4 ms·
Persuasion on social media is certainly effective. But I think it’s also worth reflecting on the number of people who would still believe false news stories/con
by npilk 5y ago
Persuasion on social media is certainly effective. But I think it’s also worth reflecting on the number of people who would still believe false news stories/conspiracy theories/etc in a hypothetical world without social media, and what techniques we might use in that world to combat the issue.
As for original thinking, I may not be as well-read on these topics as others. Some of the ideas seemed obvious once I read them, but I didn’t think I’d seen them before. Example: “disinformation” becoming a catch-all word for “things I disagree with”.
- goatlover 5y agoWe don't have to consider a hypothetical world. We can just look at history from before social media. And yes plenty of people believed in conspiracy theories and spread misinformation. Witch trials, the red scare and satanic panic were a thing prior to social media. So was the fake moon landing and alien abductions. So with social media, the question is whether the problem is magnified significantly, or it's just more visible now.
- froh 5y ago"social media" has simplified and amplified spreading disinformation/biased worldviews significantly: in the paper communication age not inly did it require layout/typesetting and printing. in addition ad profiling and individalized targeting now allows dissimination to exactly the desired audience, world wide at very low cost.
- ribs 5y agoWhat seems likely to me is that it’s faster with social media. That maybe every form of social change is faster with the internet. Whatever is going to happen without social media can happen faster than it would have.