Acting the Part

Abstract

This research examines how Russian disinformation actors participated in a highly charged online conversation about the #BlackLivesMatter movement and police-related shootings in the USA during 2016. We first present high-level dynamics of this conversation on Twitter using a network graph based on retweet flows that reveals two structurally distinct communities. Next, we identify accounts in this graph that were suspended by Twitter for being affiliated with the Internet Research Agency, an entity accused of conducting information operations in support of Russian political interests. Finally, we conduct an interpretive analysis that consolidates observations about the activities of these accounts. Our findings have implications for platforms seeking to develop mechanisms for determining authenticity---by illuminating how disinformation actors enact authentic personas and caricatures to target different audiences. This work also sheds light on how these actors systematically manipulate politically active online communities by amplifying diverging streams of divisive content.