It's always been possible to feign knowledge and wisdom with cynicism, even before public discourse was carried out "online". It's also always been possible to

It's always been possible to feign knowledge and wisdom with cynicism, even before public discourse was carried out "online". It's also always been possible to feign knowledge and wisdom with breathless enthusiasm or optimism. Fakery is fakery. In general, we are not cynical enough. Humans have been out to take advantage of each other for as long as we have recorded history, and probably for much longer than that. Civilization is maintained in equilibrium between forces that seek to destroy each other, so you can and should assume that those forces exist and are currently and actively attempting to pursue their own gain at your expense. The heart of propaganda is convincing people to act against their own best interests. This is built into the essence of humanity.