To many people today believe that the way to solve problems is to start a blog about them.
At least that keeps them off the streets smashing windows out.
The internet has 1) given fruitycakes the ability to connect with other fruitcakes so instead of asking "What am I missing?" they are able to be all fruity and think it is normal; and
2) the micro-targeting has become insidious--when people are represented as "Liking" politicians whom they despise on Facebook then it borders on fraud IMO.
"..There's something else going on, too. The proliferation of media outlets and the segmentation of society have meant that it's much easier for people to hive themselves off into like-minded cliques. Some people live in towns where nobody likes Bush. Others listen to radio networks where nobody likes Bill Clinton.
In these communities, half-truths get circulated and exaggerated. Dark accusations are believed because it is delicious to believe them. The White House aide Vince Foster was murdered. The Saudis warned the Bush Administration before the September 11 attacks.
You get to choose your own reality. You get to believe what makes you feel good. You can ignore inconvenient facts so rigorously your picture of the world is one big distortion.
And if you can give your foes a collective name - liberals, fundamentalists or neo-cons - you can rob them of their individual humanity. All inhibitions are removed. You can say anything about them. You get to feed off their villainy and luxuriate in your own contrasting virtue.
You will find books, blowhards and candidates playing to your delusions, and you can emigrate to your own version of Planet Chomsky.
You can live there unburdened by ambiguity.
Improvements in information technology have not made public debate more realistic. On the contrary, anti-Semitism is resurgent. Conspiracy theories are prevalent. Partisanship has left many people unhinged.
Welcome to election year, 2004.
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