Sadly, this case of a doctored video shows that what matters for an effective social media strategy is not accuracy, but noise.

The Conservatives’ video will have induced in many viewers a false impression of what Sir Keir Starmer said. Their defence, that it was edited for time and effect, and the jaunty music shows it to be clearly satirical in nature, rubs up against the fact that it was in a basic sense misleading.

But the fact the Conservative Party’s press office, having received enquiries, then released a further attack on Sir Keir, shows why this minor saga will be chalked up as a success.

By highlighting the original misrepresentation, journalists merely draw attention to it. In an age of media consumption when our attention is finite, and fought over by the world’s most powerful companies, what matters is briefly capturing enough voters’ minds for long enough to convey the impression that Labour is in a pickle over Brexit.

Of course, everything about this minor affair shows a world in which campaigning isn’t about civilised debate, nuance, policy or argument. It’s about the digital blitzkrieg, and who has the most brutal weaponry. In social media elections, might is right.