DeepSummary
The podcast episode explores the rise of social media influencers and their growing influence in shaping political discourse and spreading misinformation. Renee DiResta, the author of 'Invisible Rulers,' discusses how influencers have become powerful figures in politics, using their platforms to amplify messages and ideologies, sometimes in exchange for profit.
DiResta explains that influencers can command large audiences, often with more reach than traditional media, and have the ability to monetize their content. This has led to the emergence of influencers who capitalize on spreading disinformation and inciting rage for financial gain. She also highlights how politicians and campaigns have recognized the power of influencers and have started incorporating them into their strategies.
The episode delves into the role of social media platforms in enabling this dynamic, with their algorithms often boosting engaging content, including rage-inducing or divisive posts. DiResta emphasizes the need to rethink platform design and incentives to promote healthier political discourse. The episode also touches on the backlash faced by DiResta and her colleagues at the Stanford Internet Observatory for their research on disinformation, which has had a chilling effect on such work.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Social media influencers have become powerful figures in shaping political discourse and spreading misinformation, often with more reach and trust than traditional media or politicians.
- Some influencers use their platforms earnestly to advocate for causes, while others engage in spreading disinformation and inciting rage for financial gain.
- Political campaigns and politicians have recognized the power of influencers and have started incorporating them into their strategies to reach specific audiences.
- The dynamic between influencers and their audiences can lead to a concerning phenomenon of "audience capture," where influencers become more extreme and willing to spread falsehoods to appease their followers.
- Social media platforms' algorithms often amplify engaging content, including divisive or rage-inducing posts, contributing to the spread of misinformation.
- Redesigning social media platforms and their algorithms to promote healthier discourse and shift incentives away from engagement at all costs could help address the issue.
- Researchers studying disinformation have faced backlash, harassment, and threats, which has had a chilling effect on their work and the institutions supporting it.
- There is a need for a more nuanced and productive discussion around misinformation and the role of social media, without assigning blame or engaging in partisan attacks.
Top Episodes Quotes
- βSo you start to see some political campaigns, even President Barack Obama, realizing that going on an influential youtuber's channel is a great way to reach younger audiences, right, or extremely online audiences.β by Renee DiResta
- βWell, I don't know that assigning blame is particularly productive at this point. It's, you know, here we are, right. What can we do differently? So I spend some time in the book on design, which bridging algorithms, for example, is a form of design. Can you create a healthier system by shifting the incentives? Can you create a healthier system by rethinking what algorithms boost and make visible?β by Renee DiResta
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Episode Information
POLITICO Tech
POLITICO
6/28/24