"Arguably the most remarkable aspect of the aftermath of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk's assassination is how irrelevant its actual perpetrator was to the immediate discourse. I saw the finger-pointing online even before I saw the news that Kirk had been shot. At that point, there was hardly any information about the incident-let alone details about the shooter or a motive."
"This is the algorithmic internet at work. It abhors an information vacuum and, in the absence of facts or credible information, gaps are quickly filled with rage bait, conspiracy theorizing, doomerism, and vitriol. If one thing has united the discourse in the past 48 hours, it has been a desire for certainty-a drive to know exactly why Kirk was killed."
Online reaction to Charlie Kirk's assassination quickly prioritized attribution and certainty over verified facts. Social platforms and users filled information voids with partisan blame, conspiracy claims, screenshots, and unverified family photos. High-profile figures posted accusations before confirmation. Algorithmic amplification favored sensational narratives, accelerating misattribution across networks. Rapid circulation of alleged connections—donations, social-media photos, political paraphernalia—led to contradictory claims about the shooter's ideology without verification. The rush to politicalize a violent crime complicated understanding of motive and obscured evidentiary facts. Law-enforcement apprehension did not immediately halt speculation or the spread of unverifiable claims.
Read at The Atlantic
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