Fox News amplifies 'great replacement' myth: How media monopolies weaponize demographic panic for political control
Original framing: “How Fox News viewership increases belief in the anti-immigrant great replacement theory” — The Conversation - Global
The 'great replacement' theory has deep roots in 19th-century eugenics and fascist propaganda, from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to apartheid-era South Africa. It was repurposed in the 20th century by far-right movements in Europe and the U.S., often with tacit support from political elites seeking to distract from economic crises. The current iteration is a modernized version of these older myths, repackaged for digital media ecosystems.
The 'great replacement' myth is not a spontaneous belief but a manufactured crisis, amplified by corporate media monopolies like Fox News to serve the interests of political and economic elites.
This narrative exploits deep historical fears of demographic change, repackaging colonial and fascist tropes for the digital age, where algorithms prioritize outrage over truth. The solution lies in dismantling the structural conditions that enable such myths—media monopolies, economic inequality, and racialized social control—while centering the wisdom of Indigenous, marginalized, and cross-cultural perspectives. Future resilience depends on policies that address root causes rather than symptoms, and media ecosystems that elevate solidarity over division. The trickster’s role is to expose the absurdity of these narratives, but the real work is building the institutions and cultures that render them obsolete.