The liberal media is at the moment engaged in a campaign attacking social media on the grounds that it is ‘destroying democracy’. But is it? The fact is that there is nothing new about social media, the fake news it spreads and the rage it engenders.
Ancient Greeks loved the ‘latest news’ as much as anyone today. In his book Characters — it meant ‘behavioural types’ — the Greek academic Theophrastus (d. 287bc) described, among others, the ‘rumour monger’. He was always stopping friends with made-up stories that he claimed to have heard from a reliable source; he assured them that the story was ‘hot’; he quoted unreliable authorities; it was the talk of the town; everyone agreed with it; and he put on convincing displays of shock and horror. Greeks would have recognised this type because news was often received via unofficial sources, making it very difficult to evaluate.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in