My thinking is that this is a symptom of deeper societal problems (like so many other bad things). Why is it that people are nihilistic enough that they don't care about the authenticity of online content and interaction? Why is it that they turn to methods like these to make money (SEO + ads, etc)? Where was it that people began to lose sight of their own humanity?
I mean, everyone on this site probably knows the answer to that, but it's clear to me that there's a pattern to all this, that a lot of what we fear stems from people being exploited or left behind or given limited choices by how their world works.
But I also don't think it's completely hopeless. Things will get worse before they get better, but in smaller terms, the fact that websites like this exist, filled with people who share these sentiments, means that there will always be a lot of people who will fight for a better world that benefits everyone.
The important thing being: don't give up, and stick closely to those who got your back.
For nation states, this is a golden age of propaganda. It's never been cheaper and easier to disseminate, with an air of authenticity like it's coming from a friend instead of the military industrial complex.
