Chaos in the Capitol
TODAY’S attempted coup of the U.S. Capitol is another example of the dangers of disinformation on social media. Stirred by the president himself, pro-Trump domestic terrorists have caused insurrection in the Capitol unlike anything seen in recent U.S. history.
I must say, after having extensively studied disinformation in the media, the chaos in the Capitol is not surprising, albeit disgraceful. For years, the president has used Twitter to spread conspiracy theories and lies. This recent attempt to halt congress is a direct result of this – standing as a testament to the negative effect Trump’s tweets have on disillusioned and disenfranchised extremists.
Earlier, Facebook and Twitter responded to the president by blocking his account and removing three of his posts for inciting violence. Of course, this action comes much too late as many of Trump's tweets have led to past unrest.
“As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy.”
While I support Twitter’s decision to temporarily block Trump (for 12 hours), I am afraid the vacuum of social media will continue to spread disinformation at unprecedented rates. For inciting violence, Trump’s Twitter account should be banned for days or months, not merely hours. Again, the idea of an information gatekeeper is problematic, however, disinformation that leads to real-world acts of domestic terrorism should not be taken lightly.
Perhaps the silver lining of this insurrection is that more people will be aware of the dangers of social media as they relate to extremist groups. Unfortunately, it took an attempted coup to do it.