【afs 394 asu religion sex power and eroticism】

Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has admitted he paid an army of social media trolls to defend him while he was on afs 394 asu religion sex power and eroticismthe campaign trail last year.

The outspoken and at times controversial politician was defending himself after a University of Oxford study was published, finding that Duterte uses both automated and human trolls on social media.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Duterte said: "I spent 10 million [pesos] ($198,000)? Me? Maybe in the election...They were all during the campaign."

He was refuting accusations that he continued to deploy a social media army, inadvertently admitting that he relied on the strategy in his 2016 presidential campaign.

SEE ALSO: Philippines plans to make it illegal if you don't sing the national anthem with sufficient 'fervour'

"I don't need to defend myself from attacks," he was quoted as saying by ABS-CBN News. "I'm not anymore eligible for re-election."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Presidents in the Philippines serve a single six-year term without re-election.

The president added that the University of Oxford was a "school for stupid people", reported Rappler.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Rodrigo Duterte Credit: Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

The University of Oxford study explored organised social media manipulation, and weighed the different strategies of political parties and candidates in 28 countries.

It found that social media bots were used by many countries to drum up ideas aligning with party messaging, by inflating social media engagement, "creating an artificial sense of popularity, momentum or relevance."

An army of 500 to "amplify" ideas

In Duterte's case, his social media manager has said they've used some 400 to 500 people to "amplify" ideas. They individually handled groups on platforms like Facebook, that each had hundreds to hundreds of thousands of followers.

According to a Campaign Asiaarticle, his social team denied using bots in their strategy.

An American journalist pointed out in a PRI article that often, just a damning (or supportive) headline is sufficient to do the trick in pushing a message across. Because many people on Facebook don't click through to the article -- some because they don't want to incur data costs -- all they see is the headline and excerpt.

The study also said that the hired social media manipulators have also continued to "spread and amplify" messages in support of Duterte's policies after he won the election, something which the president denied.

Duterte is a former mayor who won over 16 million votes on a populist campaign aimed at eliminating drug trafficking.

After being elected, Duterte's war on drugs drew criticism outside the country for its rampant extra-judicial killings of suspected drug offenders. The president and renewed his call to reinstate the death penalty for crimes involving drugs, during his State of the Nation address this year.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Scientists discovered a giant black worm monster in the Philippines

---

Topics Social Media Politics

• Science
• Entertainment
• Social Good
• Life
• Tech
• Shopping
• Deals
• Games

• Here's how I feel about all this Stephen Hawking 'news' going around
• Look closely at this MacBook Air that was made entirely out of Lego bricks
• Pikachu face lens launches on Snapchat for a limited time
• Hell yeah: This Backstreet Boys song contains a real, true fart noise
• Here's how I feel about all this Stephen Hawking 'news' going around
• The next Apple Watch could be the first must
• How to survive a 'Game of Thrones' sex scene with awkward company
• All the times Littlefinger betrayed people on 'Game of Thrones' because he sucks
• Lego free Valentine's Day Heart: How to get free Lego
• Taylor Swift actually had a lot to do with cleaning up Instagram

• Just 50 really great tweets from 2018
• 'Never Have I Ever' Season 3: Everything to remember from Season 2
• Researchers find first
• Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ set to get price hikes by end of year
• All hail the drag Hormone Monstress dancing to 'bubble bath'
• Two magnificent galaxies are about to collide in deep space
• Donald Trump once met Christian Bale and thought he was Bruce Wayne
• 'Laal Singh Chaddha' review: A poignant Bollywood remake of 'Forrest Gump'
• Side hustle advice from 11 entrepreneurs who've been there
• Wordle today: Here's the August 15 Wordle answer and hints

• The Year in Tech: 2014 Top Stories
• Here's where the clearest skies will be during the total solar eclipse
• This tiny moment from the 'Game of Thrones' Ep 6 trailer hints at a big death
• Your next Spotify suggestion could come from Facebook Messenger
• 11 Tech Products That Were Supposed to Fail... But Didn't
• Taco Bell just made a taco shell out of a fried egg. Seriously.
• A new startup could revolutionize how young women think about their fertility
• Google is letting you use its Contacts app on any Android phone now
• Lego free Valentine's Day Heart: How to get free Lego
• 4 reportedly arrested after 'Game of Thrones' episode leaked in India

• Google 'Ask for me:' AI that calls businesses on your behalf for pricing and availability
• The mystery of the Valyrian steel dagger in 'Game of Thrones' Episode 5
• Facebook is testing a secret photo sharing app in China, report says
• Uber hit with even more drama after scandalous lawsuit
• Here's how I feel about all this Stephen Hawking 'news' going around
• 'League of Legends' developer loses lawsuit for using soccer player's likeness
• Young refugees launch digital magazine to tell powerful stories of struggle and triumph
• 'Wonder Woman' scores at the Teen Choice Awards
• Use Your Gaming Laptop and Play On Battery Power? Is It Possible?
• Amazon introduces new 'Instant Pickup' shopping for Prime members