---
title: "Don’t Blame Technology for Misinformation, Polarization, and Electoral Distrust"
summary: |-
  The roots of the word *scapegoat* go back to biblical times, when the sins of the people were ritually bestowed upon an actual goat, which was then sent away to remove these sins from the community. It’s an apt analogy for the way advanced technologies are now blamed for seemingly every societal ill. But just as goats weren’t responsible for the sins of the ancients, neither is technology to blame for ours.
date: "2024-07-01"
issues: ["Artificial Intelligence", "Internet"]
authors: ["David Moschella"]
content_type: "Op-Eds & Contributed Articles"
canonical_url: "https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2024/07/01/dont_blame_technology_for_misinformation_polarization_and_electoral_distrust_1041625.html"
---

# Don’t Blame Technology for Misinformation, Polarization, and Electoral Distrust

The roots of the word *scapegoat* go back to biblical times, when the sins of the people were ritually bestowed upon an actual goat, which was then sent away to remove these sins from the community. It’s an apt analogy for the way advanced technologies are now blamed for seemingly every societal ill. But just as goats weren’t responsible for the sins of the ancients, neither is technology to blame for ours.

[Writing in ](https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2024/07/01/dont_blame_technology_for_misinformation_polarization_and_electoral_distrust_1041625.html)*[RealClearPolicy](https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2024/07/01/dont_blame_technology_for_misinformation_polarization_and_electoral_distrust_1041625.html)*, David Moschella considers three of the most common allegations—that technology is spreading misinformation, polarizing society, and undermining electoral trust—and he shows all three are myths.

[Read the op-ed](https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2024/07/01/dont_blame_technology_for_misinformation_polarization_and_electoral_distrust_1041625.html).

---
*Source: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)*
*URL: https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2024/07/01/dont_blame_technology_for_misinformation_polarization_and_electoral_distrust_1041625.html*