Public debate and discussion played an important role in Athenian early democracy. In these debates, information and opinions were freely exchanged, allowing citizens to form opinions about policies and to vote. However, in this open environment, misinformation, or even falsehoods, could also spread.
For example, ancient politicians, especially demagogues (leaders who incited people), sought to manipulate citizens’ opinions by using emotionally stimulating talk and misinformation. They often used emotional appeals and misinformation rather than facts to achieve their ends.
Hoaxes were already present in early democracies, and their influence could directly affect the ability of ordinary citizens to participate in policy making. That is why the ability to discern truth from falsehood and critical thinking skills were considered critical to maintaining democracy.
Today, this problem is further complicated by the disinformation (willful misinformation) of the digital age. Hoaxes can now spread instantly through social media and manipulate people’s opinions. Therefore, information quality and transparency, media literacy, and critical thinking are more important than ever to safeguard democracy.
That’s right.
- That’s why technologies like Twitter’s Community Notes are so important to stop the spread of false rumors.
- It is interesting that someone looked at that Community Notes and sent out “misinformation about Community Notes itself”.
relevance - digital democracy
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