Just that. Someone uploaded this photo of Zelensky allegedly taking a selfie in Kupiansk, which is supposed to be a city already taken by Russian forces. I am not really informed of the situation in Kupiansk, but this is not the issue for me.
In the Politics subreddit, where this was published, the comments are overwhelmingly pro Ukraine, which, well, checks out. But what I find kind of trollish, are the comments surrounding Zelenksy. It’s like reading the five-star comments of the Google Play Services app in the Play Store, or something. They repeatedly talk about how big and glorious are Zelensky’s balls? Praising his balls, even though, he is a smaller guy? They praise the bold actions of Zelensky calling him a European hero, imagining his heroic dialogues as in some cheap hollywood movie, etc. To me, it just feels utterly fake? I mean, AI fake.
What do you make of this, guys? Please, remember, it’s not about the conflict itself.
“Truth is the first casualty of war”
Sure, but in this case? How “truth” becomes a casualty by putting an army of bots and trolls in a competition to praise Zelensky’s balls? That’s what I think it’s happening. I find it really sad, that they are not praising his strategies, his leadership, or statesmanship.
My point is that you don’t know the actual truth. Nor do I. We can’t.
Bots and paid agents are not a new technique - in ancient times, countries would send spies undercover into enemy territory to sow discord. To rabble rouse and change public opinion. It’s the same now, just the tools have changed. No news source is entirely unbiased, even word of mouth is influenced. The only way you can determine the truth is by seeing it with your own, naked eyes. And even then, your own personal bias can change the context.
Reddit is a platform where its’ easy to get the ears of a lot of people, so it’s a big target. It’s not Reddit’s fault, and Lemmy would suffer exactly the same if we had the numbers they do.
What is different now on the world stage, mostly thanks to Trump, is that there’s no longer even any pretence to truth. The most powerful person in the world lies constantly, and his example proves that works. No shame, no integrity, no honesty - just lies and crude manipulation.
We can’t know the truth, we can agree on that. But I don’t need to, I’m not a religious person or an old school philosopher. At least, I know I’m not actively trying to manipulate anyone else, that’s good enough for me. That Trump is not helping me know more about the real world is something I’m convinced about because, as you know, he lies as he breathes.
About Reddit, they are not an innocent party being played. They are collaborators of corrupt, powerful people. I could respect they denouncing these forces, or at least shutting down; whatever they are doing right now, I can’t. Some Lemmy instances are ideologically charged, but that’s fine.