Thread by @MollyMcKew

Tonight is the 1st presidential debate. Likely there will be a lot of mis/disinformation + conspiracies thrown around.

How can you fight malign narrative & improve online discourse on social media during the debate?

Read my #defusingdisinfo latest: /1 standuprepublic.com/debate-night-p…

1- Don’t elevate false or misleading information or conspiracies from POTUS by reposting them in outrage.

When you post/reply/engage sub content, it amplifies them in algorithms/trends & helps them reach more people. It also pressures traditional media to cover these claims. /2

You should consider not engaging or posting them at all. Deprive toxic claims of the attention economy. Just leave it alone.

But, if you want to push back on toxic information, here are some ideas how to do it better: /3

Option 1: Always offer the truth or a factual claim before and after presenting the false statement.

People remember what they see first, so lead with the truth, close with the truth. /4

Option 2: Post the truth without the false claim, or post an issue/fact that you think is more important than the diversion offered.

Change the tone of the online discussion. Have an arsenal of stories or facts handy for such a purpose. /5

Option 3: Wait for a professional factchecker to post the facts, and post the factcheck instead of the naked claim. /6

2- Know the narratives and deflections that are likely to be used in advance, and be ready to respond or ignore them as needed.

By now, POTUS especially has road-tested his toxic narratives in tweets and press conferences and via presidential defenders over the past weeks. /7

Understand the inherent tension of this call-and-response style narrative warfare. Don’t respond as expected. Find a different way to participate in the discussions of crucial themes. Stay focused on what is important to you in the election instead, offer those perspectives /8

Don’t mimic the reflexive response that is expected or conditioned, because often whatever that is is designed to amplify the perception of an irreconcilably divided America on the brink of collapse — a narrative our adversaries enjoy, particularly when we push it ourselves. /9

3- Know what is important to you and your community, and offer posts from those perspectives.

This is a very powerful way to rebut/counter something you disagree with during the debates, for statements made by either candidate, or to enhance a point. /10

These are just a few simple strategies, but ones that I think will serve you well instead of just amplifying the expected noise. /11

Overall:
-take time to think about the issue
-consider what kinds of positive, fact-driven, authentic content you can offer beyond outrage tweets or point-scoring
-avoid behaving or responding to narratives in the ways adversaries, be they foreign or domestic, will cheer /12

This is not the time to inflame divisions, but to remind that real leadership is needed to address the issues that face us and bridge those divisions.

Read more! /13

standuprepublic.com/debate-night-p…