No sorry, you can’t entirely blame victims of propaganda.
The tabloids use fear-based, weaponised tactics that would impact any nation it was peddled to. The tabloid media are a huge part in setting the narrative of fearing others, false sense of “patriotism”, and slamming body confidence of women. They also have a nasty habit of latching onto women. Jade Goody, Princess Di, Amy Winehouse, Meghan Markle, and now Caroline Flack.
I agree about the downside. Further down however is the dilemma that poses.
The blunt truth is that we now have an almost entirely unregulated social media, and a lightly regulated press. At least the press can be proved to be responsible for harm, censured and reigned in, although each time that happens a tiny piece of freedom is chipped away. But the mass media, the people pouring their scorn, hate and bile onto this woman (who is simply one, public example) are in practice unregulated, and as it is now, the social media carries at least as much impact on the vulnerable as the press do, I think more.
So if it must be regulated, then it should be self regulated. The only alternative is government interference, and frankly who do you trust least?
How do you regulate? Look at PFM. Posts are taken down but it's always too late. The viewer has viewed by then, the insult delivered and for the vulnerable, the damage done. And here, in perspective, it is very well run and barely any nonsense goes unchallenged for more than an hour or so, but even a minute is too long.
The sad fact is that 'we' have given a voice to a million million people, amongst whom are the thick, the unbalanced, the psychopathic, the people who love to hurt and etc (sry to be so un pc and blunt but I feel some things have to be faced...everyone, all the good people will have to lose their freedom, so I'm not unhappy to put names to those I think are responsible for the coming unwanted government control) . Only government regulation can prevent them from doing continued wide-scale damage, though it's a task so huge that it would probably mean the end of those sites as we know them. And it's an end to that kind of freedom of speech.
There must be a balance to protect those vulnerable, but what that is I have no idea. I don't want a lack of freedom, I don't want anyone hurt, and I don't want hurtful, deliberately unpleasant people to be able to spread their venom without penalty or sanction. How?