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I wonder if 'fake news' will become the next excuse to encroach on our liberties just like how 'terrorism' is used.

by jamez1 10y ago

MrZongle2 10y ago
I'd bet money on it. Political groups who rail against how the established media provides coverage will continue to push the "fake news" meme. Establishment-friendly political groups will paint fringe/alternative media outlets as "fake news". Social media companies will play the part of the military-industrial complex in the "terrorism" scenario; in this case they'll rush to prove to users that they have the best "fake news" filtering capabilities. Some will partner with one of the aforementioned political groups to help shape what media is deemed trustworthy, and which is "fake", to push a particular narrative. It may not be called "fake news" a year from now, but it seems like many of the biggest players are eager to get involved with smiley-face censorship.
m12k 10y ago
It's almost elegant the way the Trump camp seized on the term 'fake news' that was first used to classify this new brand of viral make-believe that flourished among Trump-supporters on social media, and somehow turned it into a catch all term to just dismiss any reporting that they deem unfavorable. When you have an audience not accustomed to critical thinking or fact-checking, there is almost no repercussion to making claims that are demonstrably false, or dismissing things that are demonstrably true. Everything is just opinion versus opinion. At this point, the fight isn't even about policy anymore, it's about the very meaning of words, how we as humans determine what reality is. The Last Week Tonight segment, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xecEV4dSAXE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xecEV4dSAXE about how Trump gets his 'information' is fascinating - he's essentially managed to have his own misinformation fed back to himself in a feedback loop.

I wonder if 'fake news' will become the next excuse to encroach on our liberties just like how 'terrorism' is used.

by jamez1 10y ago

I wonder if 'fake news' will become the next excuse to encroach on our liberties just like how 'terrorism' is used.

I'd bet money on it. Political groups who rail against how the established media provides coverage will continue to push the "fake news" meme. Establishment-friendly political groups will paint fringe/alternative media outlets as "fake news". Social media companies will play the part of the military-industrial complex in the "terrorism" scenario; in this case they'll rush to prove to users that they have the best "fake news" filtering capabilities. Some will partner with one of the aforementioned political groups to help shape what media is deemed trustworthy, and which is "fake", to push a particular narrative. It may not be called "fake news" a year from now, but it seems like many of the biggest players are eager to get involved with smiley-face censorship.

m12k 10y ago

It's almost elegant the way the Trump camp seized on the term 'fake news' that was first used to classify this new brand of viral make-believe that flourished among Trump-supporters on social media, and somehow turned it into a catch all term to just dismiss any reporting that they deem unfavorable. When you have an audience not accustomed to critical thinking or fact-checking, there is almost no repercussion to making claims that are demonstrably false, or dismissing things that are demonstrably true. Everything is just opinion versus opinion. At this point, the fight isn't even about policy anymore, it's about the very meaning of words, how we as humans determine what reality is. The Last Week Tonight segment, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xecEV4dSAXE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xecEV4dSAXE about how Trump gets his 'information' is fascinating - he's essentially managed to have his own misinformation fed back to himself in a feedback loop.