Great bit of journalism here by Sophia :) fun fact, we had some verrrrry interesting conversations about what exactly the Trump campaign might be doing on TikTok.

So let’s talk about that!

Super glad I could be of help btw :P

Anyhoo: my background = senior web dev, data analysis a specialty, worked in online marketing/advertising a while back
You’ve got this big TikTok account that’s ostensibly all volunteer, just promoting Trump’s app because they’re politically minded and all that.

Noooooope. They’re being paid.
Sophia says it’s just possible (journalist speak I assume) but I know exactly what I’m looking at and these guys, Conservative Hype House, are getting paid to drive traffic and app installs for Trump.
So how do you know that, Claire?

Welp, they’re using an ad tracking system that has codes assigned to specific affiliates or incoming marketing channels. These are always ALWAYS used to track metrics for which the affiliate is getting paid.
Like, if Team Trump just wanted to know what traffic is coming from TikTok, there are ways to do that (incoming referrer links) that don’t involve setting up ad tracking that, in my experience, is finicky at the best of times.
Point being: Team Trump is tracking what app installs and traffic come SPECIFICALLY from Conservative Hype House. In my professional opinion, this is due to them being paid by Team Trump for the same. Typical affiliate setup.
There are alternative explanations, like for example, Team Trump is doing extra data analysis of some kind, but personally I don’t believe them for a second. I know what I’m looking at here. I used to be the dev setting this shit up and making sure it worked.
And it is very profitable BTW. There’s a reason influencers are a thing. If you can push good traffic that converts for a brand then you are sitting on a fucking goldmine.
So: Trump is banning TikTok, but his campaign is undoubtedly paying TikTok influencers for traffic and app installs, which makes them massive hypocrites.

Conservative Hype House are being paid for political influence and not disclosing the fact.
P.S. TBH the big story here for me anyway is how social networks are the literal Wild West of advertising, despite the efforts of lawmakers to ensure their paid relationships are correctly disclosed.
But the tech always points the way when people want to get paid. Always. There is a LOT of web dev that must be done publicly (meaning in a way that makes system operations visible) just to work at all.

The nature of the Internet makes it so.
URLs are visible. Cookies are visible. Local storage data is visible. API calls are visible.

If you know what you’re looking at, you can extract a ton of information about how a system works. Devs have to prioritize “working” over “hide what you’re doing”.
Anyway tune in next week to hear about the time I hacked the Google Maps JS API to make it do weird non-standard stuff because my boss asked me “can we make a box appear over here”

More from Social media

You May Also Like

Trending news of The Rock's daughter Simone Johnson's announcing her new Stage Name is breaking our Versus tool because "Wrestling Name" isn't in our database!

Here's the most useful #Factualist comparison pages #Thread 🧵


What is the difference between “pseudonym” and “stage name?”

Pseudonym means “a fictitious name (more literally, a false name), as those used by writers and movie stars,” while stage name is “the pseudonym of an entertainer.”

https://t.co/hT5XPkTepy #english #wiki #wikidiff

People also found this comparison helpful:

Alias #versus Stage Name: What’s the difference?

Alias means “another name; an assumed name,” while stage name means “the pseudonym of an entertainer.”

https://t.co/Kf7uVKekMd #Etymology #words

Another common #question:

What is the difference between “alias” and “pseudonym?”

As nouns alias means “another name; an assumed name,” while pseudonym means “a fictitious name (more literally, a false name), as those used by writers and movie

Here is a very basic #comparison: "Name versus Stage Name"

As #nouns, the difference is that name means “any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing,” but stage name means “the pseudonym of an
“We don’t negotiate salaries” is a negotiation tactic.

Always. No, your company is not an exception.

A tactic I don’t appreciate at all because of how unfairly it penalizes low-leverage, junior employees, and those loyal enough not to question it, but that’s negotiation for you after all. Weaponized information asymmetry.

Listen to Aditya


And by the way, you should never be worried that an offer would be withdrawn if you politely negotiate.

I have seen this happen *extremely* rarely, mostly to women, and anyway is a giant red flag. It suggests you probably didn’t want to work there.

You wish there was no negotiating so it would all be more fair? I feel you, but it’s not happening.

Instead, negotiate hard, use your privilege, and then go and share numbers with your underrepresented and underpaid colleagues. […]