Cleaning up info-pollution

It’s going to take more than critical thinking to rout out the pollution on our platforms.

Call it Face-Twit-Fox-1, the informational virus. It moves swiftly, easily finding new vectors and avenues of dissemination. Unlike other viruses, Face-Twit-Fox-1 preys on weaknesses in critical thinking (there are many). This virus, which has grown to pandemic proportions in unison with Covid-19, has even made some super spreaders shockingly wealthy. If left alone to grow and mutate, the informational pandemic will cause untold devastation on economies and nation-states for years to come. 

The best defence against this new strain of an old ailment is a good offence. That requires us to study its evolution and genetic code. Why is this new strain so viral? For one, misinformation and disinformation are profitable for social media platforms. Given our informational overload, the more incendiary the social media post is, the more attention it gets in the online ecosystem. Add to the mix large numbers of disillusioned and isolated people that feel as though control over their lives, livel…