This was such a great article on what is going on with Argentina. I agree with you that the social media algorithms amplify what is going on with the Argentinian fans and the team. You are right to also point out that other fan bases have exhibited this same type of behavior.
With that being said, the actions of the players after the match are really unacceptable, and I do feel a severe punishment needs to be handed down to those players
This whole thing does require a nuanced conversation, which you laid out in this article.
I agree on that the actions were wrong, but also many other actions should be reviewed.
It’s wrong that Bellingham slapped Barco’s head went undetected because Barco technically provoked him.
It’s wrong that Cucurella didn’t get a red card because of covering his mouth. On a personal level, I don’t think that Cucurella said something troubling to Messi. But the rule is not open to interpretation (as Hincapie and Almiron personally experienced).
The biggest issue here is the real disparity between how the narrative is shifted when the object is an European vs a South American. With all the noise that many forces are putting on the table it’s becoming practically impossible to open the space for honest debate and understanding.
Great article! The line which stood out to me the most is ‘now we’re seeing a shift from villains to enemies’. I do like how you addressed the AI generated videos on Argentina, but you also addressed the issues the country has had in the past with systemic racism which is important.
I think a balanced way of looking at it is so important. I do think there is merit to both sides of the discussion, and you did a good job at balancing it and looking at the full picture.
The MIT stat is the one that really sticks, false claims travelling roughly six times faster than true ones. You see this permeate well beyond sport, ranging wildly in the actual damage dealt. Definite, often intentionally misleading reporting or posts spread with the exact intention that they'll do just that, spread like wildfire, with the damage done impossible to reverse before the correction ever catches up. Ties directly into your point about how narrative shapes perception and, eventually, market position, by the time the truth arrives, the narrative's already done the work it set out to do.
I completely agree about the need for more reading and critical thinking. Algorithms are now seemingly designed to spread hate and lies.
I teach my son not to instantly believe anything he sees on TikTok, for example. He'll now go and find another source. There's of course no guarantee that source is correct either, but at least he's thinking about it.
I tend to be quite extreme on this and don't believe anything I read or see on most platforms (Substack is actually the exception!). But maybe that's because I'm a former Oxford University academic and critical thinking is obviously a huge part of that.
I'm also old enough to have been around for half a century, and that makes us cynical.
This was such a great article on what is going on with Argentina. I agree with you that the social media algorithms amplify what is going on with the Argentinian fans and the team. You are right to also point out that other fan bases have exhibited this same type of behavior.
With that being said, the actions of the players after the match are really unacceptable, and I do feel a severe punishment needs to be handed down to those players
This whole thing does require a nuanced conversation, which you laid out in this article.
Thanks for sharing your perspective.
I agree on that the actions were wrong, but also many other actions should be reviewed.
It’s wrong that Bellingham slapped Barco’s head went undetected because Barco technically provoked him.
It’s wrong that Cucurella didn’t get a red card because of covering his mouth. On a personal level, I don’t think that Cucurella said something troubling to Messi. But the rule is not open to interpretation (as Hincapie and Almiron personally experienced).
The biggest issue here is the real disparity between how the narrative is shifted when the object is an European vs a South American. With all the noise that many forces are putting on the table it’s becoming practically impossible to open the space for honest debate and understanding.
Great article! The line which stood out to me the most is ‘now we’re seeing a shift from villains to enemies’. I do like how you addressed the AI generated videos on Argentina, but you also addressed the issues the country has had in the past with systemic racism which is important.
I think a balanced way of looking at it is so important. I do think there is merit to both sides of the discussion, and you did a good job at balancing it and looking at the full picture.
The MIT stat is the one that really sticks, false claims travelling roughly six times faster than true ones. You see this permeate well beyond sport, ranging wildly in the actual damage dealt. Definite, often intentionally misleading reporting or posts spread with the exact intention that they'll do just that, spread like wildfire, with the damage done impossible to reverse before the correction ever catches up. Ties directly into your point about how narrative shapes perception and, eventually, market position, by the time the truth arrives, the narrative's already done the work it set out to do.
I completely agree about the need for more reading and critical thinking. Algorithms are now seemingly designed to spread hate and lies.
I teach my son not to instantly believe anything he sees on TikTok, for example. He'll now go and find another source. There's of course no guarantee that source is correct either, but at least he's thinking about it.
I tend to be quite extreme on this and don't believe anything I read or see on most platforms (Substack is actually the exception!). But maybe that's because I'm a former Oxford University academic and critical thinking is obviously a huge part of that.
I'm also old enough to have been around for half a century, and that makes us cynical.