dangers of electronic committees and how to deal with them

Amend social media laws: Laws should be amended to impose restrictions on the creation of fake accounts and the spread of misleading information

Conclusion and tips

Cybercrimes are one of the most pernicious uses of modern technology and social media to create lies, illusions and fight freedom of expression. To meet this challenge, everyone must be vigilant and careful to verify the accuracy of information before sharing it. Governments, technology companies and civil society must work together to develop effective strategies to combat this phenomenon

Tips for users

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet: verify the information from reliable sources.

Be wary of fake accounts: Look for signs that an account is fake, such as a small number of friends, unusual activity, or the account being newly created

Repeating phrases and the same comments: Fake accounts usually use memorized phrases or repeated comments with the same wording and words. They publish them from different accounts. They can be detected by noticing the repetition, and they are often copied from each other

Don't share misinformation: If you see false information, don't share it.

Supporting independent journalism: Supporting independent journalism contributes to spreading accurate information and combating fake news

 

Finally

Combating cyber-flies requires the concerted efforts of everyone. We must all be aware of this phenomenon and work together to protect our communities from its negative effects