Cited Media
This page lists the non-scholarly media used in the multimodal project, including videos, social media posts, and digital examples referenced in the research.
🎥 YouTube Political Influence & Commentary
Face the Nation. (2025, February 3). Meet the TikTok influencer pushing Democrats to get “mean” [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TycxwB7yW1M
Sky News. (2024, November 5). How TikTok and influencers have shaped the US election [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eRSeRtNr-Y
Creator not listed. (2025). Political remix: emotional escalation vs. policy messaging [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Jd_eTYP8E5A
Creator not listed. (2025). Emotional persuasion and algorithmic viral spread [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/n9ZzAj5PKXM
Creator not listed. (2025). Health misinformation acceleration on TikTok [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/YxCqKZuJWoY
🎬 TikTok / Reels (Political Remix, Emotional Persuasion)
Instagram creator handle undisclosed. (2025). Trending-audio political remix reel [Reel]. Instagram.
https://mvau.lt/media/00a8dcdf-91c0-4cb3-9adb-0941e1516c0c
Source: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLtExpdSG4B/?igsh=OGl0eWhyc2lmcHhp
🖼 Instagram Infographics & Aesthetic Activism
Nguyen, T. (2020, August 12). PowerPoint activism is taking over your friends’ Instagram accounts [Infographic excerpt]. Vox.
https://digitalmanipulation.h20interactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4S9cQ3wly1x8U5rdULXixsa7QMgevUPQO4FF2KP7-900×602-2.png
Original: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/21359098/social-justice-slideshows-instagram-activism
Northeastern University News. (2020). TikTok influencer political engagement feature [Photo].
https://digitalmanipulation.h20interactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/TikTok-Featured-1.webp
😂 Meme-Based Political & Health Disinformation
City St. George’s, University of London. (2025). How Memes Transformed from Pics of Cute Cats to Health Disinformation Super-Spreaders [Infographic set].
https://digitalmanipulation.h20interactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/breakpoint-max-1-1024×823.jpg
https://digitalmanipulation.h20interactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/breakpoint-max-1024×718.jpg
Original: https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2024/february/memes-and-disinformation
up-north-values. (2016, September 17). A Country Boy Can Survive [Meme, U.S. identity politics]. Tumblr.
https://digitalmanipulation.h20interactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/94175748_850255845484678_6770291089103388672_n-1.jpg
Source: https://www.tumblr.com/up-north-values
📰 News & Investigative Visual Journalism
Gilbert, D. (2024, October 21). Russian Propaganda Unit Appears to Be Behind Spread of False Tim Walz Sexual Abuse Claims [Photo illustration: WIRED staff / Getty]. WIRED.
https://digitalmanipulation.h20interactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Politics_Tim_Walz_Propaganda_Getty-Images-2048×1365.webp
Original: https://www.wired.com/story/russian-propaganda-unit-storm-1516-false-tim-walz-sexual-abuse-claims/
Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Deportation in the second Trump administration [Photo]. Wikipedia.
https://digitalmanipulation.h20interactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/download-2048×1152.jpg
Original: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_in_the_second_Trump_administration
📊 Author-Generated Visual Data Models
All charts on the Data Visuals page are:
Author-generated visualizations modeled on patterns described in Kaur & Gupta (2023), Sánchez-Querubín et al. (2023), Ku et al. (2026), and Khullar (2025).
- Emotional vs. Factual Spread Over 48 Hours (Line Graph)
- Fringe → Mainstream Migration Pipeline (Flow Map)
- Algorithmic Amplification Heat Heatmap
- Influence-Cluster Network Graph
- TikTok Aesthetic Messaging Comparison
- Health Misinformation vs. Official Guidance (Bar Chart)
- Critical Thinking Boost Intervention Outcomes (Bar Chart)
(No external media used in creation; visual conceptualizations only.)
⚖️ Academic Fair Use Statement
Screenshots, thumbnails, and media excerpts are included strictly for educational, critique, and scholarly analysis of digital persuasion, platform-driven emotional escalation, aesthetic propaganda, and misinformation ecosystems.
All materials remain the intellectual property of their respective creators and platforms.
📊 Author-Generated Conceptual Visualizations
All charts and visual models included in the Data Visuals section are:
Conceptual illustrations created by the author to demonstrate core mechanisms of digital persuasion, affective amplification, algorithmic visibility, and cross-platform misinformation flow. These visuals do not represent raw empirical datasets but translate theoretical findings and communication models into visual explanatory form.
Conceptual sources informing visual construction:
- Kaur & Gupta (2023) — emotional misinformation acceleration
- Sánchez-Querubín et al. (2023) — aesthetic/performative persuasion on TikTok
- Ku et al. (2026) — intuitive cognitive processing & meme-based bypassing
- Khullar (2025) — concentration of health misinformation actor networks
- Cho & Zhu (2023) — algorithmic amplification systems
Included Conceptual Visual Models
| Title | Visual Function | Conceptual Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Emotional vs. Factual Spread Over 48 Hours | Demonstrates dramatic acceleration of affective misinformation | Kaur & Gupta (2023) |
| Fringe → Mainstream Narrative Migration Pipeline | Shows flow from 4chan / Telegram → TikTok / Instagram → mass influence normalization | Ku et al. (2026) |
| Algorithmic Visibility Heatmap | Visualizes engagement-driven escalation zones | Cho & Zhu (2023) |
| Influencer Network Amplification Graph | Clustering, resonance nodes, echo loops | Sánchez-Querubín et al. (2023) |
| Short-Form Aesthetic Messaging Comparison (TikTok Format) | How visual remix compresses complexity into persuasion cues | Sánchez-Querubín et al. (2023) |
| Health Misinformation vs. Verified Guidance Comparison | Conceptualized disparity of spread during pandemic cycles | Khullar (2025) |
| Critical Thinking Boost Intervention Outcomes | Reduced sharing post-intervention, conceptual modeled | Ku et al. (2026) |
📌 Important Clarification (Academic Integrity)
These visuals represent modeled persuasion dynamics, not measured datasets.
They:
- show theory structure
- map viral trajectory logic
- demonstrate emotional/aesthetic acceleration frame
- abstract the literature’s core behavioral findings
They do not:
- claim numerical precision
- represent real-time engagement logs
- assert empirical statistics
⚖️ Academic Fair-Use & Conceptual Scope Note
These graphics serve as explanatory learning tools for critical digital literacy, modeling how platform infrastructures, affective cues, and influencer strategies operate in persuasion systems. They are pedagogical abstractions, not empirical measurement products.
### Author-Generated Conceptual Visualizations (Not Empirical; Modeled Theory)