ICYMI: September/October Roundup
Alt-platform diehards, 'Pallywood' conspiracy theories, a far-right harassment project, consumer outrage cycles, claims about Tylenol, renewed Antifa panics, Syrian insurgency groups, and Rumble users
It’s been a busy couple of months here at Open Measures. So busy, in fact, we forgot to send a roundup last month!
Here’s a look at the research articles Open Measures published in September and October.
Why Some Alt-Platform Users Still Support Leaving X/Twitter
Elon Musk has sought to recast X as a “free speech” platform, similar to the way many alt-platforms have marketed themselves to users frustrated with the site’s moderation policies. Even still, some alt-platform users still refuse to return to the site. Open Measures sought to understand the reasons they say they’re staying put.
More here:
‘Pallywood’ conspiracy theories saw increased interest after reports of famine in Gaza
Conspiracy narratives alleging that Palestinians have orchestrated and staged scenes of mass suffering to manipulate global opinion against Israel — dubbed “Pallywood” and “Gazawood” by their proponents — received a fresh wave of interest following reports of famine in Gaza. Open Measures found that the platforms where these terms appeared has shifted over time, suggesting that they may be reaching new audiences or that users promoting them have migrated to new online spaces.
More here:
Far-Right Extremists Were Among Earliest Promoters of Website Targeting Charlie Kirk Critics for Harassment
After conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was killed on Sept. 10, a website that targeted people who criticized or mocked his death went online. We found that first alt-tech platform users to promote this site included right-wing extremists, raising questions about the site’s origins and the intentions of its operators.
More here:
Outrage Cycle: Cracker Barrel and its CEO Targeted Amidst Logo Controversy
Open Measures found that users who posted about Cracker Barrel on alt-platforms frequently tied criticism of the company and its CEO to anti-diversity narratives promoted by conservative political figures in recent years.
More here:
Outrage Over American Eagle’s ‘Great Jeans’ Ad Was a Conservative Media Creation
American Eagle came under fire after conservative political and news media personalities claimed liberals were outraged over a campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney and her “great jeans,” believing it contained racist undertones. We found that the alleged backlash was grossly overstated and that posts associating the ads with bigoted ideologies were more common on alt-platforms with predominantly conservative communities than those without.
More here:
Trump Admin Briefing Sparks Wave of Tylenol-Autism Posts on Truth Social
Truth Social users had posted claims about an alleged link between Tylenol and autism well before the Trump Administration’s press conference, but they were not broadly popular. But after Trump and Kennedy publicly endorsed the fringe concern, Truth Social users began to parrot their claims and engaged with posts that supported them more frequently.
More here:
Flash Report: Dormant ‘Antifa’ Narratives Resurrected After Executive Order
Open Measures found that discussions of “Antifa” — a truncated way to refer to antifascist activists — were largely dormant, even on alt-platforms popular with right-wing audiences in the United States, for most of President Donald Trump’s current term. That all changed on Sept. 10, 2025, when a gunman killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the White House rushed to blame the “radical left.”
More here:
Exploring the Online Presence of Syrian Armed Groups
Open Measures examined how two new insurgency groups in Syria — Saraya Ansar al-Sunna and the Coastal Shield Brigade — have used Telegram to solicit public support and stir confusion among outside observers.
More here:
Rumble’s Power Users Promote Crypto Scams and AI Slop
Our researchers took a rarely seen deep-dive into the activity that takes place on Rumble, a video-based alt-platform with support from major US political players. They identified the 15 most-active accounts posting videos and comments on the platform and found they uploaded gobs of bigoted, scammy, and suspicious content.
More here:
Identify disinformation and extremism with the Open Measures platform.
Organizations use Open Measures’ tooling every day to track trends related to networks of influence, coordinated harassment campaigns, and state-backed info ops.