The internet has become a breeding ground for political discourse. New media outlets and influencers sporting all sorts of wacky ideologies seem to pop up every month. The “alt-right pipeline” is a phenomenon that most of us have heard of, sending vulnerable teens and facebook moms towards radical right-wing viewpoints. But, this discourse has also brought positive change and increased awareness of more left-wing fields of thought.

Twitch streams are the cable news of Generation Z. What was once almost exclusively known as a gaming platform has also become a home for political commentary and ruthless debate. Streamers like Hasan Piker use comedic antics and aesthetics to poke fun at conservative rhetoric, which is doing a great job at balancing out the horrific amount of far-right propaganda that exists online.

Other than twitch, YouTube is a more informative outlet for leftist theory. Beautifully-crafted artistic video essays by the likes of ContraPoints and Philosophy Tube bring knowledge into the equation, criticizing and challenging those on the right and left alike. Informational videos from the Gravel Institute and Second Thought are better-suited for visual learners.

People are quick to say that you shouldn’t believe everything you see on the internet. This is definitely true. But I implore you to see just how ridiculous some conservative creators can get. Stretching the truth, strawmans, you name it. I could spend all day picking apart fallacies in Ben Shapiro videos. And this isn’t to say that leftists don’t do the same thing (sometimes even worse). But creators like the ones I listed cite their sources and admit when they’re wrong at the very least (I know, the bar is low).

There will literally never be a society with truly unbiased news. In fact, I am of the belief that it is literally impossible to have an “unbiased” stance, so people who claim to have one tend to be disingenuous. It’s very beneficial to have your own unique preferences and beliefs, so long as they are logical and empathetic to those other than you. And, this diversity of opinions creates a perfect environment for the democratic process. This increase in young progressives using the internet to share their points of view is a direct result of the mainstream media utterly failing them.

When navigating the internet, it’s very easy to fall down a horrific ideological tunnel. You could become a hysterical Q-Anon believer, an insufferable centrist, or a know-it-all neoliberal. Or you could end up like me, ranting to my utterly-annoyed friends about some “dialectical materialism” nonsense.