Your Opinions are Manufactured
The slow creep of LLMs inside social media and points of influence
LLM: Large Language Model (a.k.a. the dreaded AI)
I recently watched a video on YouTube by Upper Echelon, called Your Opinions… Are No Longer Yours. I’ve linked it here for you to check out yourself:
In a nutshell, social sites such as Reddit, Facebook, or X (Twitter) have been taken over by AI generated conflict. Reddit is most notorious for this blight on humanity, as it’s been revealed that much of the content there has been manufactured to create dissent.
I wish I were joking.
But while this alone is rather insidious, AI has created such a strange and complex issue in our world. As the models get better and better, how are we to determine what is real anymore? And I mean this from a strictly generative point of view. Now, let’s get into a little more of a discussion…
Outrage used to spark genuine movements. Now, with the help of AI, social media, and the eternally online, it’s often a cynical echo chamber thrown by political players to make us hate each other. When “rage bait” becomes a weapon in the hands of those in power, democracy doesn’t just get noisy; it becomes dangerous.
Manufacturing Division
Political strategists know that anger is more contagious than your average public toilet licking session. By faking stories designed to offend one side, they’re strategically forcing people into opposing camps. It’s no longer harmless debate… it has become “us versus them.” Because of this, we are watching society morph into something that is unrecognizable—two parties convinced the other is ruining the country.
The Algorithm
Ah, the dreaded algorithm. Rage bait. Those in control know algorithms reward extreme content. With Reddit being the example in the above video, whole scenarios involving hatred toward a specific group is enough to whip up tiny-brained non-thinkers into a frenzy. Basically, these AI generated echo chambers have turned social media into the case as to why the dead internet theory is floating around everywhere now.
No More Trust
Real, trustworthy fact‑checking struggles to catch up. Once these hostile opinions settle in, people have already shared their hot takes, cemented their outrage, and unfollowed anyone who dares to suggest a more nuanced view. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 10 years, just take a few minutes to scan X or Reddit—you’ll see what I mean. Facebook is so moldy with uncanny AI shit that I can’t even…
Real‑World Consequences
This isn’t just about the chronically online keyboard warriors. This type of dissent can have actual violent fallout. You’ve seen the protests that never had a sensible goal, or the harassment targeting innocent people. It’s uncomfortable, which forces “sides” to retreat into its echo chamber (and hence strengthen the division).
Breaking the Cycle
So what can you do? I’m only human, I don’t have an answer. However, I recommend you question everything. It’s so easy to get angry at words… I mean, after all, the line: the pen is mightier than the sword exists for a reason. So, how about you first think before you share. Ask yourself, who benefits from this?
Try to follow others whom you may disagree with—on purpose. You don’t have to change your mind, but you do need to really understand that not everyone who disagrees with you is coming for your way of life.
Call it out. Rage bait only succeeds when it’s not held accountable. Do this even if it targets “your side.”
Manufactured outrage isn’t just exhausting—it’s dangerous. When powerful people weaponise our emotions, they make the foundation of civil discourse unstable.
I recommend watching the video when you get a chance. I personally don’t like the attempts at being played. I’ve been staying off social media in general as of late, and I never had X, so at least I can dodge those cannons.
Don’t be weak minded. And for the love of all that is holy, stay off Reddit.
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