The second most dangerous technology in the world: media

[Craig234]

No, I don't mean the imbecilic right-wing attacks on our good media as 'the enemy of the people'.

Did you know, there is no war in Ukraine by Russia, only that the US and NATO are bombing Ukrainian hospitals and kindergartens and Russia is coming to their defense? That's what you might know, if Putin wanted and you lived in Russia.

We in the US don't recognize this problem since we don't have it that much - but we've gotten a taste of it with the 'fake news' operations convincing 2/3 of Republicans the election was stolen, and other such lies so that they're in a 'bubble' despite being surrounded by accurate media they don't listen to.

How much worse is in China, where the government has massive propaganda and controls 100% of the media, where people have to register to use any communications and are jailed if they say anything the government doesn't like and they never hear anything else, and believe wild lies about China and the world? How much worse in Russia where Putin just shut down the few independent sources for information?

How much worse would it be in the US if we had changes to be more like those other systems - when we're seeing a third of the country misinformed even when all they have to do is read a normal newspaper or turn on a normal news show?

This technology - media - in the hands of tyrants is devastating to a society. It can hide huge problems, keep the society fighting for the tyrants against any reformers based on lies (for example, the country of China mostly views people in Hong as terrorist 'cockroaches' the government is right to violently suppress). It can hide wars and force support for them and much more. It is a society in chains.

I think the danger and harm of media when used tyrannically is the most harmful I can think of outside of nuclear war. As I type, a large majority of Russians - who have just increased their approval of Putin - believe that Ukraine committed genocide against Russians, and NATO forced Putin to defend Russia against them, and they support Putin and the war - despite the hugely brave protests of a small minority who see through it.

We don't really have answers to this threat, other than 'our tradition in the US is to support truth and free press so let's just hope it doesn't happen and too bad about the rest of the world who have tyranny but we can't help'. And we see we're in the early stages of a more and more powerful system of misinformation even here as noted above.

Historically, tyranny meant telling people, 'you have no say'. The modern version is telling people, 'these are your opinions and the facts you think are correct'. Putin so far has made his war go away for his country - including them blaming the west for the poverty from sanctions as an unjustified attack. China has 1.5 billion people whipped into anti-west frenzy, all the time. It's time to recognize this as a threat and look for solutions, not keep ignoring it. It's a type of war.

 

[Mach]

The corruption of media in the United State (and the world) may very well lead to our downfall. No doubt about it, it's a real danger with no hope right now of being reigned in any time soon. Corrupted media can reach a point where its indistinguishable from say a state run media, where it matters. If enough people believe it and in our winner take all system, it can lead to catastrophe. Arguably it did with Trump.

 

[Craig234]

The corruption of media in the United State (and the world) by be our downfall. No doubt about it, it's a real danger with no hope right now of being reigned in any time soon.

This one does have something people who love freedom can do to help. Support honest media, which is consumer-based. Subscribe to newspapers, magazines, online content or other good sources of information. Read or watch the best ones you can find and promote them to people you know.

 

[Craig234]

A "top of my head" list of some of the 'good media' to support:

- vox.com
- theintercept.com
- commondreams.org
- The New York Times or other national newspapers, even overseas such as The Guardian
- Your local newspaper, if it's good
- Magazines including Mother Jones, The Progressive, In These Times, The Atlantic and many others
- Online content provides, such as the two who discuss China I've been suggesting, "SerpentZA/Laowhy86/Advpodcasts", including on Patreon
- Charities that educate the public for good causes, such as "The Center For Biological Diversity".

 

[Chillfolks]

The problem most people including thenOP have is they considered sources that are biased in their way are good and honest while sources they disagree are bad and liars.

 

[MaryP]

No, I don't mean the imbecilic right-wing attacks on our good media as 'the enemy of the people'.

Did you know, there is no war in Ukraine by Russia, only that the US and NATO are bombing Ukrainian hospitals and kindergartens and Russia is coming to their defense? That's what you might know, if Putin wanted and you lived in Russia.

We in the US don't recognize this problem since we don't have it that much - but we've gotten a taste of it with the 'fake news' operations convincing 2/3 of Republicans the election was stolen, and other such lies so that they're in a 'bubble' despite being surrounded by accurate media they don't listen to.

How much worse is in China, where the government has massive propaganda and controls 100% of the media, where people have to register to use any communications and are jailed if they say anything the government doesn't like and they never hear anything else, and believe wild lies about China and the world? How much worse in Russia where Putin just shut down the few independent sources for information?

How much worse would it be in the US if we had changes to be more like those other systems - when we're seeing a third of the country misinformed even when all they have to do is read a normal newspaper or turn on a normal news show?

This technology - media - in the hands of tyrants is devastating to a society. It can hide huge problems, keep the society fighting for the tyrants against any reformers based on lies (for example, the country of China mostly views people in Hong as terrorist 'cockroaches' the government is right to violently suppress). It can hide wars and force support for them and much more. It is a society in chains.

I think the danger and harm of media when used tyrannically is the most harmful I can think of outside of nuclear war. As I type, a large majority of Russians - who have just increased their approval of Putin - believe that Ukraine committed genocide against Russians, and NATO forced Putin to defend Russia against them, and they support Putin and the war - despite the hugely brave protests of a small minority who see through it.

We don't really have answers to this threat, other than 'our tradition in the US is to support truth and free press so let's just hope it doesn't happen and too bad about the rest of the world who have tyranny but we can't help'. And we see we're in the early stages of a more and more powerful system of misinformation even here as noted above.

Historically, tyranny meant telling people, 'you have no say'. The modern version is telling people, 'these are your opinions and the facts you think are correct'. Putin so far has made his war go away for his country - including them blaming the west for the poverty from sanctions as an unjustified attack. China has 1.5 billion people whipped into anti-west frenzy, all the time. It's time to recognize this as a threat and look for solutions, not keep ignoring it. It's a type of war.

It's true the pen is mightier than the sword.

 

[Roadvirus]

A "top of my head" list of some of the 'good media' to support:

- vox.com

Ah yes...Vox...
Nov. 2020: Vox co-founder Matthew Yglesias left Vox due to "tension" because Yglesias signed a letter opposing Cancel Culture (which was also signed by many others) that appeared in Harper's Magazine in July titled "A Letter on Justice and Open Debate".

- theintercept.com
- commondreams.org

Liberal claptrap

- The New York Times or other national newspapers, even overseas such as The Guardian

The Anti-Jewish NY Slimes and the tabloid-level The Guardian.

 

[Craig234]

By the way, when I say this is a war, we are under attack. The Russian campaign in the 2016 election is one example, but ongoing things include large numbers of Chinese people who commit war-type attacks - in addition to things like the Russian-approved cybercrime groups.

This is also in addition to 'cyber attacks'.

This is also in addition to apolitical crimes like the mostly India-based scam operations fleecing countless people.

This is also in addition to things like the story I just saw: a young New York man invented a 'better mousetrap', literally, and paid to manufacture it and sell it on Amazon. People in China saw it, and stole the design, manufactured knock-offs to sell on Amazon, and review-bombed the actual inventor to have terrible ratings and knock him out of the search results, leaving him with nothing while they made all the money from his invention - something done constantly.

What is included are things like those same two people who talk about China, being under constant attack by Chinese operatives on behalf of the Chinese government, they estimate thousands of people attacking them; they have forums just for how to attack these two where they launch operations.

What is included are the same organizations putting out misinformation to the world trying to flood our systems and silence their critics, while blocking the internet for their own citizens; doing things like pressuring western companies to never criticize anything about the Chinese government, and hijacking western things like the 'anti-Asian hate' movement any many other activities.

In the years leading up to the US entering WWII, Germany demanded that no US film could have any criticism of Nazis - and they got what they asked for. History is repeating now with China, with controversies such as the NBA apology to China for someone tweeting in favor of Hong Kong's freedom.

So there are different types of this problem, from the extreme tyranny like China, North Korea and Russia controlling media for their countries, to 'soft' information war such as their propaganda operations against the west, to our own growing misinformation providers who have captured a large minority of Americans largely creating what many see as an unprecedented level of division since the civil war.

 

[Michael Cole]

The problem most people including thenOP have is they considered sources that are biased in their way are good and honest while sources they disagree are bad and liars.

Is this not media here? According to the OP, we shouldn't trust a word he says.

 

[Chillfolks]

Is this not media here? According to the OP, we shouldn't trust a word he says.

I didn’t think anyone was ignorant enough to trust what he says

 

[Michael Cole]

I didn’t think anyone was ignorant enough to trust what he says

Of course not. Just pointing out the irony.