I guess it depends on who you talk to, but plenty of Americans and Westerners are aware of this shit. As for a "firewall", there is nothing blocking us from crap like Voice of America. So there really is no buffer, unlike other countries such as China or Russia, attempting to keep us unaware. The government just doesn't mention it.

If you're getting your news from social media, you're an idiot, regardless of who's propaganda you choose to consume. Just look at Trump supporters.

The "rise"? What the hell do you call the last 600 years of the most effective propaganda regime the world has ever seen? Pro-Western disinfo helped launch the fucking Opium Wars for fucks sake. Tonkin? Cuba? Iraqi WMDs? What the hell is this "rise"? It's been the dominant form of disinformation for centuries!!!