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Jeff Carpenter's avatar

Taiwan’s Digital Minister, Audrey Tang, is tackling the “infodemic.”

Every time a hoax surfaces on social media, Tang and her band of civic hackers unleash a joke containing the facts of the matter within two hours of spotting the post, based on the idea that since people like to share funny memes on social media, doing so allows the government to wrest control of the narrative. They call it "humor to rumor." Tang also said that government agencies have employed professional comedians as “engagement officers” to help in the cause. If they miss the two-hour window, Tang’s team locates the perpetrators and recruits them as allies.

https://qz.com/1863931/taiwan-is-using-humor-to-quash-coronavirus-fake-news 

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Jan B (FL via MN)'s avatar

What an ingenious messaging idea!! I’d love to see this administration create a “digital minister” position. We are certainly not lacking in folks who could qualify as “engagement officers.”

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Jeff Carpenter's avatar

Yes, Jan B, and if not the administration, then the Democratic party, or a more active replacement for the Democratic party, should create it! Audrey Tang started off as an activist hacker, and had several of her programs in action before she was made part of Taiwan's government.

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Gail Adams VA/FL's avatar

Biden on “Truth Social” is a start. Tang’s idea is genius.

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Roxanna Springer's avatar

The Democratic party needs to be less panic-stricken in their fund-raising, too. They need to proclaim the advances under their Democratic President, show themselves as proud of what has been accomplished, thanking voters for allowing them to help the country move forward, touting their ideas for how to keep the momentum going. Come out as champions rather than victims. People responded to the fake winners in the GOP. The Democrats need to declare strong leadership against price-gouging corporations/monopolies and vigorous job creation with real wage growth.

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