How Social Networks Are Torpedoing Truth — and Democracies across the Globe

The fundamental thing to understand is that social networks and their algorithms are destroying trust everywhere. Add the bad actors, autocrats around the globe, and Donald Trump — who understand that these social networks are literally a trojan horse that allows them to inject poison into the minds of people everywhere — and you start to understand why this seems to be happening everywhere, not just here in the U.S.

Full and flawed democracies have fallen to under 40% of world governments, with authoritarians now over 60%. And many would argue it's much higher.

Democracies that represent the people being manipulated by algorithms that amplify controversy and division face an important question:

Who’s really in control — us or the algorithms?

Bill Gates was right when he said, “No one gets to vote on whether technology is going to change our lives.”

In his book, Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari argues that we are losing our humanity to the binary 1s and 0s of digital networks, where information is no longer the same as truth. And we naively believe that information leads to knowledge and wisdom.

Authoritarians believe Information is power. It's clear to me that social networks, in particular, have changed the balance of power to their advantage.

Lies and conspiracies are free. And with social networks, you can flood the fragmented information channels with lies and conspiracies with reckless abandon and entertain and hold people’s attention at little cost. Trump understands that the media can’t compete anymore because the truth and facts are expensive things. It costs money to pay the researchers, reporters, etc. to find the truth and report it for every free lie and conspiracy that must be countered. They can’t keep up with the flood of cheap lies.

And so the truth is costly, fiction is cheap, and social network algorithms thrive on spreading lies, misinformation, and outrage. People who stay addicted and are engaged in fighting over the lies and who is lying provide a great business model for the social networks. And their algorithms fuel all of this for eyeballs and profit.

Which gets to another important problem: They own and we rent.

They own FOXNews, X, Facebook, Sinclair Broadcasting, NewsMax, and the list goes on.

I wrote this eight months ago and it is even more important today:

“Among all the reasons for the loss in November of 2024 and the growing threat to democracy is the right’s unanswered creation and ownership of propaganda networks on communications platforms from cable television to social media.

The power of what they have built is overwhelming and the evidence is in the results of this election.

Yes you can change your messaging, find a different candidate, pour even more money at ads and an incredible ground game, but it will be no match against the demonization of that message and candidate by the vast propaganda networks the right now owns and controls. It turns out knocking on doors in October every two years can not undo their relentless attacks and unanswered lies.

For those that thought journalism would be a counter weight — think again.

Will millions of Americans join and create a social network that builds trust and community instead of destroying it? Will donors turn into investors and invest in a social network to counter the algorithmic driven networks that are destroying our trust in each other and in our democracy?

Not a partisan propaganda machine — but a social network of, by and for the community. Where no bots are allowed. Where citizens have freedom of speech but not freedom of reach and where anonymous name calling has zero reach. Where disagreement is welcome and civility is amplified.

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Two-hundred-and-fifty years ago in America, we threw out a petty tyrant king and replaced him with the greatest experiment the world has ever known by asserting that a government of, by and for the people could long endure.

Unwittingly, we created a different kind of king.

We have been building castles for billionaire kings where they make the rules and we are their subjects manipulated by their agenda and algorithms.

If our democracy is to endure much longer we must revolt against these kings and build our own pro democracy network. One that builds trust and a movement of millions of Americans committed to an American Renewal of, by, and for the people.

Will we build social networks and digital outposts and citadels to defend democracy? Can we create together social networks that build trust and community instead of tearing both down?

Can we connect together on a social network that builds into the millions and provides the American Renewal community with the information and tools to organize and take to the streets in the numbers needed to stop Trump’s unconstitutional assault on our nation before it is too late?

We can not wait until 2026. We are at the beginning of the end, now.

We must use technology to build the network of Americans that by the millions have the tools to make us unstoppable by 2026. Where we elect an American Renewal house in 2026. Where that House elects an American Renewal Speaker, and that House impeaches both Trump and Vance. And with enough of us in the streets in peaceful protest the Senate votes to impeach.

Today has to mark the beginning of the end — 2026 must be the end.

You can start the revolt against the digital kings by joining Sez Us.

We are building a pro-democracy social network and a place where you can join and build the American Renewal movement in time to end this in 2026. The revolt starts now. It will take millions of connected Americans, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans to grow peaceful protests and to together organize a wave that overwhelms MAGA House and Senate enablers in 2026.

It will take all of us. Stand up America. Join the Revolt.