6 Fact-Based Influencers You Can Repost Now To Flood The Zone With Facts
In the war for our minds the oligarchs win when we don't fight back by spreading fact-based information that aligns with democracy every...single...day.
“The information war is about territory—just not the geographic kind. In a warm information war, the human mind is the territory.”
—Renée DiResta, “The Digital Maginot Line”
Massive Numbers Of Americans Get Their News From Influencers
1 in 5 US adults get their news from from social media. 40% of Americans under the age of 30 get their news and information from social media influencers.
Influencers Don’t Fact Check
And the majority of influencers do not fact check any information before they share it with followers. From Rolling Stone:
In a world where social media influencers hold significant sway over public opinion, a recent study by UNESCO has raised alarming concerns about the prevalence of misinformation among these digital creators. The report highlights that a staggering 62 percent of influencers do not fact-check the content they share, which poses a serious threat to public trust and discourse.
Right Wing Disinformation And Propaganda Dominates Social Media
Media Matters For America (MMFA) just released a study assessing “the audience size of popular online shows — podcasts, streams, and other long-form audio and video content regularly posted online.”
MMFA found that right wing influencers and their shows dominate with five times as many followers and subscribers as left-leaning shows.
Across platforms — YouTube, Rumble, Twitch, Kick, Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok — right-leaning online shows accounted for roughly 82% of the total following of the online shows we assessed.
We already know from studies that radical right-wing populists are the biggest spreaders of disinformation in the political world. And the social media influencers on the MAGA right have zero commitment to spreading fact-based information.
MMFA found that 9 in 10 of the shows “with the largest total following across platforms were right-leaning” and accounted for roughly 200 million total followers and subscribers. These shows were:
Joe Rogan: 39.9 million - well-documented source of disinformation
Ben Shapiro: 25 million - election liar
Jordan Peterson: 23 million - climate disinformer
Russell Brand: 22.5 million - disinformation vector
Theo Von: 22.3 million - platformer of disinformers like Candace Owens, Donald Trump, JD Vance, Joe Rogan
Charlie Kirk: 18.6 million - disinformer
Nelk Boys’ Full Send Podcast: 16.7 million - platformer of disinformers
Candace Owens: 15 million - disinformer
Dr. Phil: 14.2 million - disinformation vector
When Reality Is Under Attack What Do We Do? Spread Memes, Fight Back!
In the face of a hot Information War for our minds, in which the billionaires and authoritarians are nearing total victory, we have to fight back. The oligarchs have the power, money, and resources to create inauthentic political movements, troll farms and sock puppet accounts. As they populate the internet with hordes of inauthentic commenters and faceless meme accounts we reward them by using the means of communication they own. We expose ourselves to their disinformation and hate and all that time online rewards them with profit.
But there are so many more of us than there are of them.
Every single time you are on social media you must become a fact-warrior. You must share and spread fact-based information that aligns with democratic values. Otherwise you are just a pawn lending legitimacy to their successful attempts to divide us all.
With that in mind I am providing a list of some fact-based influencers that I suggest you repost as often as you can. Do I agree with all of the politics of these influencers? No. But they use facts about the world to push back on the disinformation MAGA right. And it’s an all hands on deck scenario. I’ll be sharing more lists like this in the future.
Repost These Fact-Based Influencers Every Day, Including Right Now
In case these autoplayed while you read the first half of this post, click the description area at the bottom of the embedded videos to watch the clip I intended to share.
@ilovechipotle1301 - TikTok - This college student is doing incredible work exposing that DOGE is nothing more than a scam.
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@seanlinden1 - TikTok - This kid has a regular feature on Everything Trump Did This Week. His rapid style packs tons of info into short packages. He also puts out snappy primers on stuff like the system of checks and balances. Hot content, baby!
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@sully_dawg - Tiktok - This self-proclaimed Massachussetts Democrat breaks down economics issues and inequality using a massive amount of solo cups. I just hope he has college-aged kids so all those cups don’t go to waste.
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@headintheoffice - TikTok or Instagram - These two dude bros cut through all the bullshit. Plain and simple.
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@america_is_the_bad_place - Tiktok and Instagram - Perspective on American politics from a fact-based New Zealander living in the UK.
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Stocking The Capitol - Tiktok or Youtube - Nico gives grades to every member of congress based on how much or how little corporate PAC money they take. Brilliant pro-democracy stuff in the era of Citizens United and a social media landscape rife with disinformation about how “bought” different politicians are.
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These influencers may be on other platforms but I selected for the ones they primarily use. Click through their bios as they usually post links to all their other social accounts. And of course, I’m on social media, too and, well, PLEASE BOOST ME! But for real…do it.
Public Enlightenment - TikTok or Instagram - The greatest influencer of all time, but you already knew that.
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Caveat
I’ve been spending some time lately in MAGA spaces on TikTok. I also livestream from my TikTok account where I invite MAGA folks to join me live and talk about our differences when it comes to news and information and understanding. I do this as my wacky character, Rev. Deuce. While I find that Deuce has the ability to disarm folks and get them talking in the face of all the hate and division that is created for us by the billionaires who own the means of communication, I’m deeply alarmed at the experiences I am having.
Simply put, our fellow MAGA-fied Americans have no faith in any sources of fact-based information. The Information War has been so successful that when I reference the fact that there are several articles from across several fact-based newsrooms outlining the lies about DODGY’s “wall of receipts” I am met with total disbelief that I could have any faith whatsoever in what “some reporter” says. I have found myself having to go back to basics and literally explain what journalism means and how we can verify facts across several pieces of reporting.
Another troubling trend is the deep cynicism that exists online w/r/t the only viable opposition party in this country. The idea that both major political parties are exactly the same runs rampant. Of course Democrats have been disappointing in standing up to the extreme GOP. And I don’t believe we should be fans of any politicians in a way that resembles how sports fans treat their stars. And sure, one more caveat, American imperialism is awful and it’s horrific how politicians in both parties sign-off on mass death overseas. But the Democratic Party at least believes in the idea of representative government decided by elections, however anti-democratic our money-soaked system may be. The Information War has reduced once nuanced subjects to caricatures.
Only the GOP has been attempting coups. Only the GOP has lied repeatedly for years about elections. Only the GOP takes school lunches out of the mouths of poor kids. Only the GOP is making it easier for Vladimir Putin to abduct Ukrainian kids. Only the GOP is ensuring millions around the world die from a lack of HIV treatment. Only the GOP is ending funding for cancer and other medical research. And only the GOP is destroying government protections like free speech and social security. Only the GOP is rolling back 31 EPA protections, making our environment more deadly on behalf of corporate interests. While Democratic elected officials are introducing bills to end Citizens United and get billionaire money out of politics once and for all, the GOP is gutting the services we’ve paid for to give a massive tax break to the 1%. None of this is a partisan take based on political ideology. These are facts about the world.
Another fact about the world is that Heritage Foundation head Kevin Roberts said last year that his organization’s Project 2025 agenda would be part of a “second American Revolution” which would “remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”
If we want to avoid this dickhead’s threats of violence in the face of the destruction of our rights and freedoms we need to peacefully take to the streets in massive numbers while applying as much pressure via the Democratic Party as possible.
The cynicism and distrust is all part of the successful Information War the oligarchs wage against us all, MAGA Americans and everyone else, every single day.
Stop being complacent. Spread fact-based information that aligns with democracy every…single…day.
Public Enlightenment provides the context we need to understand the news. When you sign up as a subscriber or pledge a paid subscription, you're agreeing that we’re in this mess because of our toxic information ecosystem and you know that we must fight like hell to improve public understanding. Every single day.
Click below to help me keep up the fight for better outcomes for everyone!
Here’s to healthier information,
Brian
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I livestream about media, democracy, love, and joy on TikTok. You can also see my content on Youtube, Instagram and Bluesky (here and here). Every like, follow, repost, and subscribe helps me continue the work of changing our information ecosystem to one in which we all achieve healthier outcomes.
This post is taking off. But I am getting stats that no one is clicking through on the influencers. Can anyone give me insight into the disconnect? Like, we are liking it but not being moved by it to do take a very easy, simple action in the war for American minds...help me understand so I can make better products for us all to achieve healthier information outcomes. Thank you and I love you all. How will you spread fact-based information that aligns with democratic values today?
Thank you for the shout out!