We've observed that tweets amplified via #MAGA retweet rooms tend to get far more retweets than likes, and this propagandalicious @AFunnyValentine tweet looks like an example. We explored its network in search of other likely room participants. #Lobsterfest
cc: @ZellaQuixote
cc: @ZellaQuixote
First, here's a visual comparison between a control group of Twitter accounts and a set of accounts that we know were in a #Mighty200+ retweet room fairly recently. The retweet room accounts all have many tweets with more retweets than likes, while the control accounts do not.
Unsurprisingly, @AFunnyValentine fits the pattern, with hundreds of recent tweets/retweets with more retweets than likes. To find additional accounts in @AFunnyValentine's network, we checked the other accounts that retweeted at least 15 of these tweets for the same anomaly.
We found 673 additional accounts with large numbers of tweets/retweets with substantially more retweets than likes. Although some are probably false positives, we suspect the vast majority are in fact recent participants in #MAGA retweet rooms.
Retweet network for accounts in this network that retweeted each other at least 100 times. Although it's impossible to be sure exactly which subsets of accounts are trading retweet behind the scenes, there's definitely some structure.
As was the case in a #Mighty200+ retweet room we briefly visited, the 673 accounts we believe to be retweet room participants have an apparent focus on amplifying GOP candidates, mostly House/Senate. @DineshDSouza is also a frequent beneficiary of their amplification.
Here are some examples of tweets that were likely amplified by these retweet rooms. In addition to promotion of GOP candidates, common themes include #QAnon conspiracy theories and propaganda about largely hypothetical antifa violence.
