An account on Twitter, DomLucre, is claiming that multiple media outlets are preparing to “set up” Nicki Minaj by alleging she pays for bots to push favorable narratives due to her recent political stance. Let’s examine the pattern. First, the narrative was that Nicki Minaj’s fanbase was a “cult.” Then the narrative shifted, suddenly her fans were “leaving” her. Then came headlines attempting to frame “Barbz vs. Barbz.” Now the claim is that her fanbase consists of bots. Which is it? You cannot simultaneously argue that: • Her fans are obsessed and overpowering • Her fans are abandoning her • Her fanbase is divided • And her fanbase doesn’t exist because it’s bots That is not journalism. That is narrative construction. Nicki has openly spoken about corporate entities and media machines allegedly using bots to manipulate online discourse surrounding her. Now that her fanbase remains intact, and visibly active, the claim becomes that the support must be artificial. But bots don’t: • Buy concert tickets • Sell out arenas • Purchase albums Her Pink Friday 2 World Tour became the highest-grossing tour by a female rapper in history. Her album Pink Friday 2 debuted with 228,000 units, the highest first-week sales for a female rap album in recent years. So we ask plainly: If the arenas are full and the albums are selling… who exactly are the bots? #NickiMinaj #FBLifestyle #StillIRiseMedia
