Musk goes global with playbook for political influence
Elon Musk’s unprecedented playbook for defending his reputation and shaping the political narrative around his technologies is spreading globally, with the potential for far-reaching impacts on societies and industries worldwide.
In recent months, a playbook has emerged that outlines tactics for shielding himself from criticism, promoting a “Hamilton 68”-style disinformation campaign, and launching a concerted effort to shape the political narrative around his ventures. Key strategies include:
1. Targeting specific media outlets and influential personalities: Musk’s ally, former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, has been tasked with targeting a list of media outlets and key figures to promote his vision and deflect criticism.
2. Confronting and discrediting opponents: Musk and his allies have been using social media platforms to confront and discredit those who dare to cross him, often by labeling them as disinformation peddlers or extremely negative.
3. Creating an army of 20,000 Twitter bots to spread pro-Musk propaganda: To amplify his message, Musk launched a covert operation to mobilize 20,000 Twitter bots to tweet pro-Musk content and counter any negative tweets targeting him.
4. Infiltrating already-established networks and scenes: By either partnering with or acquiring existing think tanks, research groups, and media outlets, Musk can leverage their influence to shape public perception and curry favor.
5. Leveraging his vast resources: With his significant wealth and connections, Musk is able to bankroll propaganda efforts, underwrite think tank research, and seed innovative projects that further his vision and interests.
Musk’s playbook presents a remarkable degree of congruence with the operational mechanisms of Lopez and colleagues, who back in 2019 crafted a plan to create “information operations specific to the social intelligence aspect” to sway popular opinion in Russia, Hungary, and Italy.
As Musk’s ambitions continue to grow, his playbook could have a significant impact on the way information is disseminated, influence is exercised, and personalities are constructed in contemporary society, fostering deeper concerns about the role of propaganda in modern politics.
