In the era of instant publishing and social media dominance, Tina Doncheva says the traditional boundaries of journalism have been turned on their head.
Gone are the days of gatekeepers and fact-checkers; today, anyone with a smartphone and an opinion can become a ‘news maker’.
While this democratisation of media has opened up new avenues for diverse voices and perspectives, it has also unleashed a torrent of unverified information and misinformation into the wild.
In this brave new world, the line between truth and fiction has grown increasingly blurred, and the consequences of unchecked reporting have never been more dire.
As we navigate this treacherous landscape, it’s time to ask: what does it mean to be a journalist in the 21st century, and how can we ensure that the pursuit of truth doesn’t devolve into a free-for-all of fake news and disinformation?
Conspiracies abound
I recently spoke with my Bulgarian grandmother who was absolutely frustrated with the news she had just read on Facebook.
Apparently in 2021 the European Union wanted to reduce the population by distributing Covid19 vaccines that will lead to infertility.
The argument in the article was that Ursula von den Leyen’s husband runs the biotech company Orgenesis that has been dealing with the fight against the Coronavirus.
Therefore, there should be some serious political machinations behind closed doors to not only reduce the European population but also as a consequence of the vaccines to destroy the Bulgarian nation by forcing its people to mingle with other nations.
Conspiracy theories – who does not come across at least two every week?
But how did the normalisation of such mis- and disinformation on the internet even come about?
Freedom of speech, one might say and they would not be wrong at all. What else? Freedom … yes, only freedom. A lot of it.
From Tim Berners-Lee to people like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg or Sam Altman, the evolution of the internet has been the most rapid one we have seen in the history of media.
The simple presentation of information has developed into the possibility of interaction and the waive of commercialisation.
Initially called the democratic catalyst, it was a dream come true, a vehicle to a rosy future and a promising tool for social growth.
Today the internet is a nightmare for some and a daily routine for others, depending on whether you are overwhelmed by it or you are overwhelming it.
The invisible hand that shapes elections
How is this all connected to conspiracy theories? Well to start with, conspiracy theories, as a form of disinformation, are by and large favoured by people lacking tertiary education.
They are an easy target audience because of their inclination to skim over details and weakness to spot erroneous arguments.
These people form a meta-milieu within the society, ardently sought in marketing and advertising.
However, what is essential is their gain on importance for political figures and their campaigns.
This meta-milieu, comprised of people without any profound knowledge on politics and economics, are crucial for the outcome of major global events such as general elections.
With the shift in information dissemination from traditional media formats to social platforms, influencers’ interaction with meta-milieus has become increasingly important for engaging people with political and societal issues.
Therefore, the role of the so-called political influencers in 2024 as an election year around the globe is of absolute significance for the direction of national and international matters in the next couple of years, setting the wind of change.
The digital wildfire: The viral factor going vile
There is, however, little to no oversight of social media content that usually reaches millions of people worldwide.
Unlike media outlets that are subjects to regulation, social media posts can contain misleading information mingled with reliable updates and opinions.
Furthermore, there is often scarcity of context and official information. As some content creators have stated, ‘opinions can sound like facts’, and this reflects exactly the way many people grasp the context of some information presented online.
The disinformation and social media correspondent of BBC Mariann Spring reports in her analysis of young people turning into accidental election influencers ‘some of these accidental influencers tell me they are putting lots of effort into researching their own posts and ensuring they are accurate.
Several also say, though, that they are finding it hard to work out what to share, because they are unsure what to trust on their own feeds’.
Her research is focused on young social media users (still ineligible to vote) who suddenly blow up on TikTok or some other platform and by expressing their political views gain as much (let’s not say even more) popularity than the actual political entity.
This is a sheer evidence for a successful practical implementation of information dispersal in the mass communication.
Of course, the question of persuasion and influence is a whole different matter to be discussed.
The message alchemy: The secret to effective communication
Still sometimes it might be helpful to turn to the past and heed the advice of some great voices, because even though a tree changes its form, underneath the myriad of ornaments on the crown lay the roots – unaltered and strong.
By an abstract depiction of media devolution we see live videos converting back to a TV network, followed by the radio, newspapers, magazines and at some point we see books.
And then there is the advice of one of the greatest English novelist: ‘Make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait’ – Charles Dickens.
To keep the audience engaged you need to keep suspense.
Therefore, an influencer cannot just expect an everlasting universal acclaim after having just one video going viral for one day.
They need to keep posting and most crucially, they need allusions to novelty or some kind of intrigue.
People have never had a liking for dry facts which means that anything presented with a pinch of soul will spark excitement in the audience – including news (be it erroneous or not).
This, of course, may result in the fabrication of information only to keep up with the audience.
Nevertheless, if we superimpose this idea on the young political influencers’ trend, we can gather that their popularity is due to the appropriate presentation of the facts.
The fourth estate under attack: The end of professional journalism?
It is not difficult to see that the new form of reporting in 2024 is significantly different from what we used to watch every evening on TV when traditional media was our only option to catch up with world events.
Firstly, there is no dress code and no newsroom but what is essential is the lack of verbal restrictions on the communicator.
The news is being presented by means of the vernacular which could also include jokes and insults directed toward the figure in question (be it a politician, a celebrity or an ordinary citizen).
This inevitably downgrades journalistic practices and establishes a strong connection with the masses.
By hinting ‘I speak your language, I am one of you’, a political influencer has way more power than a professional journalist.
But isn’t that dangerous? Isn’t that biased? Isn’t that a mockery of the efforts to establish universal freedom of expression?
It seems that erudition is not the major key to successful communication anymore, it is the existing affinity between the mediator and the audience that is crucial today. Hence sympathy over deference – journalism in the early 2020s.
Dylan Page, as a political influencer, has 12.2 million followers on TikTok and 680,000 followers on Instagram.
He calls himself News Daddy and shares breaking news on social media on a daily basis. Unlike some other creators, he has a news studio in his own house, which makes for a resemblance to traditional media newsroom-style approach.
He usually uploads about two to three videos in a day and offers relevant updates to his audience.
The allusions to novelty and successive progress of an event is not his only way to keep his viewers interested.
The way he talks is also a major stratagem to establish a strong connection with his followers. While reporting he shows himself as a normal citizen, using everyday language. For instance, he described the recent assassination attempt on the former president Donald Trump as being ‘wild’ and ‘crazy’.
His success as an online creator is also recognised by leading political structures, which is evident by Dylan’s official invitation to attend the 75th annual NATO summit with all 32 world leaders present.
When announcing this on social media he even jokingly suggested carpooling to Washington with Rishi Sunak, saying he has never been on a private jet before.
As a consequence, his video from the summit in July offers a fundamentally different glimpse at high politics – titled ‘World Leaders Socialising Is Crazzzyyyy!’ and captioned ‘Stubb you did South Korea dirrrtyyy!’
Dylan’s funny remarks of heads of state from all around the globe is an absolute different form of information dissemination we have seen so far.
His mockery go as far as capturing the Finnish president Alexander Stubb eating from the food of South Korea, saying ‘Stubb, I’m sorry. You unfollowed me, I’ve got to do this to you. Millions of people are going to see that you ate from South Korea’s snacks’.
Amateur hour in politics
Dylan’s attendance on the NATO summit isn’t the only evidence for the recognition of influencers’ powerful connection with the society.
Last month a group of millennial and Gen Z influencers were given a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago – an honour of speaking on the same stage as the most prominent democratic figures such as Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Although some of these influencers do not necessarily have anything to do with politics, the D.N.C. sees them as an important means to reach all social strata.
It seems that social skills and make-up, covering incompetence and incongruity of appearance is the new object of worship in 2024 – the grotesque beauty of the modern mindset, in other words a satire of publicity.
Digital influencers as opinion leaders: A new form of celebrity
In their research Social Media Influencers’ Role in Shaping Political Opinions and Actions of Young Audiences Christina Peter from the Austrian University of Klagenfurt and Luisa Muth from the Free University of Berlin discern a new form of opinion leaders in social media influencers which they call digital opinion leaders.
According to their study online creators do not bring about the adoption of specific political ideologies, but they do intensify the one that is already moulded (most often by traditional media). Therefore, we can see them as a complementary source of information for the majority of the population, enforcing people’s attitudes and behaviour, but not changing them.
However, social media can have a strong impact on younger and undecided audiences with the specific selection and presentation of information.
Therefore, by framing their content in their own fashion, influencers do not only put forward an agenda to think about, but they also promulgate a particular way of perceiving what has happened.
The dangers lurking in Telegram’s shadows: A wild west of the Internet
When it comes to the intricate role of freedom on social media, there is one platform that does not align with anything discussed above.
There are no target audiences, no intermediary personalities filtering the content and most importantly no regulations or censorships.
It is exactly Telegram that offers a glimpse into a total online anarchy. From child sexual abuse material to promoting ethnopluralism – it renders an absolute uncensored freedom of speech.
It is golden treasure for criminals, terrorists and grifters to find what they need but also to offer their own services and goods.
The obscurity of the platform’s contrivances has even been compared to the dark web by the New York Times, touching on the illicit trade of guns, drugs and fake cards.
The owner Pavel Durov is under formal investigation in France, charged with ‘allowing illicit transaction in an organised gang’.
Despite the accusations, Durov claims Telegram is not an ‘anarchic paradise’ and sticks to the EU regulations.
No safe haven: The infodemic of the 21st Century
What this platform exemplifies is a turbulent macrocosm of channels and supergroups, allowing total freedom occluded by secrecy (ardently defended by the administration as a form of impermissible invasion of privacy) – in other words, the diabolic temple of felons.
However, what connects the dangerous Telegram with other more law-abiding social media platforms is disinformation. How is the message ‘American combat mosquitos destroying the Russian army’, spread mainly on Telegram, any different from the false allegations on X of Muslims’ attacks on Hindu temples in Bangladesh? Both of these messages have the same outcome – societal division, undermining democratic foundations and confusion among the masses. One might also call this propaganda.
The geopolitical puppet masters: Disinformation and power
As odd as it might sound, propaganda was not initially connected with bad intent. It simply described the promotion of certain ideologies.
It was only later that the term became synonymous with biased and manipulative information. How this all connects to my Bulgarian grandmother is the very intricate tie between geopolitics and the power of mass communication.
It is not a secret that former member countries of the Eastern Block are reminiscent of their big old family with ‘Mother Russia’ on top. Georgia is an obvious example of a divided body politic – the older generation aching for their Soviet past while more than 60% of the population (mainly younger people) inclines towards the westernisation of the country.
This is when social media comes into the picture.
The year is 2024 – political turmoil has not been that tangible since the Second World War. Despite the progress in technology and science we have witnessed in the last 80 years, the present deteriorated international situation is a symptom for an intrinsic humane condition called thirst for power.
Social media eerily evokes the memory of the very cheap radio offered by NSDAP in the 1930s – the ubiquity of devices results in the direct and immediate exposure to information.
How this information is perceived is dependent on the characteristics of the meta-milieu one belongs to.
Therefore, the fight for strategic regions has expanded its scope and in that way also its approach.
It’s not about the mutual societal support for a cause anymore.
It is about the division of society, aided by the social media of the 21st century.
Author
Tina Doncheva
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