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Comment by marmada | Hacker News Reader

>Or, widespread Internet use decreased the ability of the traditional gatekeepers of information to manipulate voters.

I think the opposite is true. In the 2016 election, we saw people get trapped in information-bubbles. The internet allowed far-right/alt-right information sources such as Breitbart/Infowars to manipulate people and gain a wide audience.

Similarly, there has already been substantial evidence that the Russian government used a variety of techniques to spread false information through the internet.

To say that the internet decreased the amount of false information in the 2016 election is misleading and false.

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> To say that the internet decreased the amount of false information in the 2016 election is misleading and false.

That is not what is being said though, the amount of 'false information' increased for sure. The point is that the internet lets NEW actors manipulate minds outside of the standard 'mass media' channels. The 'mass media gatekeepers' did not have full control on the narrative at all times anymore. IOW 2016 made it clear that mass media is not in absolute control.

Now consider that these standard channels (tv, papers, etc) are used by everyone as the main means of transmitting messages from not only advertisers but also by interest groups pushing a cause and also government actors pushing an agenda (the 'buildup' to the iraq invasion springs immediately to mind). It should be no shock that everyone involved in these media channels is freaked the fuck out by the 2016 election. There is no longer any mass narrative. I think some actors realized this sooner than the actual media, which appears to have just woken up to it this year.

I sure remember my racist Republican family members living in their own bubbles long before the Internet...

I remember “liberal” and “conservative” media empires before the web...

I remember gerrymanderred 50/50 political races before the web...

Yes, I think the "bubble" explanation is actually too simple. It's clear that the American people disagree with the powerful bureaucrats who control Washington on various policies. I see Trump's election at least partially as a repudiation of the status quo on a variety of policies which Washington has been busily ignoring for decades.

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