I was a victim of propaganda.
My family still are.
It's easy to say, "You could have looked up the facts!" or that "You made a choice!"
But here is actually what happens.
You're an every day, kind, loving citizen who would do anything for your neighbors. You don't go out of your way to hate people, and you're mostly living your life, and not online often or connected a lot.
Then, one day a family member or close friend shares a story with you. 1/x
The story isn't something you would think outrageous. It tells you something a little unbelievable, so you just brush it off as something whacky.
Because you clicked on it, the algorithm has its foot in the door. It sends you another which reinforces the first. Again, it seems whacky, and you mostly ignore it. But you don't realize you've reinforced the algorithm. It goes from a scatter story and slowly becomes a barrage of "sources" from every direction, all saying the same thing. 2/x
"Use Google! Look up the facts!"
Okay, sure. But all these systems are connected, Google has you too. When you do a Google search it knows what you have been looking at and it just reinforces what you are beginning to believe.
You don't get the other story any more.
All of your information is derived from the algorithm telling you what the algorithm thinks you want to read, see, hear, etc.
It slow cooks your brain into a world of belief and you don't know it's happening.
3/x
@quinnsentialOne This is true. I went through it myself, but in different circumstances. Since I woke up, and got out of the hold, I no longer worry about what algorithms try to convince me of, because I simply live by the adage, "Believe none of what you read, or hear, and only half of what you see with your own eyes!" I also learned to trust my gut more. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't.