Instagram could become a new platform for the sharing of disinformation around the 2020 election because of the way propagandists are relying on images and proxy accounts to create and circulate fake content, leading social intelligence experts tell Axios.
The big picture: “Disinformation is increasingly based on images as opposed to text,” said Paul Barrett, the author of an NYU report that’s prompted a renewed look at the problem. “Instagram is obviously well-suited for that kind of meme-based activity.”
How it works: A false claim about the Odessa shooter in Texas being a Beto O’Rourke supporter appeared as a tweet from a far-right account called @UncleSamsChild, which has nearly 30k followers.
Source: Why Instagram could be a 2020 disinformation weapon – Axios