Shared byJane Richmond
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If you are interested in democracy and human rights, please take a moment to watch these interviews with Nobel laureate Maria Ressa. I also recommend reading Maria’s book, “How To Stand Up To A Dictator”. My own personal experiences on social media confirm many of the experiences she shares in her book.

“Lies spread faster than facts. When lies are repeated enough times, they become facts. Without facts, you cannot have truth. Without truth, you cannot have trust. Without these three, we do not have a shared reality. We can’t begin to solve a problem. We can’t have a conversation. “

~ Maria Ressa

We are much stronger when we unite, organize and fight back together. Come fight back with us.

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This post was inspired by:
How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future
Maria Ressa
Read More About How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future

10 Comments

  1. I do think that it’s important to do what we can. We are stronger together so I also believe we need to support each other. Changes are taking place everyday that impact us all and we must do something. We must fight for ourselves, for our families, for our friends and for our communities. What else can we do?

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    1. We can start by slowly migrating away from the disinformation and manipulation that has changed the way people think and behave. There is a stickiness to the current platforms that are popular because of the networks that exist on the platforms – the friends, family, groups, public figures and other content creators who attract us to the platform and with whom we’d like to engage. If we can increase stickiness on other platforms, people will spend more time scrolling and clicking on those platforms, and consequently, less time on the platforms that spread disinformation. Essentially, more content and engagement = more stickiness; fewer posts and conversations on current platforms will decrease their stickiness.

      I believe that our community here is quite special and what we can offer as a platform is unique. And because we have the capacity to grow and improve the platform, we can do whatever we need to do to make the platform better and more accessible (i.e. mobile app for iPhones or Android). We could even grow this into a platform a wider variety of interests, something more like FB where different groups and public figures can have their own spaces. Technically, it isn’t that difficult. But these would be improvements that followed demand, since we’re self financing this project.

      I have also offered to help people set up accounts on other platforms, such as Bluesky, even though I don’t have any affiliation or benefit in doing this. I do think it’s important to do whatever we can to decrease the damage that’s been caused by current sources of manipulation and disinformation.

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  2. The videos are sobering and I applaud her for her bravery. She takes such a high personal risk for the benefit of others, as do many others, but certainly not everyone in the world can or will risk everything for democracy. Most people are just trying to survive themselves, as the first interview spoke to.

    I do agree that tech is the difference with exponential spread and algos that micro target and create a deeper divide. It’s a very tough challenge to migrate away from what is so ingrained in society and has become an addictive habit. I do know that there is a peer pressure or power in group think that can enable adoption or change. And just like spreading of lies, if we push to spread a different message, our messages will also become influential. We do need to work together.

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    1. Yes, I agree, and I think the reality is that most people don’t want to give up a habit that they see as harmless and a platform that they’ve become accustomed to using. It’s those emotional safety and comfort feelings we spoke about during our TGW discussions.

      I will, of course, give BCF my best effort; I think it could be a good platform to start something and grow it into something better. But I’m not naive or inexperienced in this space, so we will just have to see what the numbers show. I’m also helping people migrate to Bluesky and I’m learning some of the back-end features that enable the creation networks there. I believe I can create some semi private feeds that could somewhat act as a “group”, but I’ve been finding the platform to be a bit glitchy, so it may take some time for the system to mature. Regardless of whatever happens, I’ll make sure our community here always stays connected and safe.

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      1. I haven’t been on FB for quite some days now and I don’t really miss it. But I don’t think this is the case for most people. From what I’ve seen, people are very resistant to change habits and feel any discomfort. Tapping on another app away from FB? Too much trouble for some, which I find just crazy. Maybe this is the result of a society that has been too lucky and can’t tolerate the slightest “inconvenience” of tapping on another spot on their phone. Even as they know the platform “undermines society”, as LP wrote, they resist making changes that would ultimately benefit them and society. I am a little saddened by this reality. I could never be a politician, or an activist, or any of the brave souls we see fighting for what we know is right. But I can tap away. And I don’t mean leaving FB at all. I mean just simply visiting or using another app once a day for a short period of time. Unfortunately that is still much too much to expect from others.

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            1. Robert Reich and Paul Krugman and Timothy Snyder and Anne Applebaum on Substack- highly recommend!
              I have migrated to Substack to get myself plugged into Canadian political analysis as well.
              I had forgotten how much I love this group right here.

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