Is the Internet, Driven by foreign troll farms, the Basic Problem with US Politics

At least one pundit seems to be making a reasonable case that it is?

An internal Facebook document from October, 2019 leaked to the MIT Technology Review and written about by Karen Hao, found that around 15,000 different foreign-troll-farm-run Facebook pages/groups/sites reached 140 million Americans every month. The foreign-run pages included:

“the largest Christian American page on Facebook, 20 times larger than the next largest—reaching 75 million US users monthly…

“the largest African-American page on Facebook, three times larger than the next largest—reaching 30 million US users monthly…

“the second-largest Native American page on Facebook, reaching 400,000 users monthly…

“the fifth-largest women’s page on Facebook, reaching 60 million US users monthly…”

When that 2019 report was written, of the top 20 “American Christian” sites on Facebook, 19 were foreign-troll-farm-run. Ten of the top 15 African American sites on Facebook, including the one that sits at #1, were similarly run by foreign troll farms.

The Facebook internal analysis, written by former senior-level data analyst Jeff Allen, didn’t dive into possible political motivations, although the Mueller Report made clear that similar non-US activity on Facebook and other social media exploded prior to the 2016 election, reaching tens of millions of Americans and helping make Donald Trump president.

And now much of this foreign troll activity — today often done to make money rather than because they hold any genuine political philosophy or position — is tearing our nation apart

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/1/2055485/-Is-America-Having-a-Foreign-Led-McCarthy-Moment

TrapperGus wrote:At least one pundit seems to be making a reasonable case that it is?

An internal Facebook document from October, 2019 leaked to the MIT Technology Review and written about by Karen Hao, found that around 15,000 different foreign-troll-farm-run Facebook pages/groups/sites reached 140 million Americans every month. The foreign-run pages included:

“the largest Christian American page on Facebook, 20 times larger than the next largest—reaching 75 million US users monthly…

“the largest African-American page on Facebook, three times larger than the next largest—reaching 30 million US users monthly…

“the second-largest Native American page on Facebook, reaching 400,000 users monthly…

“the fifth-largest women’s page on Facebook, reaching 60 million US users monthly…”

When that 2019 report was written, of the top 20 “American Christian” sites on Facebook, 19 were foreign-troll-farm-run. Ten of the top 15 African American sites on Facebook, including the one that sits at #1, were similarly run by foreign troll farms.

The Facebook internal analysis, written by former senior-level data analyst Jeff Allen, didn’t dive into possible political motivations, although the Mueller Report made clear that similar non-US activity on Facebook and other social media exploded prior to the 2016 election, reaching tens of millions of Americans and helping make Donald Trump president.

And now much of this foreign troll activity — today often done to make money rather than because they hold any genuine political philosophy or position — is tearing our nation apart

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/1/2055485/-Is-America-Having-a-Foreign-Led-McCarthy-Moment

Tristan Harris was on Real Time the other week and he was talking about a WSJ article on FB changing one of its algorithms and a measurable change that happened after it. It's clearly a very powerful and effective tool. Most people are so susceptible to advertising, slogans, memes, targeted messaging and propaganda.

No. It's only part of a larger and more complex story. Putting the focus on social media manipulation and behavior ignores the following external factors, which are all actually very much interrelated.

Economics
1. Rising inequality
2. Worker displacement in a changing economy

Urbanization
1. Increasing cosmopolitanism and a breakdown of traditional lifestyles and social hierarchies
2. Increasing individual freedom expression that challenges tradition

Demographics
1. Immigration
2. Increasing heterogeneity

Technology
1. Social media
2. Slow policymaking contradicts the immediacy of technological services

There are also internal factors - as in factors that arise either from the formal features of American government or informally - like an electoral system that does not match the growing diversity of political preferences in the country, gerrymandering that creates incredibly ideological congressional districts but also leaves many underrepresented, the dominance of the minority in the Senate and Electoral College, and campaign finance laws that advantage wealthy individuals and organizations and other social elites.

As for the external factors, Yascha Mounk ties them together fairly well in his book People vs. Democracy, but I know Americans don't read books so probably best to just move along.

America is a stupid country.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-algorithm-change-zuckerberg-11631654215

"Some political parties in Europe told Facebook the algorithm had made them shift their policy positions so they resonated more on the platform, according to the documents.

“Many parties, including those that have shifted to the negative, worry about the long term effects on democracy,” read one internal Facebook report, which didn’t name specific parties."

It also impacted the news industry.

Turtleneck wrote:No. It's only part of a larger and more complex story. Putting the focus on social media manipulation and behavior ignores the following external factors, which are all actually very much interrelated.

Economics
1. Rising inequality
2. Worker displacement in a changing economy

Urbanization
1. Increasing cosmopolitanism and a breakdown of traditional lifestyles and social hierarchies
2. Increasing individual freedom expression that challenges tradition

Demographics
1. Immigration
2. Increasing heterogeneity

Technology
1. Social media
2. Slow policymaking contradicts the immediacy of technological services

There are also internal factors - as in factors that arise either from the formal features of American government or informally - like an electoral system that does not match the growing diversity of political preferences in the country, gerrymandering that creates incredibly ideological congressional districts but also leaves many underrepresented, the dominance of the minority in the Senate and Electoral College, and campaign finance laws that advantage wealthy individuals and organizations and other social elites.

As for the external factors, Yascha Mounk ties them together fairly well in his book People vs. Democracy, but I know Americans don't read books so probably best to just move along.

Much of it starts with Economics, which pretty much explain the Urbanization & Demographics points.

The unconstitutional filibuster in the Senate which stops majority rules is a factor in the government making changes, such as passing a law against gerrymandering.