"Social media is mainstream media now. It’s where the majority of the world gets its news. Though who even cares about news? It’s where the world gets its memes and jokes and consumes its endlessly mutating trends. Forget “internet culture”. The internet is culture. And this is where this election was fought and won … long before a single person cast a ballot.
Mark Zuckerberg has ditched his suit, grown out his Caesar haircut and bought a rapper-style gold chain. He’s said one of his biggest regrets is apologising too much. Because he – like others in Silicon Valley – has read the runes. PayPal’s co-founder Peter Thiel, creeping around in the shadows, ensured his man, JD Vance, got on the presidential ticket. Musk wagered a Silicon Valley-style bet by going all in on Trump. Jeff Bezos, late to the party, jumped on the bandwagon with just days to go, ensuring his Washington Post didn’t endorse any candidate.
These bros know. They don’t fear journalists any more. Journalists will now learn to fear them. Because this is oligarchy now. This is the fusion of state and commercial power in a ruling elite. It’s not a coincidence that Musk spouts the Kremlin’s talking points and chats to Putin on the phone. The chaos of Russia in the 90s is the template; billions will be made, people will die, crimes will be committed.
We’re all wading through the information sewers. Trump is a bacillus but the problem is the pipes. We can and must fix this."
Carol Cadwalladr (klick on her name to read the rest)
I don't know that it can be fixed. they defunded education for decades to get the ignorant population they could feed lies to and who did not have the wits to know it. the Department of Education will be one of the first things cut. probably won't change until the peasants rise up with their axes and scythes but that will be a long time coming. the peasants are still in denial thinking that now they will get rich.
ReplyDeleteMy soul aches with the knowledge that what happens next is going to be far worse than anything we've seen. There's just no getting around it. it's going to be very, very bad.
ReplyDelete