So, I think we're mostly aware that fake news - and fake news purveyors - are a real thing. And while the Venn diagram of such may occasionally include legitimate news outlets, the biggest problem by far are the Joe Six-Packs and Betty Housecoats we encounter on social media.
Only less dangerous than these are the actual real people who believe what the propaganda farm bots post and spread around.
That probably includes me. And you. Nobody is immune.
So we really, really need as individuals to be very careful in believing what we see online. As Benn Jordan says at the conclusion of this video:
"At this point in time, you should always be asking yourself if social media users or features are separating you from your own instincts or logical conclusions because this isn't political; the goal is not to make you support a particular party or candidate. The goal is to make you constantly question your own convictions by filling your entire world with conspiracy theories. The goal is to make educating yourself about your surroundings and questioning what's real or not so exhausting that you're too worn down to care that there's lead in your childrens' drinking water. You're too worn down to care that the American life expectancy has dropped below the average of some developing countries. What politically-oriented problems are bigger than those things?"
Media literacy has entered a new era, and we've got to be really vigilant lest we fail.
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