We need to educate ourselves in a hurry. But one of the things that is really scary here is that misinformation is becoming increasingly pervasive. And NOT just by state actors. It used to be that misinformation and dirty tricks campaigns were mainly the purview of the political and government entities. Now the floodgates have opened and you have these types of activities coming from corporations, interest groups, religious organizations, extremist groups .. and on and on. Why? 1) because just as the political dirty tricksters kept finding out, it WORKS. We human beings are incredibly vulnerable to influence and suggestion. and 2) It's EASY! With the advent of the internet and a handful of digital tools available to every ten year old, you too can be an influencer! There is a huge, huge upside. (Hey, you might gain control of the most powerful country in the world!) And the downside, is practically nonexistent. What have been the real costs (either personal, financial or reputation wise) to corporate funding of climate change denial? If I'm and activist, an extremist, or even just a corporate huckster, why WOULDN'T I try fake news?
We are literally swimming in information these days. A lot of it unreliable at the very best. And it is going to get exponentially worse as we figure out the advantages to be had by employing "fake news" and false narratives. We are going to have to vet sources in a way that we've never even imagined or considered .. and even that may not provide all the protection we need. Prepare yourself to soon be seeing film clips of people in places that they have never been, and saying things that they have never said. It's not even that hard to do!
Yes, the Russians screwed with us in 2016 .. found out it was incredibly easy, cheap and effective .. and there is no doubt at all that they will be back for another helping in 2020. Why wouldn't they? But you also need to be looking at everything else that comes across your screen (or out of your neighbor's mouth) with a very jaundiced eye.
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