As #deletefacebook gathers wind following the Cambridge Analytica allegations, here is a balanced take on the subject. Far too many people anti-Brexiters and anti-Trumps believe their opponents lied liberally and sold their ideas better. People who are on the left believe our world is in the state it is in because the capitalists and neo-liberals are good at deceiving people and marketing their ideas. The war for political power is reduced to a battle of marketing techniques, and they spend a lot of mental fuel in thinking of ways to win it. Yes, fake news is a problem, a big problem. But, for all those liberals crying about propaganda, news has always been about propaganda. It is just that the traditional liberal elite have lost control full control of the narrative, and have been upstaged by a rogue elite. Yes, it is in the interests of capitalists and states to lie to people and deceive them but surely the lies chime with something in the people's lived experiences. You can target tailor-made ads at people who are "susceptible" to tilting to your point of view, but shouldn't your opponents question why the people are susceptible in the first place. Here again, left-liberals deride the Trump and Brexit supporters as irrational whereas it would be more useful to see them as emotional. Just as emotional as left-liberals.
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