Here's how AI and critical thinking are killing social media

I've been making the unfortunate joke for some time that social media is not very social these days. It's all the algorithm and engagement, with ads, and not very much in the way of food porn, cats, kids and vacation selfies from your friends. In fact, many of your friends have probably bailed completely, and I'm sure their mental health is better for it. But the biggest thing that I've noticed lately is that the bullshit isn't even that hard to spot anymore. Let's break down the screenshot below.

It's no secret that Elon Musk appears to have gone batshit crazy, what with the Trump servicing and apparent Nazi salutes. But for whatever reason, there are people willing to make excuses for poor behavior, and are even compelled to try and boost the image of people like this. That's a special kind of asshole, if they have that kind of time on their hands. Generative AI means that you don't even need Photoshop skills anymore.

But start with the Facebook page itself. No one really knows who "Entrepreneur Mindset" actually is, but if research into other nonsense is indicative of anything, it's probably either a foreign influence campaign or domestic opportunists hired to make a buck. That already probably doesn't matter to the 139 people who share this, or the thousands that posted hearts and praise in the comments. Of course, who even knows it they're real either.

But the photo itself is so obviously nonsense. Did Musk wear two different things at this Starbucks? Do you honestly even think he's been in a Starbucks? Did the woman take off her tie, and since when do baristas wear ties? She doesn't even have the same earrings or hair line in the photos. And why would she be buying a gift for his daughter? Anyone with even the slightest bit of critical thinking knows this is fake.

But that's the problem. Critical thinking is effectively dead in America. Expertise isn't cool, it's the elite cabal. The only thing that matters is absurd tribalism and loyalty to your team. I'm pretty sure the clinical term is "cult."

And remember, Facebook has decided to stop fact checking, because 'Merica or whatever stupid shit Zuck thinks he's qualified to have an opinion on.