It was still October 6 for Guy Rolnik when he began to hear of Hamas’s brutal onslaught on southern Israel. Preparing for bed in his Chicago home, the Israeli journalist and academic slowly began to realize the enormity of what was happening half a world away.
“The first thing I did was call all my family members in Israel,” he recalled recently. “After ensuring they were okay, I made one request: please don’t go on social media.”
The request was not a new one for Rolnik, a professor of strategic management at the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business. For the past several years, he had investigated the impact of social media platforms on the economy, society, and global politics. Through writings and lectures, he has become something of a prophet of doom on the lurking threat to humanity posed by allowing companies controlling social media to amass power.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, he followed his own advice.
“Not Facebook, not Twitter, not Instagram, not Telegram, not TikTok. I also avoided clicking on any videos that I got on WhatsApp. Nothing. And I made the same request to my kids: ‘Don’t click. Don’t open.’ I said almost immediately, to anyone willing to listen: ‘Social media will be a disaster,’” he said.
Yet in the days immediately following October 7, amid the shock of invasion, violence, murder, sexual assaults, and kidnappings, Rolnik initially believed that the issue he had been so passionately investigating would be overshadowed.
After all, who would have the mental bandwidth to delve into the algorithms of Facebook and the targeting mechanisms of YouTube when such horrifying events were going on?
But as online forums became cesspools of antisemitism and swiftly translated into hundreds and even thousands of violent incidents targeting Jews and Israelis worldwide, he realized the issue was as important as ever.
“A few days after October 7, a family member shared with me that some of her friends from Europe and the United States had suddenly turned against Israel,” Rolnik recounted. “She said to me, ‘I’m looking at their Instagram — people who are good friends of mine — and I’m shocked.’ That’s when I first learned about the developments within the circles of Black Lives Matter and climate activists. She is socially connected to both of these groups.”
Thousands of people march down Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit, Michigan to call for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, October 28, 2023. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP)
A few weeks before the massacre, Rolnik had finished editing the first two episodes of “The Rolnik Report,” an investigative series commissioned by the Israeli public broadcasting corporation Kan. They both focused on the topic of social media.
Rather than shelve the report, a Kan executive asked Rolnik if he would be willing to go back to the editing room and adapt the footage to cover the October 7 attack as well.
“I told her, ‘Absolutely. Almost everything I’ve been warning about for almost 10 years materialized on October 7,’” he said.
Bots and sock puppets
The events of October 7 were unprecedented, though not because of the scale of murder and other atrocities – sadly, history is replete with such horrors. Rather, it stands out for being accompanied by a secondary wave of terror using the power of social media to aim at victims’ loved ones.
In the first episode of “The Rolnik Report,” Rolnik conducts interviews inside the charred home of Bracha Levinson, one of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s many victims.
On October 7, Levinson’s daughter Shahar Bayder and her granddaughter Mor Bayder woke to sirens in central Israel, where they live. They immediately called Levinson to make sure she was safe. The grandmother, hiding out in a safe room, was annoyed that the sirens were disrupting her morning.
A short time later, Shahar Bayder received a frantic phone call from her niece who was on a trip in Japan. She had gone on Facebook and witnessed, via the platform’s live video application, the brutal murder of her grandmother by Hamas terrorists.
Mor Bayder and her grandmother Bracha Levinson, who was gunned down in her home in Nir Oz. (Courtesy Facebook page)
Family members told Rolnik that the horrific images broadcast by the terror group will remain etched in their memories forever.
Aside from live videos, Hamas disseminated footage of murder and other atrocities captured on GoPro cameras strapped to many of the terrorists, loading them onto victims’ social media accounts for all their loved ones to see and be scarred by.
The videos, sometimes edited in diabolical ways, were part of a premeditated and orchestrated operation to spread the effects of their campaign of terror far beyond southern Israel.
“Hamas recognized that, on the ground, they could reach and harm 10,000 people,” said Orit Perlov, a social media analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies, who is quoted in the series. “But online, they could reach the consciousness of 10 million Israelis, 400 million viewers in the Middle East, and potentially the entire world. The power of this tool is sometimes stronger than the power of a rifle.”
Destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz seen on October 19, 2023. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)
Rolnik alleges that anti-Israel sentiments that have exploded online, sometimes metastasizing into antisemitism, are part of a carefully planned and heavily financed campaign. He pointed to conversations he had with senior figures from social media platforms who revealed to him, often under cover of anonymity, what was really happening behind the scenes.
“I met with a senior figure from a social media platform who initially refused to meet me at all. He insisted that we leave our phones in another location, and when I started talking to him, he blew up at me,” Rolnik said. “He told me that I didn’t understand how severe the situation was. From him, I first learned about the number of views that pro-Hamas and anti-Israel content had in the United States, Europe, China and Russia.”
The source told Rolnik that within three weeks of the war, anti-Israel content had racked up the kind of exposure that would cost a quarter of a billion dollars to buy.
“Everyone now says that Israel invaded Gaza, killed more than 20,000 people, half of them children, so what’s the wonder that there are protests against Israel all over the world? But that’s not what happened here – what happened here is that a huge campaign against us started on October 7th, while our people were still being slaughtered.”
Guy Rolnik at an anti-Israel demonstration at Columbia University in New York City in November 2023. (Kan)
According to Rolnik, the campaign involved exploiting the precise targeting tools of social media platforms to quickly incite large audiences in different places using customized propaganda. The propaganda was disseminated using a massive army of bots, avatars, and sock puppet accounts.
A bot is a profile on a social network operated without human intervention, like a robocall for the internet. Avatars are fake profiles operated by humans, which can be expensive. Most sophisticated are sock puppets, which are fake profiles outfitted with a convincing backstory, complete with an online footprint, capable of operating for extended periods in a way that appears entirely legitimate.
A sock puppet might spend weeks posting innocuous content or expressing compelling opinions on topics that other group members are interested in. So when it starts posting anti-Israel content, for example claiming that Hamas didn’t kill civilians, it will have already earned the trust of the group, giving its claims a sheen of fake verisimilitude.
When tens of thousands of sock puppets, avatars, and bots simultaneously initiate attacks on Israel, Zionism, and Jews, they can swiftly reach millions of people online.
Exterior of Georgetown University’s medical and dental school, August 5, 2007 (Wikimedia commons/ CC BY-SA 3.0/ Workman); Screenshots of antisemitic social media posts by medical students at Georgetown University following the October 7 Hamas atrocities. (Courtesy)
Often, the claims will be tailored to the group being targeted. For instance, Black Lives Matter activists were inundated with messages and videos depicting Israel as a “white” country oppressing those with darker skin. Climate activists, concerned about the future of the planet, were targeted with messages portraying Israel as a colonialist entity destroying the natural environment. Those focused on wealth inequality were bombarded by a campaign presenting Israelis as capitalist imperialists crushing the poor.
To Rolnick, the intelligence failures in the lead-up to October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists streamed into southern Israel practically unchallenged, killing 1,200 people and taking hundreds hostage in an unprecedented paroxysm of violence, “pale in comparison” to Israel’s inability to grapple with the online campaign against it and against Jews around the world.
“It stands out as our most significant failure. Why? Because, in that arena, we are essentially irrelevant,” he said. “And you can see that even now, despite everything we know happened on October 7, Facebook, Google, and all these entities are still undermining us. It drives me crazy. What else needs to happen?”
‘This thing is toxic’
In Israel, Rolnik is primarily recognized for founding and serving as the first editor-in-chief of TheMarker, the Haaretz broadsheet’s financial supplement. He’s widely recognized as among the most influential economic columnists in Israel over the last two decades.
In 2013, at the age of 45, he was honored with the Sokolov Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Israeli equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.
Rolnik started monitoring social media platforms with a wariness that quickly transformed into concern nearly a decade ago. Like many others, he initially saw social media platforms and tech companies as forces for positive change, helping decentralize power and give voice to the masses.
Guy Rolnik, left, with ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt in a scene from ‘The Rolnik Report,’ November 2023. (Kan)
Things changed in 2014, when he joined Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Institute as a fellow and started following tech companies more closely.
“It was a process,” he said. “If you revisit my columns from that period, you’ll notice an increasing focus on the problems associated with digital monopolies, and the realization that tech companies might not be the solution, but rather the problem.”
His transformation into social media naysayer was partly fueled by his own increasing popularity, he said. In 2015, he was featured on the first episode of “Magash Hakesef,” a hit documentary series examining financial issues in Israel. But he realized that social media, while ratcheting up engagement, also lowered the discourse.
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“I found myself, for the first time, in a situation where my exposure on social media exploded — relatively speaking, of course, for someone writing about finance. I could reach hundreds of thousands of people, but very quickly I understood that I didn’t like this online popularity,” he said.
Rolnik realized that he could dumb down his writing to make it friendlier for social media platforms to pick up on. “I understood that Facebook essentially forces me to write differently and think differently,” he said.
“I saw that when I write something complex and valuable, I get X comments and shares, and when I write something simple and divisive, it jumps by a factor of ten,” Rolnik recalled. “And when I understood this, I also understood that it’s not the place for me. I began to understand that this thing is toxic. And I started reducing my presence on social media.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes his seat during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, January 31, 2024, on child safety. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
He started writing about the need to break up Facebook and Google in 2016 and by the next year he says he was singularly focused on “digital monopolies and their dangers to democracy and the economy.”
Despite his efforts to sound the alarm, the period saw social media platforms deploying ever-more sophisticated algorithms.
“Our addiction to [social media] also grew, making these companies much more harmful and dangerous to the world,” he said. “This is how we reached a reality where talented people working in these companies, including in Israel, make a lot of money to operate an algorithm that could become a weapon in the hands of Hamas.”
Some have discounted Rolnik’s warnings, noting that social media is a fact of life. But he says his Luddite bent toward social media is justified given the dangers presented.
“Just because we need electricity, do we need corrupt electricity?” he asked. “Do we need electricity that targets us? Do we need to connect to an electric network that spreads Hamas murder videos and arouses antisemitism in the world?”
Graffiti showing Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza is seen in Leake Street railway arches in London on Friday, January 26, 2024. He became a social media star with his reports of the war in the Gaza Strip, and his Instagram following has grown from 27,000 to over 18 million over the first 100 days of the war. (AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
His interviews during the making of “The Rolnik Report” have led him to believe social media companies will not make any changes to guard against these dangers unless forced to.
“They don’t give a crap, as long as they keep making money,” he said.
“My message to everyone is very, very simple: disconnect from social media as much as you can. Go on social media only if you really, truly need it for your work.”
While few have taken notice of the social media manipulations in service of Hamas, Rolnik thinks the upcoming US presidential election will be a different story.
“The amount of lies, fake news, and manipulations in the upcoming elections there will be like nothing we’ve seen before,” he predicted. “Maybe after that, the world will wake up. And maybe it will already be too late.”
This article initially appeared in Hebrew in The Times of Israel’s sister site Zman Yisrael. Read it here.
Hallmark launching a streaming service with two new original series, and Bill Skarsgård out for revenge in “Boy Kills World” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Alex Garland’s “Civil War” starring Kirsten Dunst, Natasha Rothwell’s heartfelt comedy for Hulu called “How to Die Alone” and Sylvester Stallone’s second season of “Tulsa King” debuts.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM SEPT. 9-15
— Alex Garland’s “Civil War” is finally making its debut on MAX on Friday. The film stars Kirsten Dunst as a veteran photojournalist covering a violent war that’s divided America; She reluctantly allows an aspiring photographer, played by Cailee Spaeny, to tag along as she, an editor (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and a reporter (Wagner Moura) make the dangerous journey to Washington, D.C., to interview the president (Nick Offerman), a blustery, rising despot who has given himself a third term, taken to attacking his citizens and shut himself off from the press. In my review, I called it a bellowing and haunting experience; Smart and thought-provoking with great performances. It’s well worth a watch.
— Joey King stars in Netflix’s adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s “Uglies,” about a future society in which everyone is required to have beautifying cosmetic surgery at age 16. Streaming on Friday, McG directed the film, in which King’s character inadvertently finds herself in the midst of an uprising against the status quo. “Outer Banks” star Chase Stokes plays King’s best friend.
— Bill Skarsgård is out for revenge against the woman (Famke Janssen) who killed his family in “Boy Kills World,” coming to Hulu on Friday. Moritz Mohr directed the ultra-violent film, of which Variety critic Owen Gleiberman wrote: “It’s a depraved vision, yet I got caught up in its kick-ass revenge-horror pizzazz, its disreputable commitment to what it was doing.”
— The year was 2006. Snow Patrol, the Northern Irish-Scottish alternative rock band, released an album, “Eyes Open,” producing the biggest hit of their career: “Chasing Cars.” A lot has happened in the time since — three, soon to be four quality full-length albums, to be exact. On Friday, the band will release “The Forest Is the Path,” their first new album in seven years. Anthemic pop-rock is the name of the game across songs of love and loss, like “All,”“The Beginning” and “This Is the Sound Of Your Voice.”
— For fans of raucous guitar music, Jordan Peele’s 2022 sci-fi thriller, “NOPE,” provided a surprising, if tiny, thrill. One of the leads, Emerald “Em” Haywood portrayed by Keke Palmer, rocks a Jesus Lizard shirt. (Also featured through the film: Rage Against the Machine, Wipers, Mr Bungle, Butthole Surfers and Earth band shirts.) The Austin noise rock band are a less than obvious pick, having been signed to the legendary Touch and Go Records and having stopped releasing new albums in 1998. That changes on Friday the 13th, when “Rack” arrives. And for those curious: The Jesus Lizard’s intensity never went away.
— Hallmark launched a streaming service called Hallmark+ on Tuesday with two new original series, the scripted drama “The Chicken Sisters” and unscripted series “Celebrations with Lacey Chabert.” If you’re a Hallmark holiday movies fan, you know Chabert. She’s starred in more than 30 of their films and many are holiday themed. Off camera, Chabert has a passion for throwing parties and entertaining. In “Celebrations,” deserving people are surprised with a bash in their honor — planned with Chabert’s help. “The Chicken Sisters” stars Schuyler Fisk, Wendie Malick and Lea Thompson in a show about employees at rival chicken restaurants in a small town. The eight-episode series is based on a novel of the same name.
— Natasha Rothwell of “Insecure” and “The White Lotus” fame created and stars in a new heartfelt comedy for Hulu called “How to Die Alone.” She plays Mel, a broke, go-along-to-get-along, single, airport employee who, after a near-death experience, makes the conscious decision to take risks and pursue her dreams. Rothwell has been working on the series for the past eight years and described it to The AP as “the most vulnerable piece of art I’ve ever put into the world.” Like Mel, Rothwell had to learn to bet on herself to make the show she wanted to make. “In the Venn diagram of me and Mel, there’s significant overlap,” said Rothwell. It premieres Friday on Hulu.
— Shailene Woodley, DeWanda Wise and Betty Gilpin star in a new drama for Starz called “Three Women,” about entrepreneur Sloane, homemaker Lina and student Maggie who are each stepping into their power and making life-changing decisions. They’re interviewed by a writer named Gia (Woodley.) The series is based on a 2019 best-selling book of the same name by Lisa Taddeo. “Three Women” premieres Friday on Starz.
— Sylvester Stallone’s second season of “Tulsa King” debuts Sunday on Paramount+. Stallone plays Dwight Manfredi, a mafia boss who was recently released from prison after serving 25 years. He’s sent to Tulsa to set up a new crime syndicate. The series is created by Taylor Sheridan of “Yellowstone” fame.
— One thing about the title of Focus Entertainment’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 — you know exactly what you’re in for. You are Demetrian Titus, a genetically enhanced brute sent into battle against the Tyranids, an insectoid species with an insatiable craving for human flesh. You have a rocket-powered suit of armor and an arsenal of ridiculous weapons like the “Chainsword,” the “Thunderhammer” and the “Melta Rifle,” so what could go wrong? Besides the squishy single-player mode, there are cooperative missions and six-vs.-six free-for-alls. You can suit up now on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.
— Likewise, Wild Bastards isn’t exactly the kind of title that’s going to attract fans of, say, Animal Crossing. It’s another sci-fi shooter, but the protagonists are a gang of 13 varmints — aliens and androids included — who are on the run from the law. Each outlaw has a distinctive set of weapons and special powers: Sarge, for example, is a robot with horse genes, while Billy the Squid is … well, you get the idea. Australian studio Blue Manchu developed the 2019 cult hit Void Bastards, and this Wild-West-in-space spinoff has the same snarky humor and vibrant, neon-drenched cartoon look. Saddle up on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Nintendo Switch or PC.
Former President Donald Trump is on the brink of a significant financial decision that could have far-reaching implications for both his personal wealth and the future of his fledgling social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG). As the lockup period on his shares in TMTG, which owns Truth Social, nears its end, Trump could soon be free to sell his substantial stake in the company. However, the potential payday, which makes up a large portion of his net worth, comes with considerable risks for Trump and his supporters.
Trump’s stake in TMTG comprises nearly 59% of the company, amounting to 114,750,000 shares. As of now, this holding is valued at approximately $2.6 billion. These shares are currently under a lockup agreement, a common feature of initial public offerings (IPOs), designed to prevent company insiders from immediately selling their shares and potentially destabilizing the stock. The lockup, which began after TMTG’s merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), is set to expire on September 25, though it could end earlier if certain conditions are met.
Should Trump decide to sell his shares after the lockup expires, the market could respond in unpredictable ways. The sale of a substantial number of shares by a major stakeholder like Trump could flood the market, potentially driving down the stock price. Daniel Bradley, a finance professor at the University of South Florida, suggests that the market might react negatively to such a large sale, particularly if there aren’t enough buyers to absorb the supply. This could lead to a sharp decline in the stock’s value, impacting both Trump’s personal wealth and the company’s market standing.
Moreover, Trump’s involvement in Truth Social has been a key driver of investor interest. The platform, marketed as a free speech alternative to mainstream social media, has attracted a loyal user base largely due to Trump’s presence. If Trump were to sell his stake, it might signal a lack of confidence in the company, potentially shaking investor confidence and further depressing the stock price.
Trump’s decision is also influenced by his ongoing legal battles, which have already cost him over $100 million in legal fees. Selling his shares could provide a significant financial boost, helping him cover these mounting expenses. However, this move could also have political ramifications, especially as he continues his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential race.
Trump Media’s success is closely tied to Trump’s political fortunes. The company’s stock has shown volatility in response to developments in the presidential race, with Trump’s chances of winning having a direct impact on the stock’s value. If Trump sells his stake, it could be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his own political future, potentially undermining both his campaign and the company’s prospects.
Truth Social, the flagship product of TMTG, has faced challenges in generating traffic and advertising revenue, especially compared to established social media giants like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Despite this, the company’s valuation has remained high, fueled by investor speculation on Trump’s political future. If Trump remains in the race and manages to secure the presidency, the value of his shares could increase. Conversely, any missteps on the campaign trail could have the opposite effect, further destabilizing the stock.
As the lockup period comes to an end, Trump faces a critical decision that could shape the future of both his personal finances and Truth Social. Whether he chooses to hold onto his shares or cash out, the outcome will likely have significant consequences for the company, its investors, and Trump’s political aspirations.
Cochise County, AZ — Law enforcement officials in Arizona have apprehended Ronald Lee Syvrud, a 66-year-old resident of Cochise County, after a manhunt was launched following alleged death threats he made against former President Donald Trump. The threats reportedly surfaced in social media posts over the past two weeks, as Trump visited the US-Mexico border in Cochise County on Thursday.
Syvrud, who hails from Benson, Arizona, located about 50 miles southeast of Tucson, was captured by the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon. The Sheriff’s Office confirmed his arrest, stating, “This subject has been taken into custody without incident.”
In addition to the alleged threats against Trump, Syvrud is wanted for multiple offences, including failure to register as a sex offender. He also faces several warrants in both Wisconsin and Arizona, including charges for driving under the influence and a felony hit-and-run.
The timing of the arrest coincided with Trump’s visit to Cochise County, where he toured the US-Mexico border. During his visit, Trump addressed the ongoing border issues and criticized his political rival, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, for what he described as lax immigration policies. When asked by reporters about the ongoing manhunt for Syvrud, Trump responded, “No, I have not heard that, but I am not that surprised and the reason is because I want to do things that are very bad for the bad guys.”
This incident marks the latest in a series of threats against political figures during the current election cycle. Just earlier this month, a 66-year-old Virginia man was arrested on suspicion of making death threats against Vice President Kamala Harris and other public officials.
