Autore
Terenzi, Massimo

Titolo
Cryptocurrencies from Mainstream to Fringe Platforms. Media Manipulation and Deceptive Schemes on Facebook and Telegram
Periodico
Comunicazione politica - ComPol
Anno: 2025 - Fascicolo: 1 - Pagina iniziale: 93 - Pagina finale: 120

This article examines how cryptocurrency-related manipulative schemes leverage mainstream platforms like Facebook to channel users toward fringe environments such as Telegram, drawing on insights from a case study of coordinated link-sharing behavior. While this coordinated network originates in Nigeria and is first detected on Facebook, it quickly transcends international boundaries due to the transnational nature of distribution algorithms. These schemes exploit Facebook’s algorithmic architecture to amplify seemingly legitimate announcements, creating a deceptive sense of credibility before redirecting users to Telegram. Telegram, with its minimal oversight and decentralized ethos, then provides a fertile ground for disintermediated operations that exploit regulatory gaps. There, manipulative schemes – such as referral systems, giveaways, and gamified tasks – thrive in an unregulated and ephemeral ecosystem designed to sustain engagement and evade detection. This work highlights the cross-platform dynamics between mainstream and fringe platforms, showing how Facebook’s algorithmic visibility and Telegram’s permissive ecosystem complement one another in enabling manipulation. While the Digital Services Act (DSA) imposes obligations on Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), Telegram frequently escapes scrutiny due to its structural and operational characteristics. By analyzing link decay and bot activity, this study provides empirical insights into the adaptability of manipulative tactics across platforms. This research emphasizes the need for regulatory frameworks to address the interplay between mainstream and fringe platforms, adapting to the decentralized and transient ecosystems that shape digital manipulation.



SICI: 1594-6061(2025)1<93:CFMTFP>2.0.ZU;2-B
Testo completo: https://www.rivisteweb.it/download/article/10.3270/116611
Testo completo alternativo: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.3270/116611

Esportazione dati in Refworks (solo per utenti abilitati)

Record salvabile in Zotero

Biblioteche ACNP che possiedono il periodico