There’s been no shortage of words written and things said about disinformation and media manipulation, and for good reason. False perceptions and narratives about our world have created an environment where problems are a lot harder to solve, and people are a lot more likely to turn on each other.
But in spite of all this attention, most of it focuses on how bad the effects of disinformation are and how to recognize it. Rarely do I see people ask why disinformation has been so widely pursued as a strategy, especially by big actors like Russia. The point isn’t so much to spread one particular lie, but to create an environment where people can no longer distinguish truth from lies.
Turning the tide here isn’t easy, and it’s not an individual-level effort, exactly. But there are a few basic things we can practice to not just avoid being manipulated, but to create a broader environment where it’s harder for deception to bloom.
