Cultivate Zetetics !

On 2026-01-23 1

In internet slang, a troll is an individual seeking attention by creating negative feelings, or behavior that aims to generate controversy. Troller artificially creates a controversy to irritate the interlocutor, at the expense of healthy and respectful exchanges. Social networks are the privileged terrain of trolls because they use algorithms that prioritize posts provoking strong reactions, often negative and controversy.

Against the Trolls, let’s cultivate Zetetics!

The Cambridge Analytica Scandal

During election periods, this dynamic becomes even more intense. Polarizing discourse and false information spread more easily, creating a climate of tension, hysteria and even hatred. In 2018, Christopher Wylie, a former employee of Cambridge Analytica, revealed that the company had seized the personal data of millions of Facebook users without their consent in order to deploy sophisticated techniques to manipulate public opinion. Thanks to the data collected, Cambridge Analytica was able to segment the electorate into micro‑groups and send each of them specific messages, playing on their fears and prejudices. These messages were designed to provoke strong emotional reactions, polarize public opinion and divert it from rational debate. The spread of fake news, misleading articles and rumors completed the system by creating a climate of mistrust and division that deepened existing fractures and favored extremist parties. This is how Donald Trump’s campaign was facilitated.

Research has shown that on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), fake news spreads six times faster than verified information.

The use of social networks to manipulate voters has serious consequences for democracy. It undermines the integrity of the electoral process and harms the quality of public debate. Citizens’ critical judgment, exposed to biased or false information, is weakened. Increased polarization damages social cohesion and makes political dialogue more difficult, if not impossible.

The Cambridge Analytica affair highlights the need for strict regulation of personal data and increased vigilance regarding the spread of false information.

Cultivating Zetetics

In ancient Greek, the term zététikos described someone who loves to search. Zetetics is “the art of doubt,” a method that consists of suspending judgment when faced with information in order to take the time to verify its validity. Henri Broch founded the Laboratory of Zetetics at the University of Nice in 1998. Originally, zetetics focused mainly on the rational study of phenomena presented as paranormal, coming from pseudosciences or strange therapies, in order to distinguish what belongs to science from what belongs to belief.

In the age of fake news, many zeteticians try to sort things out and restore facts. Do not hesitate to visit, among others, the YouTube channels “Hygiène Mentale” and “La Tronche en Biais” to develop your critical thinking and learn to resist trolls. You can also use “Vera,” the free fact‑checking hotline (https://www.askvera.org/): 09 74 99 12 95.

Dominique Bénard.

(Photo by Aleksei Zhivilov on Unsplash)