From trolling to profiting: How Howard Schultz became the subject of so many Twitter 'fans'

[applegrove]

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/trolling-profiting-how-howard-schultz-became-subject-so-many-twitter-n978881

By Brandy Zadrozny and Allan Smith at NBC

"SNIP.....

Howard Schultz’s announcement in January that he was considering running for president as an independent may have been met with chuckles and eye rolls from pundits, but on Twitter, political operatives, trolls and profiteers saw an opportunity.

Within days of the announcement, Twitter was home to fan accounts that seemed to span every demographic, praising the coffee executive’s possible campaign and vowing support. Along with general anonymous fan accounts, profiles claiming to represent moderates, Republicans, men, women and white and black voters all jumped on the billionaire’s bandwagon.

But, as many Twitter users suspected, some of Schultz’s fan accounts were not the grassroots supporters they claimed to be.

Since January, Twitter has suspended at least six pro-Schultz accounts for violating its fake accounts policies, according to a source familiar with the bans who was not authorized to speak publicly. Those accounts — @blacks4Schultz, @women_4_schultz, @GaysForSchultz, @PresSchultz2020, @HowardJSchultz, @GOP4Schultz — and others like them that are still active, and they provide a preview of the kind of fakery researchers expect to see on social media during the 2020 election.

.....SNIP"

(NOTE) I did not know if this belonged in the Democratic Primaries forum but this news will affect the primaries so I put it up).