Okay, we should say this. It is super concerning to us, how a lot of people on the left will enthusiastically support any position that appears to get them what they want in the current news cycle, without regard for long-term consequences or consistency.

People on the right do this too, but we don't care about helping that group, so we're less concerned.

Because like... we're not going to claim that you *are* falling for propaganda, every single fucking time. We're just going to say that when people fall for propaganda, that's what it looks like. Enthusiastically repeating somebody else's idea, without thinking about it.

Nobody is immune to propaganda, and we include ourselves in that. But you can at least make a commitment to be self-critical, and to try to fit your positions into a logical whole.

This isn't just about pile-ons, but a lot of pile-ons seem to be motivated basically by a desire to make a show of in-group affiliation. So that's also concerning to us, again because it's evidence of people not thinking for themselves.

Social censure is an important tool, and although we frequently tell our followers not to pile on in particular situations, we wouldn't tell anyone to never do it as a blanket rule. We're making an observation about motivation, not about the tool itself.

None of this is entirely the fault of the people participating in it. When everyone around you seems to be acting this way, it's natural to imitate that behavior!

There are a few factors that make that natural tendency even worse. First, the structure of social media promotes *reactive* engagement. You saw this thing, now what are your thoughts and feelings on it? As opposed to talking about your own ideas.

For anyone with sufficient platform and manpower to drive the narrative, that makes you all a ready-made mob, ready to be pointed in whatever direction is convenient. This is what politicians have always done, but it's more effective with social media than it used to be.

The other factor is that there are strong political interests, today, which benefit from polarization. So any time there's a public conversation happening about a topic where nuance is important, you can be sure somebody is trying to come up with bad takes that remove nuance.

The fun thing about nuance-erasing bullshit is that when people react to it, they've already lost. You can't react in a way that tries to add nuance back, because you're still *being reactive*.

We feel like we see a lot of this said in pieces, and in reactive ways when it becomes relevant to some specific controversy. Unfortunately, it's not going to be a very effective message when it's reacting to a topic that people are already emotional about!

So we thought we'd just, you know, put it all together and say it in a way that isn't responding to any particular thing.

So! We do want to leave you with some specific take-aways. We'll do it in the form of best practices. These practices won't make you immune to manipulation; everyone can be manipulated. We include ourselves in that. Please try your best, anyway, though.

1) Don't weigh in on controversies just for the sake of weighing in. Most of the time, this means don't weigh in at all.

2) Practice noticing the long-term consequences of the messages you're spreading. What narratives do they rely on? What would happen if the changes they're asking for were applied consistently?

3) If you have your own political message that you're trying to spread, remember that you can't do that by reacting to other people's framing. Do your own strategizing, and spread it in your own way, not by responding to existing narratives.

4) Any time you notice a political narrative, think about what groups benefit from it, and what groups are hurt by it. You'll never establish cause-and-effect, but just... think about the incentives, anyway.

5) Real change very seldom comes from picking mud-slinging fights. If you need motivation to resist the temptation to get involved in those things, it's this: It isn't going to achieve what you want it to.

6) Stay self-critical. Make a commitment to examining your own ideas, and correcting course when you're wrong.

If everyone consistently did this, the world would be in a much better place. Thank you for listening.