this post was submitted on 22 May 2024
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Reminder that almost 10 years ago, Reddit accidentally released that their most "reddit-addicted" city was Eglin Airforce Base, which has multiple Cyberspace units.
If any government is trying to influence you on an american-based english-speaking websites, it's the American government.
That's non sequitur. And doesn't really even pass basic critical thinking tests. The government which has outsized control of all television radio and print media in the United States. Is really spending that much time and effort to propagandize to Americans on an international platform already heavily skewed fascist and right wing? Just because they ran ML off doesn't mean it was some sort of government psyop. A lot of people even on the left. Don't like Marxist leninists for good reasons.
Social media is one of the current best vectors for finding influence in the United states. If the US government really is using it to propagandize the people. They're doing such a poor job of it I don't think we really have anything to worry about from our governments propagandizing at all.
Nearly half the American voting population has a more favorable outlook on a foreign fascist dictator than they do our own president. And a large chunk of that current government is actively seeking to hurt American Allies and destroy the country's power at large. Talk about a propaganda fail.
No the more likely explanation is that they're pissing against a tide of a foreign misinformation. And having just about as much success as pissing against the ocean.
“We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.”
William Casey, former director of the CIA, upon being asked what the goal of the agency was (in 1981).
But they do it for a reason. For a purpose. Not just for funsies. I don't see how them spreading misinformation weakening themselves is a logical goal. This is what you are arguing for. You need to support this. And the quote you just quoted does not
Sure. Sometimes that purpose is merely to cast aspersions or muddy the water. Look at the flat earther community, or Jackson Pollocks career.
Without context these just seem like the government having a laugh, but if you understand the metrics they are trying to shift, their actions take on a different meaning.
The idea isn't to make the voting population unified behind the president, it's to divide them against each other.
I'm not denying that all countries do it including the United states. What I'm simply pointing out is the absurdity of the claim that the United States and their military are even very prevalent let alone effective at it these days on line.
There are much better/ safer ways of keeping the population divided without turning them into acolytes of a foreign adversary.
Combine that with the fact that China and Russia are even bigger Echo Chambers than the United Statesever was. The fact there was even debate about Banning Tick Tock no matter how stupid the decision in the end was. Just proves it.
Whatever influence operation they're pushing domestically will largely be through TV and radio. Anything they do over the internet is going to meet far higher diminishing returns and require far more effort. They are absolutely still doing it. But they're spending much more time defending against it than employing it themselves.
Sure, and I bet you think the NSA only spies on foreigners.
No. But thak you for the contribution of your strawman. You gonna try to actually respond to anything I said? Or just going to continue to damage your position?
The idea that the US gov't doesn't propagandize the US people is just so laughable and observably false.
The most popular non-sports video game series is US propaganda. The most funded Hollywood movies, Marvel et al, has the military literally approve the scripts beforehand.
Reddit's current Director of Policy worked the Atlantic Council and had no experience in social media before working for Reddit and purging it of popular leftist communities. After October 7th, they put out a message banning war footage or propaganda showing the Palestinian perspective.
Notice how Reddit is overwhelmingly pro-Ukraine, anti-russian, anti-Iranian, anti-chinese, and pro-zionist? Literally zero difference between what the major subreddits support and what the state department would want them to support.
I never said they didn't. But thank you for showing that you're not here in good faith and are just being disingenuous. It lets us all know not to bother talking to you.
Oh fuck off with that, I read your post, the point you were making was that the US propaganda operations must not be bigger than other countries because it is "piss poor" if it exists. I gave you evidence of its existence and its effectiveness.
Respond to the core point, or any of the evidence that the US has bigger propaganda operations directed at the US than any other country could possibly manage and quit squirming.
Wow I'm surprised you even admitted your dishonesty. Leninists usually don't do that ever. They'll die on the hill they'd made for themselves rather than adjust their beliefs or admit fault.
You could have just said that without making shit up and being dishonest. I know the reason you didn't. But you could have done that. The reason you didn't though. You did not give any evidence. You cited two correlations and called it a causation of a separate 3rd thing with no evidence. There is as much evidence to support my statement as there is the support yours. Make of that what you will. But don't go trying to convince anyone that you have any facts or evidence LOL.
Over the last century the United States has pushed a lot of propaganda at home and abroad that is a fact and I never disputed it. They aren't alone on that either. I just think it's hilarious that people think that just automatically translates into the online space. They've been shit at it. And on their back foot the whole time. The internet has poked more holes in it than everything before it. And they are far more vulnerable to foreign misinformation themselves then their modern contemporaries.
When someone restates the points of your arguments, that's not dishonesty.
This is useless, nothing I say is going to get around your quibbling.