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Social media harms democracy by spreading rumors, survey shows
(www.reuters.com)
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this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2026
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Is there really much of a difference besides the speed of communication? Social media is the top medium that people get their news from, just like newspapers from 125 years ago, and just like TV (Fox News) from 40 years ago . Have enough control over that medium and you have control over the information flow, enough to generate your own propaganda and have a real meaningful impact.
Besides that fact that social media can post information in a matter of minutes vs. the daily cycle of newspapers, I don't really see the difference. Social media isn't really special in that regard. If anything, the control has shifted more towards the public. But, people are still lacking in critical thinking skills and continue to idolize famous people as a proxy for trustworthiness. Hence, they still fall for rumors and disinformation, especially if some famous dumbass said it.
It's not just the speed of communication, it's the scale of communication. Someone can light up thousands of bot accounts to push a particular message in minutes and reach millions of people in the next hour, subtly manipulating them based on mass amounts of data available to individually target people vulnerable to your specific campaign
Whereas in the days of newspapers, you had to get it in the newspaper. You had to get it printed, and that newspaper would only reach so many people in so much time due to the literal physical limitations of time and distance. Many of the people that would be reached may not be interested in or vulnerable to what you are trying to state.
The newspaper equivalent of today is a newspaper that is made as a special case for each person it's being delivered to, specifically tailored to take advantage of their political leanings, their fears, their ignorance, and so on and so forth.