"The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced nazi or the convinced communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e., the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e., the standards of thought) no longer exist."
Hannah Arendt
The Origins Of Totalitarianism
It's Huxley, not Orwell
“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.”
I am a criminal
References
Real Impact
Rabbit Hole Effect: algorithms designed to keep the user engaged as long as possible
References
Disinformation and the far-right
References
January 6, 2021 United States Capitol Attack
"Voter Fraud" on Twitter
The 200 accounts shown above are a sample of a network on Twitter talking about Voter Fraud and amplifying false and/or misleading narratives about election integrity and the democratic process. We discovered that this group of 200 accounts either generated or were mentioned in over 140 million tweets over the last year. As you will see below, this network is not only growing at an accelerating rate but also coordinating with effective tactics that appear to bypass many of the detection methods of existing disinformation research.
January 8, 2023 Brasília Attacks
References
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The Guardian: WhatsApp fake news during Brazil election ‘favoured Bolsonaro’
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Hate Cabinet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_cabinet
Why staying on X is complete non-sense
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Myth of Necessary Opposition
- Direct counter-speech on social media platforms does not effectively combat disinformation
- Algorithms favor polarizing content, amplifying disinformation despite opposition
- Staying paradoxically contribute to the further dissemination of disinformation
References
- Why the argument that you have to stay on social networks to provide opposition is complete nonsense, by Mike Kuketz
- „Was nützt den Menschen, was zaubert das Gute aus uns raus?“, interview with Leena Simon
Why staying on X is complete non-sense
- Algorithmic Influence
- Profit-oriented: prioritize engagement over fair discourse
- Extreme content: polarization, anger, and controversy
- Disagreements: you increase the reach
Why staying on X is complete non-sense
- Leaving is Not a Defeat
- Refusal to support a manipulative system
- Reduces the platform business model with attention data
- Strengthening the Fediverse or other decentralized alternatives
Why staying on X is complete non-sense
- Conclusion
- Abandoning mainstream social media for decentralized alternatives foster genuine discourse and dialogue
- Withdrawing attention is crucial to weakening the manipulative system.
- Politicians and media should lead by example
Why EU leaders should get off Musk’s X, by Andrew Rettman
"For the sovereignty of Brazil, for the independence of the Judiciary and for the citizenship of all Brazilians. For we ceased to be a colony on September 7, 1822 and, with courage, we are building an independent and ever better Republic, independent and democratic. And we are building it with courage. As the eminent minister Cármen Lúcia always reminds us, quoting Guimarães Rosa: 'What life wants from us is courage'"
Alexandre de Moraes
The US wants to ban Brazilian judge that blocked X
"I’m in Munich and people keep asking me to decode Vance’s speech. OK: In Vance English, “free speech” means “Let Musk run your elections” and “democracy” means “let Russia run your elections.” Now move on. 2025 is about what Europeans do, not what Americans say."
Timothy Snyder
Give us
the raw data
NOW!
In 2010...