politics

Haha next you'll be telling me that allowing broadband cartels in the US to collude and conspire against consumers was a bad idea

"We have to fight with the weapons that apply to the battlefields in which we’re engaged. And the most important ones are on social media. And the most important purchase that is going on right now is TikTok. Number one. Number one." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in September.

https://thenewregion.com/posts/3251/tiktok-ownership-shakeup-raises-fears-of-israeli-government-influence

Yes, that is literally the point.

Same reason grok is allowed to generate CSAM but not unflattering images of Trump.

Yes, they literally explicitly said this. There also wasnt even "Chinese propaganda", the just didn't care to censor pro-palestine content and that's unacceptable to the US.

There is an old joke about how incredibly good American propaganda was. What we are seeing now is more of a ~~breakdown~~ shift in the propaganda machine. It is becoming less about forming a universal belief. They have realized this is no longer possible. So, it's not about hiding the lies. It's about preventing the most people from seeing the truth.

Anyway, here is the joke.

A KGB spy and a CIA agent meet up in a bar for a friendly drink

"I have to admit, I'm always so impressed by Soviet propaganda.

You really know how to get people worked up," the CIA agent says.

"Thank you," the KGB says. "We do our best but truly, it's nothing compared to American propaganda.

Your people believe everything your state media tells them."

The CIA agent drops his drink in shock and disgust. "Thank you friend, but you must be confused...

There's no propaganda in America."

Unfortunately everyone else also reaps in this case.

With that mindset, we are all doomed. I get the desire to shit on them, just like the people who haven't left X. But for every person who knows about the manipulation and censorship, I guarantee there's another who's ignorant of it, and will be shaped by it unwittingly. This is not a good thing and having that mindset only serves to allow others to get away with this.

Tell people. Save this article and share it. Remind people of the fuckery behind the scenes whenever you get an opportunity. Be annoying about it. The people who are tuned out are the ones who need to hear it the most. Tell anyone you know using tik tok. Try convincing someone you know to quit the app. It's better than telling them to reap what they sow. because we all lose when anyone is convinced the propaganda is real

Trump's whole thing is making his own reality. If you don't challenge that reality every time he tries to lie or cheat, then it will only get worse and worse.

Jesus H. Christ!

or never download it in the first place…

he didn't buy anything, he stole it :)

On the negative side...

People who have lived half a decade on algorithm-fed short-form video feeds are not looking to replace it with text message boards and still image memes.

They're going to stay exactly where they are and just have the nutrient mix of the IV adjusted.

It is a big deal that 99.9% of idiots won't leave the platform and instead will be getting all kinds of propaganda.

This isn't like Digg -> Reddit. This is something else.

Who are you talking too? Not likely to find many here.

It seems like a no-lose for aspiring oligarchs, buying a social media platform with a large enough left and/or youth user base:

1. muck with the algorithm until what remains is a new right-wing echo chamber; or
2. accidentally sink the whole platform, but at least you wrecked a popular place for left-wing messaging; or
3. somehow not meaningfully change the status quo, and end up with loads of user data and ad revenue.

One can hope… but Twitter still exists and people were saying the same thing about that when Elmo bought it.

I yearn for the days when people didn't willingly install Spyware at all.