I watched #Brexit – An Uncivil War on Netflix last night and thought: how easy society is to manipulate. How can we feel ourselves being boiled like frogs? How did Michael Gove, Dominic Cummings end up in parliament and Nigel Farage become an MEP.
The reasonable thinking that existed up til 2016, fought for by Craig Oliver and honest campaigners using honest tactics was shattered by micro-targeting people (who would argue against their own best interests) used by Aggregate AI and Cambridge Analytica through jackpot competitions, quizzes and social media.
We all see different newsfeeds according to how we are assessed by algorithms. We mustn’t take anything as read.
Have you seen the Great Hack? The press are seeing echoes of the 1930s, one of the darkest decades in humanity leading up to world war. War and disagreement are unresolvable as it follows the premise that everyone thinks they’re right and everyone else is wrong. How can you prove it? Communication is snuffed out, no one listens and all you can do is fight.
Quote from one of a few articles saying this:
“Then as now, nationalism and protectionism were on the rise and democracies were seen to have failed, people hungered for the government of strong men; those who suffered most from the pain of economic collapse felt alienated and turned towards simplistic solutions and strident voices … ‘fake news’ built around the convincing untruth carried more weight in the public discourse than rational arguments and provable facts.”
Dairy of A Nonny Moose 