Russia’s influence on Facebook has been an ongoing issue. But now that Russia is under financial melt-down can you see a difference on Facebook? Look at this:
If you were wondering about whether the Russians really influence our social media, compare the list of top Facebook posts from a few weeks ago to this week, when Russia couldn't access its foreign cash reserves. Rather telling. pic.twitter.com/tneHdNkOaC
— Mark Hachman (@markhachman) March 4, 2022
And:
Russia bans Facebook and suddenly Ben Shapiro, Dan Bongino, Franklin Graham and Sean Hannity dropout of the top ten.
Good to know… https://t.co/B5UNmGO9Vs
— Grant Stern is boosted! (@grantstern) March 5, 2022
?ALERT? Forbes – “Russia Bans Facebook and Twitter”
“There has been a great disturbance in the disinfo force: It’s as if millions of bots and trolls cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced”https://t.co/LxFpIXRUkd pic.twitter.com/PS6heCNf6T
— Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt (@BLSchmitt) March 4, 2022
This is disturbing. One unexpected side benefit of the sanctions on Russia is that Russian bots no longer amplify divisive content on Facebook. Look at what that’s done to the top performing content on Facebook: https://t.co/clfcjc6vUm
— Teapot Dome was Amateur Hour!?? (@HarrenGWarding) March 5, 2022
Russia blocks Facebook, global media outlets, including BBC and CNN stop reporting from the country after it passes ‘fake news law’: Detailshttps://t.co/2rIr0NK4OP
— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) March 5, 2022
Russia has banned Twitter and Facebook. Now how are republicans supposed to get their marching orders?
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) March 4, 2022
Russia has changed in a rush its legislation, allowing imprisonments (starting from tomorrow!) for up to 15 years for spreading truth about this war. Facebook is blocked in Russia starting from now. This is not what a winning autocracy with full control over its media does. /5
— Sergej Sumlenny (@sumlenny) March 4, 2022
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.