California is one of two states, along with Texas, that have passed policies requiring content creators to say if they’ve been paid by a political campaign to post, and the Golden State is considering cracking down by fining people who don’t.
Campaigns have long worked with celebrities and major influencers to win over voters, but now they are teaming up with smaller creators — sometimes with fewer than 100,000 followers — to reach more tailored audiences. That has sparked debates about whether disclosure rules for political advertisements should apply to content creators, who are expected to play prominent roles in the upcoming midterms and the 2028 presidential election.
29 Comments
gibmiser@lemmy.world · 71 pts · 2d
See where they are going to fuck this up is by saying paid "political" content. Leaves room to try and weasel out of accountability.
All paid content must be disclosed. If you are being paid by someone to say something then you need to say so. To do otherwise is to lie by omission.
SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 27 pts · 2d
Paid content is otherwise known as "advertising." I don't understand why this is so hard for politicians to figure out.
SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 2d
About time someone called out the rampant propaganda online.
terranoid@lemmy.cafe · 3 pts · 2d
Do younger generations really ingest as much YouTube/tiktok/ig influencer data as it sounds like? I feel like I just missed that phenomenon, with YouTube being a thing when I was leaving high school... I never got in the habit of watching YouTube like TV, but it sounds like so many others are addicted to that and short form content.
tempest@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 2d
Yes, and it's not generational at all. Boomers scroll YouTube shorts and tiktok and take it at Gospel just as much as the younger people do.
Pacattack57@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
I can open up TikTok right now for 5 minutes and see 20-30 ads. In 5 minutes. It has nothing to do with addiction. People are being paid for promotional content and not disclosing that information. People have a right to know when your opinion on a product or person is influenced by money.
Funkt4st1c@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
Yes. I dont know a single (gen z) peer who has less than 4 hours screentime daily
vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2d
Can't speak for anyone else but I basically only use YouTube for video entertainment anymore. I think basically all tv is middling as fuck and will only watch shit that truly catches my eye, otherwise I've got a video playing on my monitors. Note I don't watch scrolling short form content, it's basically all trash outside of the occasional meme and needs to be outlawed in my opinion.
watson387@sopuli.xyz · 12 pts · 2d
Good
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 2d
Should be required to say if they are paid by anyone for the purpose of expressing a political view. Not just campaigns.
kibblebits@quokk.au · 8 pts · 2d
Fines won’t happen because enforcement won’t happen.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2d
Enforcement will happen when the government doesn't like the content. TikTok gets broken up. Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter keep churning
terranoid@lemmy.cafe · 1 pts · 2d
Even then, they will like it as long as it makes tons of money and the owners keep buying off politicians.
End money in politics first.
phillycodehound@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 2d
Sad but true.
Angryhumanoid@fedinsfw.app · 8 pts · 2d
California and Texas on the same side of anything is scary enough.
phillycodehound@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2d
Good. Disclosure is key!
No1@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 2d
Obviously, they'll need the normal legislative exclusions for politicians.
LodeMike@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 2d
Why
No1@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 2d
Politicians create politicial content and don't disclose they were paid all the time!
LodeMike@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 2d
Paid to create the post?
Ava@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 2d
The person you're responding to is pointing to a common corruption in politics, where politicians can receive money (read:bribes) and then shape their political messaging because of it, usually without much actual difficulty or official scrutiny. They're not saying that the exclusions are actually valuable to the general public.
melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 19h
Let's start with politicians who don't disclose they were paid by lobbyists. Making "lobbying" a valid thing means nothing more than systemically approving "payoffs". God forbid I should hire a writer with a sharp tongue just because I don't have the wits about me to do so myself.
Jayjader@jlai.lu · 2 pts · 12h
Was not expecting Texas to be one of the two states.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
Doing a reboot of Police Academy but they're all investing which CamGirls are being paid in Iraqi Dinar
Pistachio@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 2d
Fucking Iraqi Dinar! My dad was sooooo into that shit! Sold most of it now, but still has some stashed away "just in case it RVs!" 🙄
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 20h
Better claim to be a dis-content creator then.
Treczoks@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 19h
Good idea.
IAmYouButYouDontKnowYet@reddthat.com · -1 pts · 2d
Yo, Politics should be illegal, yo.
terranoid@lemmy.cafe · 2 pts · 2d
That's a very political statement to make