By Crystal Bazarnic, Chair, LD3 Dems
Democrats are leaving Facebook and Instagram after Mark Zuckerberg announced a shift from expert fact-checking to crowdsourced methods like those on X. Jacob Mchangama’s article, "Don’t Mourn the Fact-Checkers," dives into the implications of this change from the lens of a social media historian —read it here.
As a long-time social media marketer, I'd like to discourage you from abandoning major platforms. Bluesky may connect like-minded people, and yes, LD3 Dems has a presence on Bluesky if you'd like to follow us, but it’s an echo chamber that doesn’t influence broader public opinion. It feels great to be able to post and discuss news topics without having to wade through conspiracy theories and hateful insults. So I understand why it is appealing - it's very similar to pre-Elon Twitter, back when that was the place to go for breaking down complex issues with experts and getting first-person accounts when breaking news is happening.
But to counter disinformation effectively, we need to remain where the largest persuadable audiences are. Over half of Americans say they get at least some of their news from social media, according to a September PEW study. To leave the largest social platforms to the loudest and dumbest people is irresponsible of us.
When I recently commented in a large progressive Facebook group that I would not be leaving Facebook to the MAGAs, I had a few big reactions. "They already own it," was one response. True, it certainly seems like Zuck is a MAGA or at the least, is willing to sell his soul to suck up to them. But I am not talking about the literal owners. I am talking about the voices on Facebook. I don't know if you have noticed, but lately, there has been an uptick in the number of people online who believe in conspiracy theories, including COVID-19 misinformation, "chemtrails", and even that the International Space Station isn't actually in space but is a film studio. A recent study even shows that 81% of teens believe at least one conspiracy theory on social media!
I understand wanting to opt out of all that nonsense. It's much easier to just scroll by and not post an article explaining what contrails are for the 400th time. Especially when the person who was spouting the conspiracy theory will just want to argue with you. I have noticed a huge decline in the number of people who are challenging lies and misinformation - and I believe that is a big part of why many people are shifting toward these crazy beliefs, not to mention shifting to Trumpism.
Social media has a huge influence over our society. And when the smartest and most highly educated voices walk away, it leaves the opportunists free to take advantage of the least educated.
Another response I received when I said I wasn't leaving Facebook because we have a responsibility to challenge lies was "So you want to stay and argue with idiots?" No - I don't want to do that at all. But if the nonsense stands unchallenged, many who read the comments will blindly believe it, or at a minimum, give it some weight as a possibility. I am a poll worker with Maricopa County and I understand the elections processes pretty well. I can dispute lies in very little time, and I know where to go to get information to back up my claims. So when I see election conspiracies online, I counter them. Sure, sometimes the original poster argues back or calls me childish names, but I don't continue to engage with them. My intent is never to persuade that person. It's about all the others reading the post. I want to give them facts that are short and easy to understand so they KNOW the nonsense isn't true.
And my appeal to you is to do the same. Don't leave. Engage. Think about a topic or two that you are a subject matter expert on, and spend 5 minutes a day finding and responding to lies. This doesn't have to take a lot of work or emotional energy. For instance, if you are an ER doctor or nurse, you already know all the conspiracy theories about what happened during COVID-19 and you probably already have some great sources of information to share. Put together a document with your canned responses and links, and have them ready to post! Same if you are a teacher fighting lies about sex change operations for children, or if you are a pilot who doesn't have a chemical tank on your plane, or I guess... an astronaut. Get back in the ring and speak the truth. It's going to take all of us doing this though. Each social media platform is a battleground, and the worst ideas are winning. It is up to us to push back against that, even when we are tired of doing so and feel like it doesn't make a difference. The shift in public opinion shows that it absolutely does.
Crystal
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