For most of modern history, the spread of ideas could be easily blocked. All one had to do was stop it from being mechanically disseminated. But now, anyone can set up a Twitter account in seconds. Almost all events are recorded by smartphone-wielding members of the public. Everyone knows what has happened within seconds of it happening. Wired writes that this freedom, the idea that anyone can broadcast live or post their thoughts to a social network, should mean that we are living in the golden age of free speech. But people cannot trust that what they’re watching is real. They cannot know who shared the information and whether or not it is false information written by alt-right trolls or Russian bots. And because there are so many people on social media, is what you share even being seen? Wired says that in the 21st century, the capacity to spread ideas and reach an audience is no longer limited by access to expensive equipment or a broadcasting infrastructure. It is limited by one’s ability to gain and maintain attention.
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