I think about how a large factor in our powerlessness is how intentionally polluted and fragmented our information system is in order to prevent change and disempower people. We could do almost anything if we were all on the same page, which is why propaganda abounds and information structures are siloed and unreliable.
This situation is a big threat to us as a species because we kind of need to understand the world in order to address problems. What the psycopath oligarchs have done is like how HIV infects and suppresses the immune system for its own benefit, leaving the host vulnerable to other diseases. To protect their power they damage the species ability to understand the world and know what's real, and as things like genocides, climate change, nuclear proliferation, and exploitation become critical, we seem unable to muster the collective clarity to do anything about them.
That is a very percipient comment - I remember well the naive innocent days of search engines around 2005 - they truly did return listings that were most relevant, not things that the engine owner got paid most for listing.
If we could return the world of internet searching to 2005, using communally owned engines, things would improve. The real question is how you can do that without a communally owned global internet infrastructure too. Because search engines need access to everything out there to be effective....
I think about how a large factor in our powerlessness is how intentionally polluted and fragmented our information system is in order to prevent change and disempower people. We could do almost anything if we were all on the same page, which is why propaganda abounds and information structures are siloed and unreliable.
This situation is a big threat to us as a species because we kind of need to understand the world in order to address problems. What the psycopath oligarchs have done is like how HIV infects and suppresses the immune system for its own benefit, leaving the host vulnerable to other diseases. To protect their power they damage the species ability to understand the world and know what's real, and as things like genocides, climate change, nuclear proliferation, and exploitation become critical, we seem unable to muster the collective clarity to do anything about them.
Very true. People think you're insane if you try to talk about power structures, propaganda, fake democracy, etc
So very well explained, thank you!
That is a very percipient comment - I remember well the naive innocent days of search engines around 2005 - they truly did return listings that were most relevant, not things that the engine owner got paid most for listing.
If we could return the world of internet searching to 2005, using communally owned engines, things would improve. The real question is how you can do that without a communally owned global internet infrastructure too. Because search engines need access to everything out there to be effective....