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by invalidptr 1005 days ago
This is a problem for anyone who is not actively vigilant about the information they consume. A family member (who I would not describe as "terminally online") came to me today in a panic talking about how some major event had just occurred and how social order was beginning to collapse. I quickly glanced at the headlines on a few major news outlets and realized that they just saw some incendiary content designed to elicit that reaction. I calmed them down and walked them through a process they could use to evaluate information like that in the future, and they were a little embarrassed.

The concern isn't necessarily for you. It's for the large swaths of people who are less equipped to filter through noise like this.