In the most recent United States election, President-elect Donald J. Trump received 76,916,849 total votes. 32% of those voters are likely to believe in far-right conspiracy theories popular on social media. All of these voters fell prey to a campaign driven by disinformation and blatant, easily disprovable lies.

Misinformation and conspiracy have grown exponentially on social media. It is a development which threatens the fabric of democracy. This has had a direct effect on the political realities, changing the course of numerous elections, and emboldening fringe groups to spread harmful rhetoric. Platforms like X and Facebook serve as enthusiastic participants in the spread of misinformation, via a controlled and monetised algorithm that rewards nastiness.

With governments failing in their duty of care, the consequences of platforms that allow lies to proliferate are just beginning to materialise. According to an EU commission study, X has the biggest proportion of disinformation, compared to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube. Countries identified as particularly at risk of disinformation were Spain, Poland, and Slovakia.

X is owned by Elon Musk, whose complete misunderstanding of what ‘free speech’ means, gives the go-ahead to groups like Team Jorge, who are engaged in malignant cyber activities to distribute disinformation and claim involvement in 33 presidential elections.

Trump has now appointed Musk to the position of ‘Head of the Department of Government Efficiency’, and has been allowing Musk to unofficially oversee political happenings and appointments in Mar-a-Lago.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also dined with Trump recently at Mar-a-Lago, despite banning Trump from his platforms following the January 6 riots. Tech giants in bed with Trump represents bad news for truth and election security.

As Christmas and New Year hurtle ever closer – capping off another phenomenal 12 months of Irish music, sport, film, literature and more  – we're thrilled to present the brand new Hot Press Annual!

Inside, you'll find captivating conversations with Fontaines D.C., KNEECAP, Jazzy, LYRA, The Mary Wallopers, Gurriers, Daniel Wiffen, Irish Artists For Palestine and more – all taking us through their highlights of the year. Plus, the HP critics deliver their verdict on 2024 – including all the top albums, tracks, movies, books, quotes, photos and events...