It seems it is now a daily occurence. Social and the mainstream media are awash with news of something else that Musk has done or said, the death, ressurection and maybe ultimate demise of TikTok, the scrapping of independent fact checking by Meta. The list goes on and on and on....
The latter is a huge concern and hasn't been as reviled as intensively as I believe it should have been. Zuckerberg's kowtowing to Trump's whims means we are now far more likely to be subject to horrific, phobic diatribes similar to what people may still be witnessing on 'X'. Personally, I wouldn't know what is going on over there in Elon Land anymore as I no longer give him my time of day - preferring the more dulcite tones of BlueSky. How long it will remain a 'softer' option, before it succumbs to the equivalent faults of other social media, who knows however.
Watching all of this unfold in even greater rapidity during the last US and UK Elections it struck me that we are now past the days of just labelling The Press or TV Channels as right wing, left sympathetic or just downright looney, We are heading the same way with social media. How long will it be before your choice of platform reflects your political allegiances?
So instead of wandering to your local papershop in a morning/tuning into GBeebies to be dismayed by what 'illegal immigrants' are doing - you just head to 'X' instead? With the owners apparent lack of understanding of what is and isn't a Nazi slaute - his online toy would prove the perfect online equivalent of The Mail.
Like a bit of fun and frivolity, a bit of gossip and an occasional serious news headline - Facebook/The Sun or Star
Pure titilation and watching people make idiots of themselves - TikTok = The Sport
Want to be seen as open and non-commital in your thoughts and opinions but also a little more highbrow - LinkedIn = The Guardian
Not really sure what/who you like or don't like, who offends you and who doesn't but you're still a bit inquisitive - BlueSky = The Independent
Just want some gossip and highly sanitised pictures of celebrities and you are most definitey nosey - Instagram = Hello
So I generalise but the fallout from the US election in particular was the apparent power and influence these platforms had and continue to do so. 'X' became this incredible mouthpiece for Trump, Musk and their cronies. TikTok apparently swung the young vote the new President's way. Trump HATED TikTok prior to the election and was insistent that it should shuffle off into the sunset. Once he was made aware of the hold it had over a younger generation, he backtracked and gave it a reprieve in defiance of the US Supreme Court.
It used to be a critical point in an election campaign when the newspaper or TV oligarchs threw their weight behind a party or a candidate. Although this may carry some sway still, it is surely dwarfed by the importance of a platform or its owners vested interest. This, backed by the unmonitored use of ads, boosted posts and ever erratic algorithms, your choice of platform can become a biased, blatantly untrue (often) and utter fallacy.
This from Yes Prime Minister says it all...
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