Our adversary and former KGB officer is getting just what he bargained for in his efforts to divide our country. Until we all come to the conclusion that our enemy is not Republican or Democrat, but instead our lifelong adversary Russia, who has weaponized social media. We now find ourselves falling prey to Putin’s well-devised trap of disinformation, propaganda, and falsehoods which serve to keep us fighting amongst ourselves and destroying this country from within.
We must realize that the chaotic world in which we live is due to foreigners using social media to distort, disinform and skew the news. Whether you’re Democrat or Republican, websites like Facebook and Twitter direct you to the type of news that applies to your beliefs. Unfortunately, we seem to be at the mercy of computer algorithms that decide whether we lean left or right and continuously feed us news in those realms.
The next time you receive an email and are tempted to forward it to all of your contacts, take a few moments to find out where it originated, who is responsible for the content, and if it’s sound, honest reporting. Read the headline, check the author, and make sure it is true. Websites like FACTCHECK.ORG, SNOPES.COM, and POLITIFACT will shed light as to whether the story is true or false. Take the time to watch the eye opening documentary “Social Dilemma” on Netflix if you want to find out what the experts who developed this technology have to say. Most of them will not allow their children to have social media accounts.
We must understand how social media is manipulating our thoughts and actions before we find ourselves in a Civil War where we destroy all that we love. Putin would be the only winner in the end.
William Stewart
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 9/24/20