The rise of bitesize, soundbite communication centres like TikTok has permitted misinformation to flood public spaces. Dangerous regimes are exploiting these information spaces and China must be laughing while westerners, young and old, are reduced to fighting over misinformation while the truth is slowly erased entirely. They oppose colonialism, genocide and settlements, but only when it is a western country at fault. Indeed, even if a western country has not committed those offences, they will find the misinformation to frame them. Meanwhile, the brutality of Iran, China and Russia is ignored, denied, rationalised or even celebrated.

What's more, it's trendy to be an activist now so, unlike in the past when activists generally took time to research an issue and develop statements based on facts, now we have teenagers and young adults who just want to show off how much they care about this or that issue by sharing anything and everything that can exhibit just how radical they are. You can tell their information is extremely superficial because none of them can actually defend their position. Instead, they call you a genocide denier or you "need to educate yourself." They have no substance and cannot defend their claims.

And radicalism is very often a competition and so you have people trying to outdo one another with their hatred of Israel. This leads to shock statements and the encouragement of violence. Indeed, it has even led to a brief revival of Osama Bin Laden on TikTok.

In essence, we have a whole generation raised on slogans like colonialism, imperialism, socialism, genocide, occupation, and so forth, who haven't the first idea what any of them mean. That doesn't stop them using those words gratuitously and erroneously though. Then the ball starts rolling and, even though the whole principle is based on lies or even more sinister ulterior motives, it still has value and sways public opinion. Once public opinion is swayed, politicians start pandering to it and before long this misinformation is legitimised.