>By meaningful real-world standards there are bot farms sowing dissent and literally driving people into mental illness which has already destroyed many families.

Real living standards have been stagnant or falling since 1971. We've been making time up by working more, buying plastic and filling our free time with distractions.

Blaming the internet for 50 years of policy is both stupid and pointless. In short: what governments want you to do instead of asking why your grand father could buy a house at 20.

Propaganda is only effective when it's true.

> there are bot farms sowing dissent

Junk messages trying to use "wedge issues" for attention are nothing new, they existed in the 1990s too. You underestimate just how transparent they are, even on modern-day social media which in many ways is a highly favorable environment to such tactics.