Past Present Future Fixing Democracy: TikTok, Disinformation and Distraction
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Oct 19, 2025 
David sits down with Sam Freedman, a political writer and commentator, to tackle the impact of social media on democracy. They explore if we're more vulnerable to disinformation today and discuss how TikTok's attention-driven nature shifts political engagement. The conversation highlights the media's evolution towards entertainment, the challenges of maintaining journalistic integrity, and the need for enhanced media literacy in schools. Sam also reflects on how youth movements leverage social media for political change, raising questions about the future of democratic processes.
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Brief Golden Age Of Fit Between Media And Democracy
- The post-war media era briefly aligned mass communication with representative democracy, creating a narrower, regulated information environment.
- The rise of satellite TV, deregulation and social media fragmented that landscape into noise and polarized niches.
Attention Economy Fuels Polarization
- Fragmentation, distraction and disinformation are linked by media optimized for attention and entertainment.
- Short-form platforms push emotive, polarizing content because algorithms reward engagement over accuracy.
Apply An Eyebrow Test To Viral Claims
- Check claims that trigger your "eyebrow test" by seeking multiple mainstream sources before trusting them.
- Prefer widely reported stories or journalists you trust over single-source social posts.
