We all know the old news world is dying. The big, dusty newspapers are haemorrhaging money and closing down. We aren't reading the morning edition anymore. We're scrolling. Instagram. TikTok. And that's where the trouble starts.

The new journalists aren't trained editors in tweed jackets. They're influencers and improvised creators, capturing our attention one 20-second reel at a time. But here's the problem: when we replace deep analysis with a barrage of short-form noise, critical thinking doesn't just decline — it vanishes.

The Transparency We Took for Granted

Older newspapers had their problems. They definitely played to their echo chambers. But at least you knew what you were getting. You knew the name of the journalist. You could see the political bias of the owner. It was transparent, even when it was flawed.

We see that principle at work even in "new media," when it's done properly. Look at Joe Rogan. Love him or hate him, when he has a head of state on for a three-hour conversation, it's genuinely insightful. You have the time and the space to think. You can analyse the logic, the nuance, the arguments. There's room for meaning to form.

"A 20-second reel isn't a conversation. It's a bombardment. It's designed to trigger a fast emotional response — not a logical one."

— Christian Bertolini

The New Currency Is Not Truth

The new currency of "journalism" isn't truth or depth. It's activity. How many likes? How many shares? And a significant portion of that activity is likely driven by automated accounts — bots artificially pumping certain narratives into our feeds, inflating signals of consensus that never actually existed.

Anatomy of a Reel-Driven News Cycle
0–3 seconds
Emotional hook. A provocative claim, striking image, or outrage bait designed to stop the scroll before a single fact is presented.
3–15 seconds
The assertion. Delivered with authority, but without sourcing, context, or the opposing view that any editorial process would demand.
15–20 seconds
Call to emotional action — share, react, repeat. The format ends before critical doubt has time to form in the viewer's mind.
After the reel
The algorithm notes your engagement and serves you nine more reels echoing the same message. Your feed has become an echo chamber — one you did not consciously choose.

The Ownership Question Nobody Is Asking

The scary part is the lack of transparency. Who owns this new wave of information? Is it Instagram? TikTok? Or the individual making the reel? In reality, the answer is the platform's algorithm — and nobody truly understands how it works.

Today, I saw something that perfectly illustrates the danger. I saw ten different reels, all by people I had never encountered before, all pushing the exact same message. Ten. The algorithm had decided this was my echo chamber and simply flooded me. But who created that message? Why did ten different people all decide to post it at the same time? Was it a coordinated campaign? Who funded it?

20s
Average reel duration
0
Named journalists accountable
?
Who is funding the narrative

This is the central question we are ignoring. We knew the agenda of the New York Times or Fox News. We disagreed with it, argued about it, wrote columns dissecting it. But we have absolutely no idea what the intention is of these new promoters of "information." We don't know who they are, who is paying them, or what their long-term goal is.

"Someone is winning here. Someone is gaining power or money by influencing us this way — politically, economically. And because we aren't asking who, why, and for how much, we are the product being sold."

— Christian Bertolini

Reclaiming the Right to Think

It's time to stop passive scrolling and start asking critical questions again. Three questions every piece of short-form content should face before you share it: Who created this? Who benefits from me believing it? Is there a primary source I can verify?

Because if we don't ask them, we aren't just losing our newspapers. We're losing our ability to think for ourselves — and that is a territory far more difficult to reclaim than a subscription.

Frequently Asked
Why are social media reels considered a threat to journalism?
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Short-form reels are optimised for emotional engagement, not informational depth. Unlike traditional journalism, they carry no editorial oversight, no named journalist, no declared political bias, and no accountability to accuracy standards. The algorithm rewards virality — meaning emotionally triggering content spreads fastest, not the most truthful or nuanced.
Who controls what appears in your social media feed?
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Your feed is controlled by the platform's proprietary algorithm — not editors, not journalists, and not you. The algorithm optimises for engagement metrics. The specific logic of these systems is not publicly disclosed, making it impossible to identify who benefits from particular information being amplified.
What is the difference between traditional media bias and algorithmic bias?
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Traditional media bias was visible: you knew the publication, the journalist, the owner, and the known political lean. Algorithmic bias is invisible — you cannot see who funded a campaign, why the algorithm surfaced ten similar reels simultaneously, or what coordinated influence operation may lie behind a content wave.
Are bots influencing social media news feeds?
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Significant evidence exists that automated accounts artificially amplify certain narratives on social platforms, inflating engagement metrics like likes and shares. This creates a false impression of organic consensus and can trick both algorithms and users into believing a viewpoint is more widely held than it actually is.
How can you protect your critical thinking in a short-form media environment?
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Before accepting content from your feed as fact, ask three questions: Who created this? Who benefits from me believing this? Is there primary source evidence I can verify? Actively seek out long-form journalism. Treat coordinated content waves — multiple accounts pushing the same message simultaneously — as a red flag requiring scrutiny.
CB
Christian Bertolini
CEO, ProntoID · Contributor, GlamBon

Christian Bertolini is an engineer and entrepreneur with a background spanning technology, identity infrastructure, and the liberal arts. He founded ProntoID, a digital identity and credential verification platform. He writes on technology, regulation, media, and the future of digital infrastructure.

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