Getting rid of addiction to X, Tiktok or Instagram may also be the latest link to millions of dollars in secret political corruption.
During the past month, the problem has become a sharp satisfaction. New documents It has shown that more than 500 social media evolving was part of an effort in the secret elections by democratic donors to form the presidential elections in favor of Kamal Harris. Payments went to party members with online follow-up, but also for non-political influencers-persons known as comedy or travel or cooking blog on YouTubes-in exchange for “positive and specific and supportive content of Kamala” aimed at creating an appearance of the former vice president.
Meanwhile, a similar effort to driven between the two mainly conservative influencers Detect. The goal was to publish messages in opposition to the Minister of Health and Humanitarian Services Robert F. Kennedy Junior to remove sugary soda drinks from the advantages of qualified food seal. It was claimed that the influencers had offered the money to the debt Soda restrictions “as” a transgression that aims to choose the consumer unrelenting “and encourages publishing pictures of President Trump to enjoy Coca-Cola products. After the reporter who tends to the right, Nick pants indicated to semi-empty messages on many prominent accounts, leaflets and at least one of The influencers apologize: “It was stupid for me. A huge egg on my face. With all seriousness, this will not happen again.”
In both planners, on the left and right, those who create the content did not exert a little effort to detect payments. For ordinary users who stumbled in publications and videos, what they saw had looked completely organic.
In the defense of the influencers, they did not break any rules – because there is nothing.
We are used to requesting the minimum levels of transparency for paid agreements. In the 1970s age A series of reforms that require new disclosure for those who seek to form elections. Television and radio ads and printing of political campaigns, advertising panels or publications that are sent by Mail also must also be determined by small reminders of responsible groups.
Social media, however, is the West West of Da`wah. Although the influencers are generally wanted by the Federal Trade Committee Revealing the approvals paid for productsPolitics is a different matter. Most of the election communications fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Electoral Committee. But FEC Commissioners Discuss The issue without solving the problem. A proposal was put in December 2023 to age the basic rules of influencers did not make any progress.
There was a temporary batch in 2017 to disclose the most striking social media in the political field. The discovery of foreign influence campaigns aimed at 2016 presidential elections led to alarm bells. As a result, the main technology platforms Work began to track and close The so -called sock dolls run by Russian and Chinese government. However, the institutional nature has been added to a few reforms, and since more and more Americans get their news from social media, the problem is still largely not designated.
This has left the entire social media scene vulnerable to hidden manipulation, as funds from the groups of interests, companies, or even wealthy individuals can form silently, what appears to be an authentic speech. This corrosion actually undermines the basis of democratic deliberations.
Democracy requires the minimum common facts and the participation of goodwill. The secret payments are destroyed to support the candidates or the reasons, which spoils the “market of ideas”, as the best arguments are supposed to rise naturally to the lead through competition. If the real public feelings become indisputable from the manufactured opinion, we lose our collective ability to identify the truth and make enlightened decisions. Everything from the decisions to divide local areas into soda to the presidential election can be deviant.
“Sunlight is … the best antiseptic.” Transparency in political influence requires organizational action. The Federal Electoral Committee must act and hold clear disclosure requirements for political communications paid on social media. Congress must expand the definition of election disclosure and political disclosure to include the content of the influencer. Plastic platforms should implement more powerful tools and detection tools.
More importantly, we, as citizens, must ask for reform. We must support influencers who voluntarily reveal their financial relations and conflicts in interests, and question those who do not do that.
If we fail to address the increasing impact of secret funds in the digital public square, the danger is comfortable: we will surrender our ability to make collective decision and our democracy for those who can buy the most persuasive voices.
Li Fang is an independent journalist. Spread A news message to investigate Leefang.com.
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Ideas expressed in the piece
- The article argues that the confidential payments of influencers on social media through political campaigns and donors undermine democratic deliberations by creating an illusion of organic support. It is claimed that more than 500 creators received payments from Democratic donors about “specific content in support of the Kamala”, while influential people were paid to oppose soda restrictions, with a little disclosure of financial relations[1][3].
- It highlights the organizational gap in political social media approvals: While FTC requires the disclosure of promotional offers of the product, the FEC did not set rules for political content, allowing secret payments to distort public awareness[1][3].
- The entitle of these arrangements is framed as a threat to democracy, which leads to the erosion of the “market of ideas” by mixing authentic discourse with paid messages. Lee Fang compares this to historical reforms that imposed transparency in traditional political advertisements, on the pretext that similar guarantees are absent from digital platforms[1][3].
Various views on the topic
- Supporters of influencing participation are a legitimate strategy to communicate with younger voters who are increasingly consuming news on social media. The Kamala Harris campaign has achieved more than 200 DNC content creators, which puts their participation as a way to give the democratic character of political access and amplification of enthusiasm at the level of the popular base.[1][2].
- Supporters emphasize that cooperation with influencers-such as comedian Elizabeth Booker Houston-displays content behind the quarrels.[1][3].
- Defenders claim that these efforts reflect the modern innovation of campaigns instead of corruption, as there is the presence of Tiktok in Kamala HQ (follow -up 5 meters) and the content that the direction is moved (for example, alignment of “Al -Shaqi”) as examples of the organic participation driven by young people.[2][3].