The 2024 election marked a new high for disinformation influence from foreign adversaries, and it was all amplified by people in the U.S.
- Russia, Iran, and China continued to promote divisive content reaching new audiences with perfected technique. Such false claims were pushed by high level con artists, including Donald Trump.
- Russia and Iran even pushed the content in Spanish language to reach Latinos.
- There were fake videos from Russia that showed VP Kamala Harris involved in a hit and run, and another accusing her husband of accepting a bribe.
- There were videos portraying noncitizens voting, and Haitians in Ohio eating pets.
From Time — Barb McQuade
It appears that truth is on life support, and disappointed Americans are mourning the facts — that disinformation worked on their fellow citizens.
While tempting to disengage from politics, defending democracy requires action.
And action is something billionaire Elon Musk refused to use in moderating content on X, where the only check on falsehoods came from the users themselves with Community Notes flagging and correcting disinformation.
While some Americans believed lies, others just continued to go along with the agenda
McQuade also points to a Steve Bannon confession in 2018 describing his business model: “The Democrats don’t matter,” Bannon said. “The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.” Flood the zone. Stink up the joint.
By creating chaos and confusion, people become skeptical of everything, and believe in nothing.
