This is really a crisis of modernity.
People just don't trust authorities anymore, because authorities time and time again have misled them.
That's not to mention that it's gotten easier than ever to falsify evidence using technology that was never before available in history, like image editors, audio editors, video editors, and desktop publishing software.
Astroturfing and fake grassroots campaigns further undermine people's trust in what they hear and read.
At the same time people want certainty and simplicity, and when they find they live in a world where nothing can be trusted they double down and cling to whatever reflects back to them their most cherished beliefs and what vilifies those they deem evil. It might not be true, but at least it makes them feel good, and so they can pretend it must be true if anything is.
Moderation isn't going to change any of this.
People just don't trust authorities anymore, because authorities time and time again have misled them.
That's not to mention that it's gotten easier than ever to falsify evidence using technology that was never before available in history, like image editors, audio editors, video editors, and desktop publishing software.
Astroturfing and fake grassroots campaigns further undermine people's trust in what they hear and read.
At the same time people want certainty and simplicity, and when they find they live in a world where nothing can be trusted they double down and cling to whatever reflects back to them their most cherished beliefs and what vilifies those they deem evil. It might not be true, but at least it makes them feel good, and so they can pretend it must be true if anything is.
Moderation isn't going to change any of this.