Farm land is a prized resource around here. I can't imagine anyone wasting any of it on trolls.
For those of you still in the calculator age, troll farms are a thing. They exist for one purpose: to spread misinformation and deceit around the clock. Social media is their plowed fields, ignorance and cynicism their oxygen.
As long as there has been information, there have been forces bent on misinformation. These forces developed shady networks of conmen and tyrants whispering conspiracy theories into unsuspecting ears.
From print to film to fax to internet, they adapted their delivery systems to each change in technology until the day Facebook met the smart phone. On that day, the perfect bamboozle was born. Misinformation would never again play second fiddle to actual facts.
Today, over 140 million Americans interact each month with some foreign troll farm on social media. Many of them share the meme or video or long, ridiculous "read before they take this down" "true story" with their friends.
The number one American Christian page on Facebook is actually run by a troll farm. So is the number one African American related page. So is the second largest Native American related page and the fifth largest American women's related page.
How are these troll farms able to reach this many Americans? Because Facebook's algorithms, the mystery code that pushes posts into your newsfeed, favors misinformation over truth. There are currently over 15,000 Facebook pages that are run by troll farms in Kosovo and Macedonia.
The fact Facebook still allows them to exist tells you all you need to know. If you share political memes or anti-vax posts, it probably came from a troll farm. If you're still on Facebook, the best thing you could do is stop sharing anything you didn't produce yourself.
What does it matter? Maybe this will help.
As of last week, 1 in every 500 Americans have died of Covid 19. This week, 1900 Americans are dying of Covid-19 every day. It'd take 30 days at this rate to depopulate Pike county.
Over 670,000 U.S. citizens have died of Covid in this pandemic. As of last week, that's a higher death count than the 1918 Flu Pandemic, the previous record holder.
There's one huge difference, though. There was no vaccine in 1918.
We've had a vaccine for Covid since last January that has proven highly effective in preventing serious illness and death, even with the Delta variant. It has very few and rare side effects. You can get it free just by showing up. It has proven to work.
Still, barely 50% of Kentuckians are fully vaccinated. Even though 90% of current hospitalizations and deaths from Covid are unvaccinated, nearly half of our population believe the vaccines are...well...choose your conspiracy.
How many of those refusing to get a vaccine do so because they read something on Facebook? How many that blow a gasket over wearing masks? How many claiming their rights are infringed by mandatory health guidelines?
When the health of our nation is at risk, we have to make hard choices about who gets and what constitutes free speech. Do we crack down on the troll farms or do we crack down on the platforms that empower the troll farms.
Either way, this country can't survive the onslought of misinformation they've unleashed.