> just expose yourself to media (news, social media, "influencers", etc) and they will helpfully convince you that everything you thought before you encountered

> just expose yourself to media (news, social media, "influencers", etc) and they will helpfully convince you that everything you thought before you encountered them was bad/racist/sexist/conservative/etc. I wish this was true. I actually feel that racism, sexism, reactionary thought is on the rise. If it seems that liberal ideas are becoming dominant in the public space, it is actually because 1) liberals are starting to feel with their back against the wall, and are reacting in the field where they have the most power, the discursive sphere. And 2) people are finally finding the courage to speak out again about issues that have been plaguing us for centuries (see MeToo and Black Lives Matter). And to put on a tinfoil hat and risk being downvoted: I don't buy the "social media is manipulating us poor people" narrative. That is a spin encouraged by the traditional media who see their share of the cake being endangered. They are used to be, well, "media", mediating between the public sphere and the people. With social media connecting people directly, they have a kind of existential crisis. What actually is happening is that social media amplifies and brings out what people are actually thinking, and in many cases that is a cesspool of hate and conspiracy theory - all across the political spectrum. We didn't see it before because traditional "media" chose what to amplify and what not, and kept a lid on it.