Creative Community For Peace’s Digital Entertainment Task Force Releases Report Detailing Anti-Israel Bot Attack on Artist Billie Eilish
Singer/songwriter Billie Eilish was attacked on her social media platforms by a suspected network of anti-Israel bots. After Eilish said “Hi Israel” in a promotional video for her new album, her social media accounts were flooded with thousands of bot-generated comments. The original promotional video was not uploaded to Eilish’s social media account. Regardless, many anti-Israel comments began to appear on her platforms.
This report analyzes the engagement on 6 of Eilish’s posts, following the release of her “Hi Israel” video. A clear pattern emerges – for invoking “Israel”, Eilish became the target of a concerted effort of demonization.
On the 6 posts analyzed:
Of all the “top comments”, 30% were distinctly anti-Israel and were posted by users who have 0 posts on their personal profiles (a strong indicator of bot activity). These “top comments” garnered a total of 235,995 likes.
Of all the “top comments,” 48% were distinctly anti-Israel and were posted by users with 0-2 posts on their private profiles (a strong indicator of suspected bot activity). Those comments garnered a total of 291,995 likes.
This coordinated attack on Billie Eilish is another example of how social media can be used to manipulate public opinion. And of a specific effort by anti-Israel activists, who use social media to distort and influence public opinion against Israel via unauthentic means.