Unmade: media and marketing analysis
Unmade: media and marketing analysis
Media Unmade - Chapter 24: Fake News
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Media Unmade - Chapter 24: Fake News

In which Facebook is weaponised by Russia to help elect Donald Trump in the US, who then turn Twitter into his megaphone. It culminates in an attack on the Capitol by social media conspiracy theorists

Welcome to the latest Unmade podcast. Today’s edition features another extract from the audio edition of my book, Media Unmade, which is published by Hardie Grant and available online and in book stores.

In today’s chapter, I examine the period when the negative impact on democracy of social media platforms becomes impossible to ignore. The Cambridge Analytics scandal demonstrates Facebook’s carelessness with user data, while Brexit and the election of Donald Trump prove to be propelled by disinformation shared on the platform.

Capitol rioters were manipulated into believing they were on the right side of history | Getty Images

Within the media industry, Facebook’s encouragement of publishers to pivot to on-platform video proves to be based on untrue metrics, while the questionable credibility of influencers is brought into focus.

Then comes a new low. A mob - driven on by Donald Trump on Twitter, QAnon conspiracy theorists, and a partisan Fox News, launches a coup attempt in Washington, trying to overturn the result of the US election.


If you enjoy hearing the podcast, please do give it a five star rating on whichever podcasting app you use. That helps other people find it, and gives me some much needed validation.

Audio production on Media Unmade comes courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers and sound design for corporate videos, digital content, commercials and podcasts.

As ever, I welcome your thoughts to letters@unmade.media.

Toodlepip…

Tim Burrowes

Unmade

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Unmade: media and marketing analysis
Unmade: media and marketing analysis
Media and marketing news with all the in-depth analysis, insight and context you need.
Unmade offers industry news from an Australian perspective, from the founder of Mumbrella and the author of the best-selling book Media Unmade, Tim Burrowes