Two commissioned reports from WarnerMedia claim that bots and fake accounts/users are behind a fan-led social campaign to unleash Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Rolling Stone obtained a copy of the reports and revealed that at least 13% of accounts engaged in conversations surrounding the Snyder Cut are considered fake, a figure that’s 3% to 5% higher than what experts say is the usual number for trending topics. While there were still real and real users requesting the release of the film, those accounts were “amplified by disproportionately fake accounts.” The report goes on to say, “An identified community of real and fake authors spreading negative content about WarnerMedia because they did not restore the ‘SnyderVerse’. Additionally, three authors were identified among the authors scanned on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Key Leaders – There is a leader on every platform. These leaders are the most engaged and have a large following, which gives them the ability to influence public opinion.”
The publication also spoke to companies Q5id, Graphika and Alethea Group on the matter, who said there was “inauthentic activity” at the campaign and that the forsnydercut.com domain, which was launched in late 2017, allegedly enabled the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut theme The hashtag went viral and was signed up to an unnamed individual who also led a now-defunct ad agency that boasted its ability to provide “cheap, instant Avatar traffic” to your website .
Most of the 20-plus people involved in the 2017 film and the 2021 re-release also spoke to Rolling Stone and suspect Snyder was trying to “rig” his re-release campaign. A source said Snyder spoke to a studio executive and threatened to “destroy” Jeff Johns and Jon Berg — the two producers of the 2017 film — on social media People – because they weren’t actively seeking to have their name removed from the Snyder cut, while another likened Snyder to Lex Luthor for “wreaking havoc.”
The four-hour film finally premieres on HBO Max in March 2021.
