Behind the screens: Russian emotional manipulation strategies against black Americans on social media

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent studies have highlighted the targeted operations of the Russia-linked Internet Research Agency (IRA) against various communities in the United States, including Black Americans. Using content analysis on two open-source databases, the study focuses on the strategies deployed by the IRA to emotionally engage the Black community through various platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and personal domains. Findings suggest Russian operations sought to manipulate specific emotions, including love, fear, and anger, which were associated with specific emotional beliefs tied to attachment, vulnerability, and militancy. It further reveals how targeting those emotions could have assisted the advancement of the influence operation. The study’s findings reveal the broader societal implications of these operations, including the potential to provoke offline activities and exacerbate socio-political tensions while underscoring the importance of incorporating the emotional dimension in future studies of influence operations.