Over 100 Paid Creators Flood Social Media With Political Videos for Up to $30 a Post
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 22
Over 100 Paid Creators Flood Social Media With Political Videos for Up to $30 a Post
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 22
Summary
More than 100 creators were identified as being paid to post political videos, often disguising their identities and locations while posing as ordinary U.S. voters discussing issues like affordability.
Up to $30 per post came from a progressive group pushing cost-of-living messages; one TikTok video from a fake Texas persona drew nearly 3 million views before the creator later said he did not live there.
The tactic extends beyond one campaign: similar paid efforts this year backed a Republican Los Angeles mayoral candidate, fought a crypto-related bill, urged tighter AI regulation and offered as much as $1,500 for pro-mail-voting videos.
Many of the accounts had small followings, and some operators were outside the United States, including a creator in England posing as a Texan and an Instagram account based in Pakistan posting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis clips.