Social media algorithms boost L.A. protest misinformation in ‘combustible’ environment", 10 June 2025

Offline, in real-world Los Angeles, most Angelenos are having a perfectly normal day. But online, the fires and riots are still raging.

The powerful algorithms that fuel social media platforms are feeding users days-old and sometimes completely fake content about the recent unrest in L.A., contributing to a sense of nonstop crisis that doesn’t exist beyond a small part of the sprawling city.

Unvetted accounts on platforms like X and TikTok, in an apparent bid for clicks, clout and chaos, have preyed on the fears of liberals and conservatives about where last weekend’s clashes will lead.

“What’s happening on social media is similar to the chaos of the information environment around the 2020 George Floyd protests,” said Renée DiResta, an associate research professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and an expert on how conspiracy theories spread online. “People are trying to discern between real current footage and recycled sensational old footage repurposed for political or financial ends.”

In 2025, though, AI-generated images are more abundant, and users have splintered onto different online platforms “where different stories are being told,” DiResta told CNN.

Differing realities

On X, where right-wing views tend to flourish, influencers are denouncing the anti-ICE protesters as agitators and terrorists, while on the more left-wing Bluesky, prominent users are condemning President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard.

Hyperpartisan and hyperactive accounts on X have been wildly overstating the actual volume of unrest in Southern California, furthering the online confusion about the offline situation.

One viral post on X falsely claimed... that there were “breaking” news reports that Mexico was considering “military intervention” in Los Angeles. More than 2 million people have viewed the post as of Tuesday afternoon.

Dozens of posts on X have spread conspiracy theories claiming the protesters were government-backed or funded by various sources, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank. Many of those posts have over a million views, and only a handful of them have been fact-checked with X’s community notes features.

CNN has requested comment from X and TikTok.

Recognizing how viral posts can distort public opinion and potentially exacerbate violence, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office... pleaded with the public to “check your sources before sharing info!” in a post on X.

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Federal government accounts have been among the misleading sources on social media. A Defense Department “rapid response” account on X claimed Monday morning that “Los Angeles is burning, and local leaders are refusing to respond.”

But there were no reports of fires burning in L.A. at the time of the Defense Department’s claim.

State media misinformation

Russian and Chinese state media have also amplified images of the unrest, whether real or fake.

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