7 Comments

Just watched an After Skool video today on the phenomenon of social media influencers - "How "influencers" become brainwashed by their audiences." This is known as audience capture. It is not a good outcome for the influencer. The shallowness of our culture is leading to the death of us.

Expand full comment

Tyranny depends on the widespread ascendancy of moral breakdown. The parents and teachers who raised these cretins were willing to subject their kids to television and social media to gain a bit of household peace. Now we all lose everything. Finally everyone will experience the equality of slavery.

Expand full comment

Okay. I accept this column as truth, because that's what it is. But you should do a follow-up, John: What are we going to do about it?

Expand full comment

Or for that matter, is there anything we can do about it?

Expand full comment

There's no big, sweeping gesture that will change our whole culture. Changing it requires people pointing out an issue and trying to talk people into going in a different direction. Eventually, millions of people acknowledge the issue and deciding to go in a different direction. Then eventually, if things are successful, the speed of the change picks up and the momentum draws tens of millions of people in the right direction without them even necessarily consciously deciding to make that change.

I'm doing my part by writing pieces like these and trying to get the whole thing started instead of being conservative pundit #978 going, "Trump good! MAGA! Get those liberal tears! OUTRAGE, OUTRAGE, OUTRAGE" -- and trust me, I'd make more money and get more followers doing that than what I'm doing. I can't make everyone else appreciate what I'm doing, share it, support it or go along with me. But, I can do that much. If enough other people do what they can, things will change.

Expand full comment

I enjoyed reading this essay, it was eye-opening for me. I won't go too far off topic but I'd like to point out the fact that yes, Trump can be obnoxious, even over the top at times, but really, where else does he go to be heard- the main-stream media? Think back to the "92% negative" reporting during the first 100 days, the traditional "honeymoon" phase of a new presidency, and cut the guy some slack for fighting back. When the game is rigged, you're a sucker to play by their rules. I've said it before, so have you, social media is destructive to American culture, and our "friends" in northern California aim to keep it that way...

Expand full comment

I hope so. But I don't hold out much optimism.

Expand full comment