There is a discussion to be had in the wider sense. I have long, long said that the typical right-wing agenda convert over the last 8-9 years has been the person who doesn't actually want to have to say anything much about anything, doesn't actually care one way or another (live and let live attitude) but resents being framed as 'right wing' because they don't 'speak up' or represent a belief publicly. I DO think the likes of Cambridge Analytica, Tik-tok, etc, saw how that frustration could be weaponised and used as a tool of further division/middle-path erosion.
I actually have a degree of sympathy for (say) a 57 year old block from (say) Harpenden who simply wants to get on with it, have a spot of dinner, get a pint and occasionally watch a Carry On film yet who suddenly finds themselves judged because they have not implicitly and loudly spoken out for, say, climate change initiatives. I get their frustration and I think we have to work harder.
But equally, it is incumbent on them to realise that they are being weaponised. Because most people who (say) passionately support a climate change initiative don't label people as right wingers if they don't speak out loudly with them. The agents of chaos within whip that division up and everyone tumbles into it. Everyone. Even I do sometimes, before I take a moment to crawl out.
And yes. It has long been the dems issue, that they can never quite adjust to the game being played.
But they are able to do it, becaues the likes of Just Stop Oil are p*ssing on everyone feet expecting to people to agree with them... When really, all it does is, push people away, makes it hard for the people of real knowledge of the situation to get their message across becasue of the actions of well intended m*rons who are oblivious to the negative effects of their actions they cause. Just Stop Oil, are only preaching to the quoir. It's always a small minority generally that ruin it for the rest.
I would also force a change regarding climate change, between who the two sides are regarding the debate. As it is btween those that report the science accurately and with due diligence and those that don't.
Then there is the snobbery of the experts too. Just look at that study regarding brexit voters and their supposed intelligence and their lower intelligence meant they were susceptable to beliving lies. I actually read that report and the authors themselves couldn;t tell what a lie was and regarded those told by remains as "exagerations"... So when Alan Johnson turned around said that 2/3's of manufacturing/business (can't remember which) rely solely on the EU, it turns out it was something like 12%-15%... This wasn't a lie according to the study just an exgeration... Not to mention so much else that was wrong with it.
Which then pushes more people to listen to the likes of Farage etc etc
It is not incumbant on anyone to realise anything. You can't expect people to have indepth knowledge to know when they are being taken for granted.
I believe wholey in the freedom of the press, but they don't have the freedom to BS, that all of them do. They then hide behind the freedom of the press to justify this BS. If I had my way, nearly every news outlet would be shut down, including Sky, BBC, Channel 4, GB News, and every national newspaper. Becaues of the BS they spread.
I also think Parliament should be forced to show all the figures when making claims at question time... Like when MP's this will create on average £3000 per person for the economy... Okay... Show us this distribution on how you got this average, and show it properly... And this should be equally applied to news reporters to whether they be published or televised.
I digress...
You just simply can't put on people to know they are being used. People will also vote knowing they are being used, becaues the other side has called them racist, bigot, mysogonyist far right or vice versa... And you are right youtubers do have influence too... Why I was saying that shoving woke into everything cost the Dem's so dearly, even if they wasn't pushing it themselves, just because it was associated with being "left".... No one is going to listen to you if p*ss on their feet, ruin everything they enjoy, they will look to those on line saying exactly the same thing and when they say f*ck the woke left/democrats most of their followers will do the same. Or not vote, which probably cost the Dems dearly.
I'm not saying I disagree with you as such, I just think the expectation is, that people should be give all the facts and allow them to make an informed choice.