I never knew getting "red-pilled" meant becoming extra gullible. Sure the mainstream media can be misleading at times in order to increase viewership and push advertisements, but for the most part they are at least putting the effort of rooting their arguments and news in something resembling reality. I can understand not trusting them, but trusting someone who isn't accountable for the news they spread and is interested in growing an audience? I will confess that I have spent time listening to Alex Jones for the same reason I have listened to Coast to Coast. It's fun to imagine a world where that stuff is real and it's fun to laugh about people who actually believe that bullshit.**
This actually happened unlike that other fake news
Accountability Matters
Media corporations are somewhat accountable to the truth. Why? They are in a competitive industry with other media outlets. If you outright lie and other organizations expose you, then you lose a lot of credibility. Thus, the mainstream media is restricted in the information and the how they can convey that information to the public. Sure, they can pick and chose and build narratives that are misleading. But these narratives are composed in facts that have some basis in reality. If they made up their own facts, they would lose their credibility.
But alternative media outlets that are founded by small subscriber bases do not share these limitations and do not have the same mechanisms to hold them accountable. Secondly, many of the members who compose their subscriber bases are already skeptical about the media and loyal to their provider. If their primary source of information tells a lie, it is harder to expose them because they can always claim the exposer is lying. Imagine if a news outlet claimed another outlet was lying about pushing false information. They could lose a lot of credibility in such a battle. Alternative media simply doesn't have to worry about credibility. All they need is to establish trust within their community and they can say anything.
Take Note of The Sources
This is very important in exposing bullshit. A lot of alternative media is focused on personal anecdotes and experience rather than independent facts and numbers. Where are these people getting their information? Surely all of them are not traveling across the country and the world collecting information. And even if they are, they should be documenting their experiences. Talk is cheap. Show me the truth. I want to see the gay frogs!
Most alternative media spots, however, attempt to improve their accountability by having interviews in order to improve their credibility. The mainstream media does this as well. But it is very important to take note of who these guests are and what their agenda is. A good rule of thumb. Those who have books with the topic they are experts in are generally pedaling bullshit in an attempt for people to read their book. An example are those people saying the stock is going to crash by the end of year. All of them have pamphlets and books about what you can do to protect yourself. Some people are suckers and buy in.
Selective Skepticism
Many people want certain things to be true because it makes them feel better, more important, gives them an excuse, etc. When I was younger I believed in ghosts and ignored the idea that they didn't exist because I thought a world with ghosts was a more interesting and exciting world to live in. I didn't believe in unicorns because I didn't have proof of unicorns. I chose to believe in ghosts even though I had no "real" proof of ghosts. This is selective skepticism.
And there are many people who treat the mainstream media as the unicorn and alternative media as the ghost. They want to believe in a world with secret societies, conspiracies, and shadow governments because it makes their lives more interesting and they can blame these secret entities for pulling the strings and creating a system where they don't get what they believe they deserve. The truth is the world is boring and some people suck at their job and do the wrong thing. Nobody is out to get you or destroy America or conquer the world behind the scenes.
Why are people so ready to trust alternative media even though they have even less of a responsibility to truth? It is because these people pray on their emotions of fear and paranoia. That the world is something darker than you can ever imagine. And you keep listening to get information to keep yourself safe and secure. But the whole thing is a tactic to keep you listening. Then you become a loyal listener and misinformed paranoid bullshitter because you were afraid of a threat that never existed.
So if you could be a little less gullible and trust everyone who hates the mainstream media, that would be appreciated. Not because I like the mainstream media. I hate seeing someone get played by someone who has the same incentives as the media but does not have the same level of accountability that they do.
If you disagree with me, I would love to talk with you. Maybe you can educate me on how wrong I am and give me the proof that I need to be truly enlightened. Just don't sell me a book.
**If you are one of those true believers in Alex Jones or Coast to Coast, I apologize. I work for the shadow government and am one of the lizard people. Your resistance is futile.