America is Being Divided from the Outside, and We’re Letting It Happen
America is being torn apart, and most of the country doesn’t even realize it.
Social media and independent media have given a voice to citizen journalism, empowering individuals to share news and perspectives like never before. But with that power has also come a dangerous downside: foreign adversaries using these same platforms to manipulate, divide, and weaken the United States from within.
The internet—and especially the rise of social media—has fundamentally changed the way we consume news. In the late 1980s, traditional journalism was the cornerstone of public discourse. Newspapers, trusted TV anchors, and well-established media outlets controlled the flow of information. While not perfect, these sources adhered to journalistic standards, employing fact-checkers, editors, and field reporters. Bias existed, of course, but it was nowhere near as chaotic or overwhelming as what we see today.
The rise of the internet in the 1990s started to chip away at the monopoly of traditional media. Suddenly, anyone with a computer and a modem could share their opinion, publish a blog, or break news. The digital age created a more democratized flow of information—but with fewer checks and balances. Social media, beginning in the mid-2000s, accelerated this transformation. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter (now X), and YouTube made it easy for anyone to reach millions of people, bypassing the rigorous gatekeeping of traditional journalism. It seemed revolutionary, but in hindsight, it also left the door wide open for bad actors.
Today, it’s disturbingly easy for anyone with enough money or time to create an influencer network on social media that takes on a voice of its own. And make no mistake, foreign adversaries like Russia, Iran, and China have exploited this opportunity masterfully. They’ve created networks of fake accounts, often posing as U.S. citizens, spreading propaganda to stoke political division. A 2018 Senate report, for example, revealed how Russian trolls posed as Americans on Facebook and Twitter to influence the 2016 election. These efforts didn’t end with elections—they now infiltrate every part of the public discourse, from debates over vaccines to culture wars and conspiracy theories.
Misinformation has become a disease, and social media makes that disease highly contagious. Studies have shown that the more a piece of misinformation is repeated, the more likely people are to believe it—even if it’s demonstrably false. And here’s the kicker: people tend to trust information from sources that confirm their pre-existing biases. Once a lie is repeated enough times in your echo chamber, it starts to feel like truth.
What makes this problem worse is the growing reliance on independent media sources to verify facts. Many of these so-called "independent outlets" aren’t based in the United States or funded by American entities, and some are outright fabrications designed to deceive. Take, for example, the rise of pseudo-journalists like Tim Pool. While Pool initially gained attention for his coverage of Occupy Wall Street, recent reports have linked his content to indirect Russian funding. According to an investigation by the Associated Press, Russian operatives funneled money through shell companies and third-party ad networks to amplify influencers and content creators, including Pool, whose narratives aligned with their goal of sowing division in the United States. Pool himself may not have been aware of this funding, but the end result is the same: foreign adversaries strategically boosted his content to manipulate U.S. audiences under the guise of independent journalism.
Independent media has its role, but too often, it becomes a smokescreen for foreign manipulation or opportunistic grifting. The challenge here is trust. Figures like Donald Trump have fueled a growing distrust of mainstream media among conservatives, pushing the narrative that "non-mainstream" outlets are more reliable. But many of these alternatives are no better—in fact, they’re often worse. For instance, platforms like InfoWars have long peddled conspiracy theories without any factual basis, from claims about Sandy Hook to lies about election fraud. Other examples include Project Veritas, which has been repeatedly caught manipulating footage to push misleading narratives, and fringe sites like Gateway Pundit, notorious for spreading outright falsehoods.
The end result is chaos: a fractured information ecosystem where Americans don’t know who to trust or what’s real. It’s no coincidence that this benefits foreign adversaries. A divided America is a weaker America.
So, where does this leave us? The solution isn’t to reject independent media outright or to blindly trust every mainstream outlet. Instead, we need to foster critical thinking and media literacy. Americans must learn to question sources, verify claims, and seek out a diversity of perspectives. Tech platforms also need to do more to root out fake accounts and disinformation campaigns, while governments must hold foreign actors accountable.
If we don’t address this issue, the division will only grow. The real war isn’t just over political ideologies—it’s over truth itself. And right now, truth is losing. Let’s wake up before it’s too late.
