Case Studies

Using the Life Cycle of Media Manipulation, each case study features a chronological description of a media manipulation event, which is filtered along specific variables such as tactics, targets, mitigation, outcomes, and keywords.

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Keyword

Tactic

Target

Mitigation

Manipulator Adaptation

Network Terrain

Attribution

Outcome

Vulnerabilities

Strategy

100-dollar bills being rolled up like grass

Andrew Tate and the Limits and Power of De-Platforming

Andrew Tate's rise to fame in 2022 relied on internet hustle culture, popular reaction videos, and mainstream media amplification, which buoyed his misogynistic and prejudiced views into a powerful brand.

Advertising

Recontextualized media

Testimonial

Trolling

Viral sloganeering

Slap a Teacher: From TikTok Hoax to Media-fueled Panic

How did a TikTok trend that never existed alarm schools and teachers across the United States? This case documents how viral misinformation spread by concerned adults and amplified by the press became a full-fledged media manipulation campaign.

Uncorroborated anonymous sourcing

Networked Harassment: How a Hashtag Campaign Targeted AOC in the Wake of the January 6 Capitol Riots

After Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described her experience during the Capitol insurrection on Instagram Live, critics used hashtags and misinfographics to invalidate her account, resulting in a harassment campaign followed by community mitigation.

Memes

Misinfographics

Recontextualized media

Viral sloganeering