Misinformation continues to upend American politics
Big tech firms have taken action against Donald Trump's social media accounts and other channels for far-right extremism, but pulling the plug on a few online platforms will be insufficient. “You have almost an impermeable bubble for right-wing content,” University of North Carolina journalism professor Deen Freelon told The Inquirer. “What that leads to is an audience that is overwhelmingly accepting of and believing of mis- and disinformation so it creates a market for new entrants. Even though something like Parler may be shut down, other folks can pick up the slack because there’s a market out there for it.” As another academic noted, de-radicalization efforts like family interventions and more elected officials publicly separating fact from fiction will help, but it’ll be a long road.