One particular propagandist interviewed by Andrew Marantz inaccurately reported that a bomb had been detonated in New York City by a person of Islamic faith and asked the United States to ban immigration. In fact, the bomber was a US citizen and immigration was not the main issue. Marantz goes on to say that the internet troll who reported this new message understood that immigration was not the problem, but that it was motivated by money, racial segregation or furthering patriarchy. According to Marantz, these propagandists were not all born with these views; they somehow “fall down the rabbit hole online” and are indoctrinated with false information in a cult-like manner. He states that this community is only growing and that society can no longer ignore its harsh consequences.
The propagandists know ‘that facts do not drive the conversation online’ and that ’emotion drives the conversation’. To become viral, content must generate a lot of engagement, such as likes and comments, a term scientists have coined as “high-arousing content.” Unfortunately, social media algorithms are programmed to generate high-engagement content that inadvertently spreads fake news, content where people comment to agree or disagree. He concludes with some suggestions on how we can make the internet less toxic, including: being a smart skeptic, the limits and productivity of free speech, and being a decent human being. He also urges social networks to reprogram their algorithms to stop spreading fake news that is actively harming the world.
