Political scientist Ihor Reyterovych, on the "Kluchok Time" channel, discusses the latest update to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which now shows the country of origin of accounts. Reyterovych notes this change will have far-reaching consequences for the United States, Europe, Russia, and global politics at large.
He observes that popular and aggressive MAGA accounts (strong Trump supporters) are often run by SMM-managers from countries outside the US—such as India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and sometimes from Eastern Europe. Accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers are being administered from these regions.
Given that X pays creators for content, fraudsters worldwide have capitalized on Trump supporters by attracting attention through controversial posts and radical narratives, stirring up hate and driving massive engagement.
This creates an illusion that these accounts are run by American voters, but in reality, the content is produced by foreigners exploiting trending messages. The result is a deeper split within American society and an escalation of emotional polarization.
The analyst also highlights that some US political actors may be using foreign “content farms” to push their own narratives through these accounts.
With the new feature disclosing account origins, some accounts may be blocked, which could reduce content and the audience on X. At the same time, this acts as a tool and a reminder to politicians of Elon Musk’s control over the platform.
According to Reyterovych, much of the radical populism and MAGA rhetoric on X is artificial and easily reproduced by non-native ideologists or English speakers. This situation allows for manipulation, the concentration of hatred, and the exploitation of basic emotions through social media.
He concludes that Ukraine must adapt its agenda to these political trends, especially in the context of relations with the US. Reyterovych mentions protests against Donald Trump demanding support for Ukraine, a topic he plans to elaborate on in a separate discussion.
