It’s a little odd to me that people are so focused on supposed Internet comment manipulation when we’ve had one of the largest media empires pushing hate 24/7 through mainstream channels like Fox News for at least a decade.
I suspect a lot of cognitive dissonance is evolutionary survivalship bias of "don't question the big man with the club/sword" and also why public speaking is commonly feared worse than death - because it could kill more than just you in barbaric days.