A perfect storm is brewing. It’s the combination of Fake News and Conspiracy Theory fanatics, with tech-savvy agitators. Actually, a better name is sh_t-stirrers, but I’ll stick with agitators for purposes of this article.
Take any protest, for example. Add the rioters and looters, and you have changed the narrative completely. Not all rioters and looters are created equal. Sure, you have those who just love to loot and riot. But you also have those who seek to undermine and discredit the protesters.
Hooded, masked white people were videoed breaking storefront windows and setting fires during protests against the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer.
Hoping black people get blamed for the looting? Planted by those who seek to distract from the issue at hand? Who knows.
I saw a group of white cops detaining and harassing a black family on Facebook. Suspiciously staged, I thought. Yet there it was. Wanting to fan the flames of hatred against white cops? I wondered how much did those cop costumes cost. Suspiciously there was no one else around. The video was too perfect.
Not long ago I saw a supposed Trump Tweet on Facebook. He was “saying” some very disparaging things about Puerto Ricans. I know he doesn’t like Puerto Ricans and their government, but this seemed over the top. No way even Trump, in an election year no less, Tweets so horribly about Puerto Ricans. Sure enough, it was a meme. Well made, too. Fooled more than a few people who of course reacted with indignity.
At the time of this writing, news about a supposed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Tweet urging keeping businesses closed for the sake of unseating Donald Trump. When pressed on the issue, the author of the fake Tweet (a Republican congressional candidate) backed off weakly saying, “well… that’s how she really feels.” Really?
Memes… Photoshop… staged acts on video… fake Tweets… fake news from “reliable sources”… all preying on the public to fan the flames of emotion one way or another. It’s not just gullible people, either. Some very educated, self-described “hard to fool” people can, and have fallen prey to these things.
These are what I call “tech-savvy agitators” (I still prefer sh_t-stirrer, but will refrain from using it). To me they are the new scourge of society. People with the ability to create fake news using technology and social media, and the desire to agitate people to create more and more hatred and social unrest.
I would fill an old oil tanker with all these people… anchor it in the middle of a shark-infested ocean… and send them food and water every once in a while.
What is surprising is the ever-evolving skill being achieved by tech-savvy agitators. Staged videos look real. Photo-shopped pictures are indistinguishable from the real thing. Agitators use timing perfectly, taking advantage of the heightened emotions of the general public, and “throwing gasoline on the proverbial fire.” All the while getting a perverse sense of satisfaction.
Hence my warning to all who read this article:
Always view news clips, no matter how genuine, with a skeptical eye. That’s not to say you should become a permanent skeptic. Just be aware of the existence of this flood of tech-savvy agitators who are very creative at achieving a desired response. Check different sources. Use your common sense. As with the supposed Trump Tweet. Do not let your biases trap you into accepting news at face value.
It is a new normal, unfortunately. Fans of Fake News and Conspiracy Theories are having a field day. No longer is news just news. It is all a Pandora’s Box waiting to be opened and explored for a million twists and turns. Everyone trying to be Mr. Investigative.
Sad times we live in.