Today's #dailysignal looks at a new term making the rounds, that of "misinformation mercenary" - or weaponised propaganda for hire - not in itself a new phenomenon (for those of us who recall the whole Bell Pottinger scandal, or who have followed Peter Pomerantsev's work) but a new phrase that illuminates and clarifies the existing trend.
How are we going to cope with better "cat fishing" of the general discourse?
How can you inoculate yourself against weaponised troll accounts as painstakingly put together as Anita Petitt?
How can we rebuild societal trust in the age of deep fake AI people who do not exist but appear to be our friends?
If, as I suggest, trust is *the* fulcrum of any successful business or society - how can we preserve and cultivate it within our teams and communities?
Or is "trust", like "privacy" - a relic of the fast-retreating past?
Read More:
Meet the misinformation mercenaries : https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-03-08-age-of-disinformation-building-a-next-level-bot-to-subvert-africas-elections/
This is not propaganda! Who can you trust if you cannot trust yourself? https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/867/207808.html
Remember Bell Pottinger? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/04/business/bell-pottinger-guptas-zuma-south-africa.html
Nothing is real, everything is possible - as inspired by Peter Pomerantsev :
Just look at The State We're In : https://www.fluxtrends.com/the-state-were-in-2023/
Misinformation mercenaries