Bots, Lies, and Bullshit... The Quiet War Happening Inside Your Phone
Canada’s biggest threat isn’t tanks or tariffs. It’s fake people, fake outrage, and fake “facts” flooding your screen 24/7.
Here’s something most people still haven’t wrapped their heads around…
You’re not arguing with people online.
Half the time…
you’re arguing with software.
Let that sink in.
Not angry neighbours.
Not misguided voters.
Not even trolls with too much coffee.
Code.
Programs.
Digital puppets designed to push your buttons.
And they’re getting damn good at it.
A while back, Jean Chrétien, now in his 90s, said something that stuck with me.
He talked about how public conversation used to happen in town halls and cafés.
Now it happens on “that little machine” in your pocket.
And most of it?
Negative.
Invented.
Unverified.
Designed to provoke, not inform.
He basically said…
We’re drowning in noise… and nobody knows how to stop it.
Hard to argue with a guy who’s seen seven decades of politics.
Here’s what’s actually happening.
I’ve watched it myself.
A video goes up.
Within minutes, the comments fill with…
• wild accusations
• conspiracy junk
• smear attacks
• copy-paste talking points
You click the account.
Created today.
No history.
No posts.
No profile.
Just showed up to drop gasoline and disappear.
That’s not a citizen.
That’s a script.
Same trick everywhere…
Facebook
YouTube
Reddit
Instagram
Flood the thread with outrage.
Because outrage spreads faster than truth.
Always has.
And here’s the part most people miss.
The goal isn’t to convince you.
It’s to exhaust you.
If they can…
• muddy every conversation
• make facts feel uncertain
• make everything look corrupt
• make you distrust everything
…you stop caring.
And once people stop caring?
Game over.
Democracy runs on attention.
Confuse the crowd long enough and you own the room.
Look at the playbook.
Say something ridiculous enough and repeat it enough times, and millions believe it.
We’ve watched that circus daily from Donald Trump.
Doesn’t matter how absurd the claim is.
If it trends, it wins.
Now the same style of politics is creeping north.
More fear.
More “everything’s broken.”
More “the country’s collapsing.”
Meanwhile…
Actual numbers tell a different story.
Example…
Housing.
Beginning of 2025: about $701,000 average
Latest data: about $673,000
That’s down.
Not exploding.
Not apocalypse.
Just… numbers.
But numbers don’t go viral.
Anger does.
And that’s the trap.
People don’t check data.
They scroll.
Three seconds.
Next post.
Another hit of outrage.
Repeat.
You’re not being informed.
You’re being emotionally farmed.
Like chickens.
Here’s the simple rule I use now…
If it makes you instantly furious…
Pause.
If it sounds extreme…
Check it.
If the account looks brand new…
Ignore it.
Because there’s a good chance you’re debating a toaster with Wi-Fi.
Canada doesn’t lose to bots because they’re smart.
We lose if we stop thinking.
Truth still exists.
Stats still exist.
Reality still exists.
But you have to choose it.
Every day.
I’m not interested in shouting matches.
I’m interested in facts.
Graphs.
Receipts.
Sources.
Boring stuff.
You know…
Reality.
Because boring truth beats exciting bullshit every time.
Even if it doesn’t trend.
The Gut Punch…
The loudest voice online isn’t always a person.
Sometimes it’s just a laptop trying to make you hate your neighbour.
Source: Public remarks from Jean Chrétien and observed bot activity across Canadian social media platforms.
The Recap…
Most of the “angry people” in your comments?
Not people.
Bots.
Fake accounts designed to stir division and make everything feel broken.
Canada’s biggest threat isn’t outside the border…
it’s inside your phone.
🔎 The GeezerWise Standard
This space is built on disciplined thinking.
Facts over spin.
Verification before amplification.
Good-faith discussion over tribal noise.
I use AI tools to help shape my spoken drafts into clear writing.
The judgment, conclusions, and final message are mine.
If you’re new here, this explains how I decide what’s worth sharing:
How I Decide What’s Worth Sharing → [link]
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— Fred Ferguson
GeezerWise
#GeezerWiseSays
Excellent article, Fred I sure recognize your description of what we are facing online today! Grateful I was born and raised before the internet because I still have the capacity to think for myself and recognize a lot of the noise — ok, I prefer to say bullshite!
On a side note, it will be interesting to see what transpires with France investigating that stinking Elon Musk.