Forgive me, but I think a lot of people’s conception of misinformation is so ill informed that it necessitates a thread

many otherwise well informed people seem to think disinformation starts when someone goes “welp, I’d like to do one disinfo, please.” the truth is, it’s actually a horizontal process that requires the participation of thousands to get impressions

people need to buy into it. that means your brother in law who reads Fox sometimes. your friend from 7th grade who has trouble holding down a job. maybe your mom. they start sharing curiously (“is there anything to this?”)

and before you know it, it’s reached millions of people. when I worked for Daniel Biss in 2018, we saw a lot of stories about him that got spreaded because people wanted to “gotta hear both sides”

so, if disinfo spreads because of unconscious cooperation and unintentional “usefulness,” we can stop it with conscious cooperation and accountability

start a group text or email chain where you share articles and can vet them with your most disinfo-prone family and friends. call your senator and ask them what they’re doing about disinfo. and protest, vote, and actually pay for paywalls instead of going incognito