3 ms·
<The internet allows people to get occasional glimpses behind the curtain, which is one of the reasons restricting the internet and stifling free speech is the
by DrScump 10y ago
<The internet allows people to get occasional glimpses behind the curtain, which is one of the reasons restricting the internet and stifling free speech is the dream of dictators...>
The freedom of, and instant access to, objective sources via the Internet inspired great hope in me that media-driven fake news narratives could be overcome once and for all. For example, once access to Federal U.S. legislation online was created after the 1995 turnover of Congress, people were able to actually see what legislators were doing rather than media narratives creating or inhibiting advocacy.
Alas, all that even otherwise-literate people seem to care about now is forwarding (often utterly false) memes to one another.
It's easier than ever to get at original sources, yet few bother.
- tedunangst 10y agoBut original sources don't tell me what to think...
- StanislavPetrov 10y agoThe internet certainly hasn't been a panacea for the spread of information or the dissemination of "truth", but it is nonetheless a valuable communication tool that didn't exist before. As an older person, I can't stress how difficult it was to get timely news and information a few decades ago that didn't come from NBC, CBS, or ABC. Many of us knew that pundits and politicians were telling just as many lies back then as they were today, but there were no avenues to distribute proof of these lies in a timely manner. Their disdain for facts was just as great, but their lies were harder to expose.