Tsunami of Disinformation

There is something very wrong in the American culture and I am struggling to identify all of the pieces. People’s dependence on their phones, coupled with the Tsunami of Disinformation, is creating enormous ignorance. Algorithms are pushing memes, false news items, and disinformation, that specifically target users by profiling them.

I am not receiving the social media items that have been sent, and are still being sent, to people who lean “red” or to people who are not educated and have no desire to become “educated.”

Another factor that is very disturbing is the amount of dark money flowing into super PACs. Uber wealthy individuals and corporations are pumping millions, if not, billions of dollars into political campaigns to feather their own self-interest. There is a good reason why Jeff Bezos blocked the Washington Post from endorsing Kamala Harris. He probably had every reason to bet that Trump would win the election. 

The uber wealthy individuals who funded Trump’s campaign made it possible for him to win. While many disliked him, they would rather “hold their noses” than miss an opportunity to further line their pockets and to protect their self-interests. The uber wealthy do not want to be reined in by government regulation of any kind. President Biden had begun strengthening the antitrust laws to prevent large companies from running roughshod over ordinary people. Kamala Harris addressed the issue of taxing the uber rich—that class of individuals who are not keen on paying taxes, and have little regard for adhering to the common decency of a social contract.

The next few days will be full of news analyzing what Kamala Harris did “wrong” to lose the election, but the reality is she did not do anything wrong. Her campaign was superb! Look at the huge number of mistakes Trump made, and yet he won! High-tech wizards like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and many others created a wave of disinformation targeting people who don’t know that they are being targeted. I didn’t drown in the wave of disinformation because “red” algorithms don’t target people who are well educated and progressive.

Every time I logged onto X, I wondered why the majority of posts, tweets, memes and videos were funny, clever, and smart. I saw clearly what was going on—the algorithms have got my number. There isn’t anything Kamala could have done to stop the high-tech Tsunami. I don’t know if small fries can make a difference. I guess, I'll just keep on keeping on. Maybe I’ll find a way to make a dent in the awful barrage of disinformation. Only two things are certain—the rich are going to get a whole lot richer, and people who are not educated, and have no desire to become “educated,” will suffer.