The amount of disinformation shared in online forums is utterly disheartening. I follow it daily in war forums, where people just shoot off dishonestly to whip up righteous fury, and have zero interest in checking their assumptions. (Many are also just plants.)
Now, with the Moscow incident, I've also been watching similarly self-serving conspiracies run ahead of and against actual data. Sheer gamification of atrocity.
Guys, I really wonder about this whole "internet commons" thing sometimes.
Not familiar, but thanks for the rec!
The problem is, a lot of folks lean into that intensity, and it creates a trauma feedback loop where their threat levels are higher, so they're even more inclined to seek out intense content that affirms initial triggers/views. That's the *safe* thing to do under the circumstances.
I study these wide-ranging forums to see how humans are coping with conflict.
And it just leaves me feeling like the internet is a pill bottle left out in the open.
I assure you, you are not alone in the sentiment.
something that frustrates me to no end is the fact that disinformation may travel faster than the speed of bad news.
and it may take a couple of days in average to confirm or discard anything.
while truth arrives, protocol 1 is in effect: people are shit, believe nothing, trust no one, have an escape plan ready.
with regards of the dread loop, I decided the dread is not worth it, and that's the reason for protocol 1 existence.
@MLClark Social media disinformation and misinformation has made so-called mainstream media more important than ever. (And the general decline of reporting and newsrooms in the last three decades more of a tragedy.)
Absolutely. And not just "reporting and newsrooms" in general: plenty of research correlates the decline in local news outlets with huge upticks in political schism, and reduced civic activity.
Without a reliable *ground-up* media economy, we're fighting an uphill battle not only against disinformation but also disengagement from many meaningful sites of democratic action.
@MLClark the ultimate weakness of any commons is much like its greatest strength. It relies on the good will and reason of all involved.
@MLClark I'm concerned that Putin will use this to fire off tactical nukes in Ukraine, trying to look "tough."
It would be the typical strongman playbook. The terror attack, in his mind, make him look weak. So he has to do something that in his mind makes him look strong. Never mind if the true culprits are the target.
The irony is that we warned Russia two weeks ago, very publicly. Our intel was gold. He accused us of plotting against Russia. Oh well, we tried.
@MLClark I usually follow the rule of:
If something makes me feel something too intense, it's probably disinformation
Are you familiar with Ryan McBeth?
https://www.youtube.com/@RyanMcBethProgramming