Nuevos líderes de opinión: cómo funcionan los trolls "libertarios" en X

Abstract

This article examines the role of “libertarian” trolls on the X platform – formerly Twitter – as new opinion leaders in the digital social space. Since the rise of President Javier Milei in Argentina, it examines how these actors, through hate speech, communication strategies and the manipulation of public debate, influence public opinion.
The article is based on the Two-Step Theory of Paul Lazarsfeld, Hazel Gaudet and Bernald Berelson (1944), showing how opinion leaders function as intermediaries between politics and citizens, reinforcing or activating specific narratives. It also studies the impact of trolls, bots and community managers in the dissemination of messages, generating a digital ecosystem that distorts public conversation.
From a theoretical approach based on Manuel Castells, Lev Manovich and Leonardo Murolo, the digital social space is addressed as a new scenario of symbolic dispute, where political communication moves away from traditional media and into a more dynamic and versatile environment: social platforms.