Three days after the backlash erupted, Cracker Barrel hired a Washington, D.C.-based company to better understand the online conversation. The consultants found that 32% to 37% of the online activity criticizing Cracker Barrel in the days after its logo announcement was fueled by fake accounts, with at least two groups of bots driving much of the... See more

The 101 accounts documented in this article had amassed a cumulative 5.5 million followers.

They’re the latest example of TikTok’s struggle to contain hoax accounts. In March, I reported that fake Telemundo accounts were falsely claiming that green card holders were banned from leaving the United States. In August, I found 88 TikTok accounts using... See more

In OnlyFans and the Evolution of the Influencer, I wrote that I’m skeptical of digital celebrities like those created by the company Brud. Computer-created influencers seem at odds with the trend toward more authentic, relatable influencers.