Research & Benchmarks

The data behind narrative authenticity

Q: How does Rolli define a coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB) event?

Rolli IQ flags a CIB event when multiple accounts exhibit statistically improbable behavioral synchrony: posting near-identical content within tight time windows, sharing from accounts with similar creation dates or follower graphs, or showing burst activity inconsistent with organic engagement patterns. The IQ score aggregates these signals into a 0–100 authenticity rating.

Q: What is a healthy vs. suspicious authenticity score?

An IQ score of 70 or above indicates a narrative is predominantly organic. Scores of 40–69 suggest mixed signals warranting closer review. Scores below 40 indicate likely coordinated amplification and should trigger an investigation workflow. These thresholds are calibrated against historical verified-organic and verified-CIB events.

Q: How fast do coordinated narratives typically spike?

Coordinated narrative spikes tend to show a sharp initial burst (often within 15–60 minutes of seeding) followed by a plateau as organic pickup either amplifies or fails to sustain the signal. Organic narrative velocity curves are comparatively smoother and slower to reach peak velocity.

Q: Which platforms show the highest CIB activity?

X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook consistently show the highest volume of coordinated amplification events due to their large account bases and API accessibility. Reddit and YouTube show more sophisticated long-form coordination tactics. Platform-level patterns are factored into Rolli IQ's per-platform scoring calibration.

Benchmark frameworks, scoring thresholds, and signal definitions used in Rolli IQ — so teams can calibrate their response protocols and cite the methodology behind every alert.

Read the full methodology →Try Rolli IQ free

Benchmark data

Thresholds that matter in the field

These benchmarks are derived from Rolli IQ's scoring methodology and calibrated against verified organic and coordinated narrative datasets.

Narrative Velocity

How fast a narrative accumulates amplification signals. Organic narratives follow a gradual diffusion curve. Coordinated narratives show an anomalous front-loaded burst.

Median time to 1,000 shares — organic narrative

Highly variable; depends on seeding account size and topic resonance

Source: Rolli IQ baseline dataset

4–18 hours

Median time to 1,000 shares — coordinated narrative

Burst pattern; typically front-loaded within the first hour of seeding

Source: Rolli IQ baseline dataset

15–90 minutes

Velocity anomaly threshold (IQ flag)

When share velocity exceeds 3× the topic's 30-day moving average within any 30-minute window

Source: Rolli IQ scoring methodology

3× baseline rate

Authenticity Scoring

The IQ score (0–100) reflects the probability that observed amplification reflects genuine organic human activity. Lower scores indicate higher coordination probability.

IQ score threshold — organic (high confidence)

Amplification consistent with organic diffusion patterns; no coordination signatures detected

Source: Rolli IQ scoring rubric

70–100

IQ score threshold — mixed signals

Some anomalous signals present; warrants analyst review before escalation

Source: Rolli IQ scoring rubric

40–69

IQ score threshold — likely coordinated

Multiple coordination signatures detected; escalation recommended

Source: Rolli IQ scoring rubric

0–39

Network Structure

The shape of an amplification network distinguishes organic from coordinated activity. Organic networks are scale-free with diverse bridging nodes; coordinated networks show hub-and-spoke or synchronized-cluster patterns.

Coordinated cluster detection threshold

5+ accounts with ≥60% behavioral overlap within a topic window trigger cluster flagging

Source: Rolli IQ network analysis

≥ 5 accounts

Account age indicator (suspicious)

Accounts under 90 days old that participate in burst amplification are weighted as higher-risk signals

Source: Rolli IQ account scoring

< 90 days old

Follower graph homogeneity flag

When a cluster's members share more than 40% of their follower graphs, coordination probability increases significantly

Source: Rolli IQ network analysis

> 40% overlap

Platform Patterns

Coordination tactics differ significantly by platform. Rolli IQ monitors 8 platforms and applies per-platform calibration to account for structural differences in how each surface enables or inhibits coordination.

Platforms monitored

X, Reddit, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn

Source: Rolli IQ platform coverage

Cross-platform narrative correlation

When the same narrative seeds on multiple platforms simultaneously, Rolli IQ surfaces the cross-platform signal as a higher-confidence coordination indicator

Source: Rolli IQ cross-platform analysis

Detected within minutes

False positive rate (target)

Target precision threshold for CIB flags; calibrated to minimize alert fatigue while maintaining detection sensitivity

Source: Rolli IQ scoring methodology

< 5%

Note on data provenanceThese benchmarks represent Rolli IQ's internal scoring thresholds and methodology calibration — not third-party peer-reviewed statistics. They are published here to support transparency and to help teams calibrate response protocols. Where external research exists that validates or contextualizes these thresholds, we cite it inline. Teams requiring primary academic citations should cross-reference with the external resources listed below.

Who uses this data

Built for teams that need to cite their work

Communications & PR

Cite authenticity thresholds in crisis protocols. Brief leadership with scored evidence, not impressions. Distinguish manufactured outrage from real stakeholder concern.

Learn more →

Trust & Safety

Use CIB benchmarks to calibrate internal policy thresholds. Document investigation methodology. Build a defensible, scored audit trail for enforcement decisions.

Learn more →

Academic & Policy Research

Access structured definitions for influence operation terminology. Cite Rolli IQ methodology as a practitioner framework alongside academic literature.

Learn more →

Methodology questions

How the scores work

How does Rolli define a coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB) event?

Rolli IQ flags a CIB event when multiple accounts exhibit statistically improbable behavioral synchrony: posting near-identical content within tight time windows, sharing from accounts with similar creation dates or follower graphs, or showing burst activity inconsistent with organic engagement patterns. The IQ score aggregates these signals into a 0–100 authenticity rating.

What is a healthy vs. suspicious authenticity score?

An IQ score of 70 or above indicates a narrative is predominantly organic. Scores of 40–69 suggest mixed signals warranting closer review. Scores below 40 indicate likely coordinated amplification and should trigger an investigation workflow. These thresholds are calibrated against historical verified-organic and verified-CIB events.

How fast do coordinated narratives typically spike?

Coordinated narrative spikes tend to show a sharp initial burst (often within 15–60 minutes of seeding) followed by a plateau as organic pickup either amplifies or fails to sustain the signal. Organic narrative velocity curves are comparatively smoother and slower to reach peak velocity.

Which platforms show the highest CIB activity?

X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook consistently show the highest volume of coordinated amplification events due to their large account bases and API accessibility. Reddit and YouTube show more sophisticated long-form coordination tactics. Platform-level patterns are factored into Rolli IQ's per-platform scoring calibration.

External research