The evolution of disinformation

Disinformation is a technique everyone has used. Those in power, those who rebel, allies, enemies, religions, lobbies, cults, companies, mafias, drug traffickers.
Always.

Then came the first plot twist.
Just when people thought a tool like the web could make information more distributed, and so make it easier to unmask the usual suspects, the opposite happened: by exploiting the new technology, many other players got into the disinformation game. Even as individuals. Often in the service of a patron, but sometimes for nothing more than personal gain.
We've reached the point where it's hard to listen to anyone, and we should stay skeptical of every kind of information, except what we gather firsthand with our own senses.

And here comes the second "coup de théâtre".
Just when the disinformation system reached its peak of complexity, people, instead of raising their general level of distrust to protect their intellectual independence, decided, in a totally irrational way, to condemn certain sources as "fake" and to elevate others to the status of Delphic oracle, with no concrete proof, purely on the basis of their own sympathies. It's a warped behavior that affects both the defenders of the official narrative and those who favor "alternative" sources. In other words, in most cases, dry recycling and wet recycling — media junk either way. 

It's increasingly obvious what behavioral psychologists like Daniel Kahneman warned us about, through the surprising results of their brilliant experiments: humans, far from having the stock of rationality they love to brag about, are confused, fearful, emotional little critters who act on guidelines dictated by ancestral impulses, which have nothing to do with logic or rigorous reasoning.

After centuries of theological quarrels, philosophical debates and scientific research, this, ladies and gentlemen, is where we stand today. And it hits like a cold shower in winter, up in the mountains, out in the open.

Drafted from Italian with Blog Translator, then revised by me.