3 ms·
Is this a rhetorical question? A lot of (most?) adults aren't immune to this sort of manipulation, let alone kids. See: Fox News, cults in general, and so on.
by caconym_ 7y ago
Is this a rhetorical question? A lot of (most?) adults aren't immune to this sort of manipulation, let alone kids. See: Fox News, cults in general, and so on.
It's not just about bad information, or opinion stated as fact, or whatever. Whether it is designed to indoctrinate and radicalize, or whether it "simply" evolved that way as a meme (in the Dawkins sense, probably clumsily applied), that's how it works. These people haven't just been taught incorrect facts, but whole distinctive patterns of speech and thought that serve to reinforce their own commitment and induce it in others.
It's an arms race, and in an emotionally vulnerable state I doubt even the sharpest kids (or, again, adults) are fully armored against it.
- rland 7y agoMeme is an absolutely perfect word for it. It sounds like a joke, but this content is purposefully created and disseminated for the purpose of "going viral," so that it can spread itself. It's created by people who either have only consumed like content and want to spread their virus ("my personal opinion based on internet reasearch is that...") or people who actually create this stuff on purpose to push the agenda of their employ. The Dawkins meme analogy is brilliant, we just hadn't really seen it used as a weapon until pretty recently.
- mistermann 7y agoMemes have been a core part of political strategy for decades. Human beings have never thought fundamentally based on facts, and they likely never will. All parties do it to varying degrees, but it's very difficult to see it when it lines up with your personal ideology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays
- johnisgood 7y agoSame with religion.