Global Security and Intelligence Studies Volume 5, Number 1, Spring / Summer 2020 | Page 65
Discovering Influence Operations on Twitch.tv: A Preliminary Coding Framework
are additional avenues of influence,
as it is relatively easy to create a bot
that produces voice or text within
games. By introducing IFOs into the
platforms used by the average person,
IFO actors have the ability to not only
change their targets’ opinions and behavior,
but also alter an entire society’s
culture (e.g., China’s influence
efforts in Africa: Kinyondo 2019).
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Petter
Kraabøl, who developed the initial tool
to download Twitch comments. The
authors thank Cecelia Mulvaney and
Genevieve Miller for their feedback and
recommendations. Finally, the authors
would also like to thank Dr. Carter Matherly
for providing the opportunity to
submit.
References
Alexander Sferrella holds a BS in Computer Science. His official duties
include software development and data analysis, and his interests
include following Chinese international politics. He is interested
in further research and welcomes opportunities for collaboration.
[email protected]
J. Z. Conger holds a BS in Biology and a BA in Psychology, and is
graduating with an MS in Applied Psychology in May 2020. His primary
research interests include social media, psychological operations,
behavioral economics, and improving morale and work environments.
He welcomes opportunities for continued research and
collaboration.
[email protected]
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