As Canadians head to the polls, #TrudeaulessTuesday trends on Twitter

Whether it was the #TrudeauMustGo hashtag, #ScheerWasSoPoorThat, #TrudeauInheritedSoMuch, all of them made headlines for different reasons, and they all gave some insight into Canada’s psyche headed into the voting booths. None of them, however, have been so blunt as #TrudeaulessTuesday.

The hashtag, which has already reached 13,000 tweets as of publishing, shows a side of the Canadian voter which has frequently taken to Twitter to have its voice heard.

During the #TrudeauMustGo trend, some grew frustrated that their online grievances were being dismissed as bot activity, which led to hoards of accounts using the trend #NotaBot.

Some had concerns about the validity of the trends, as Twitter bots have had a real impact on public discourse, especially with their ability to create trends. But when CTV News asked Twitter’s head of site integrity Yoel Roth about the trend, an answer was given that was a surprise to some, and validating to others.

“Our initial investigations have not found substantial bot activity amplifying the cited hashtag,” Roth told CTVNews via email.

“The overwhelming majority of discussions are from organic, authentic users—including people both inside and outside of Canada.”

Roth went on to say that Twitter’s algorithms analyze thousands of different behaviours to determine if an account is legitimate.

Roth went on to say that “These indicators alone aren’t sufficient to determine whether or not an account is automated or behaving maliciously.”

Roth did not respond to a request for comment from TPM regarding the #TrudeaulessTuesday trend. This article will be updated if a response is given.