Silicon valley: Here is a device that makes it possible to exchange information to everyone, everywhere, immediately.
GOP: Oh, you mean I can disseminate anything I want? How about lies? That’d be neat.
Silicon valley: No, not like that.
One thing that I observed is that the right wing had/has the more progressive campaign, from a technology and media use standpoint. The DNC, on the other hand, was still more or less using the same moves they had back in the 1990’s, relying on extinct concepts like the fairness doctrine, debate performance, and journalistic integrity of news outlets (fact-checks anyone?).
It’s not just the Overton Window that has moved: our information diet has completely changed too. To win at politics today, the entire landscape has shifted to propaganda, bombast, showmanship, clickbait, and leading the 24/7 news cycle by the nose. You must be louder and more interesting than the other guy. I think it’s possible to play that game ethically though, without disinformation, but what’s clear is that billionaire-owned media isn’t going to do it for you anymore.
Silicon Valley is laughing all the way to the bank enabling this.
They are the root cause, because no one told them they aren’t allowed to rot brains with relentless engagement optimization. Modern politics would still be bad, but it wouldn’t be so apocalyptic without the monsters they built.
Silicon valley: Here is a device that makes it possible to exchange information to everyone, everywhere, immediately.
GOP: Oh, you mean I can disseminate anything I want? How about lies? That’d be neat.
Silicon valley: No, not like that.
One thing that I observed is that the right wing had/has the more progressive campaign, from a technology and media use standpoint. The DNC, on the other hand, was still more or less using the same moves they had back in the 1990’s, relying on extinct concepts like the fairness doctrine, debate performance, and journalistic integrity of news outlets (fact-checks anyone?).
It’s not just the Overton Window that has moved: our information diet has completely changed too. To win at politics today, the entire landscape has shifted to propaganda, bombast, showmanship, clickbait, and leading the 24/7 news cycle by the nose. You must be louder and more interesting than the other guy. I think it’s possible to play that game ethically though, without disinformation, but what’s clear is that billionaire-owned media isn’t going to do it for you anymore.
Silicon Valley is laughing all the way to the bank enabling this.
They are the root cause, because no one told them they aren’t allowed to rot brains with relentless engagement optimization. Modern politics would still be bad, but it wouldn’t be so apocalyptic without the monsters they built.