As a pandemic of copycat crimes defacing rare art through the incorrigible actions of apparent environmentalists dominates the manipulated trending headlines, the vast dynamic digital platform of Twitter is abuzz with an air of discontent and good riddance. While nuance is absent from the reactionary emotional-laden and inane ecosystem, the majority of these vandals and “activists” donning “Stop Oil” tee-shirts are actually paid actors funded by a fossil fuel heiress. The cagey and subversive performance art is simply a reverse sting vehicle of promoting oil through discrediting extremists, a tactic borrowed directly from the leftist playbook of deflection, lies and unethical methods that defy the unwritten rules of political engagement. Of course, the tiresome hijinks are trending on Twitter.
In nearly a week since Elon Musk inserted himself into the driver’s seat in the self-driving vehicle of electronic oligarchy, the nuclear fallout of the transfer of power has shown instances of ideological cannibalism, incessant groupthink, and deployment of golden parachutes. Among this maelstrom of change, the obligatory fraternity of tenured employees of the Silicon Valley who are impervious to termination wait silently for the storm to pass, guarding passwords and crucial source code that can only be recalled through selective memory. Within this pathologically infused funhouse of relentless psychological posturing rivaling the morphing of Ken Bruen and Thomas Hunter novels into a surreal celebration of the disturbing, electronic plagiarism is personified, if yet celebrated by impressionable minds. The Twitter brand of one-upmanship clearly encourages the repetitive as account holders seek constant validation from a sea of strangers only identified through pixels. It is of no surprise that encore performances of twenty-somethings hurling soups and curries at historic paintings and gluing themselves to walls of prominent galleries will continue and is simply a microcosm of the viral mentality of embraced randomness and the intrigue of the unknown.
While the campaign of Musk to cauterize the volatility and squash the pervading myths abundant throughout the social media vertical markets, society must now employ a “a wait and see” attitude to properly synthesize the possibility that online communities may never again be the same. However, with 15-second spans the new norm, this may be an insurmountable challenge, and with the critical midterm elections less than a week away, the languishing gelatinous mass of critical thinking skills flailing and gasping on a terrestrial beach unfortunately is not biodegradable.
Under the new leadership, the company has already parted ways with key staff members and massive layoffs are planned.
As the world’s wealthiest individual has already implied that the corporation may implement a paid subscription infrastructure for influencers, many dignitaries and followers on the left side of the political spectrum have already indicated that they will search elsewhere to quench the thirst for instant gratification. If a shrill and grating wailing cry driving one towards madness could be produced through text, the mind-numbing tantrum emanating from the participants of the exodus from Twitter has already registered on the decibel scale in piercing the peaceful vacuous confines of the galaxy. Protocol dictates that a self-proclaimed social networking influencer must announce their departure from any platform in a drama-filled production, rather than simply leaving quietly.
As Musk attempts to moderate a digital domain that has been corrupted by foreign rogue bots and domestic information terrorists and instigators specializing in suppression, isolation and cancellation (not necessarily in that order), the preliminary vibe over the last three days, has all the indications and subtlety of the masses preparing for a category five hurricane. Amid the chaos and visceral rhetoric, revisionists are attempting to erase Jack Dorsey and his Democratic influence on corporate culture and the user base in deliberately limiting the voice of Conservatives.
Modern ancient icons such as Dan Rather, and other public figures choose to play the victim card in encouraging their followers to abandon Twitter, however, with limited options save for the array of Chinese social media digital forced labor camps, a similar destination with the brand name and popularity does not exist (yet). And there is always TikTok as a last result, before selling one’s soul to Beijing. The question remains, where is Jack Ma?
With the polling numbers showing very favorably for the Republicans taking control of both Congress and the Senate, Americans have obviously grown weary of leftist policy having a detrimental effect on the economy and public safety in democratically controlled cities. As the social networks are complicit in purposefully diminishing the reach of any content that is right of center, F***book and Twitter have seen a perceptible drop in what was once a substantial and loyal user base. In various microclimates of common sense, individuals are pocketing their smartphones and interacting through conversation, and this environment includes the eerie landscape of the post-Covid workplace. While the information age bestows a seemingly limitless amount of information upon an end user, the challenge for society is to gravitate away from the chaos of data overload and the addiction to instant gratification in heading towards the water cooler.
Whether or not Musk can transform Twitter into a useful tool for meaningful debate and set the tone for the future of unification is an unsettling scenario for radicals, as social media has once and again proven to be a mechanism conducive to activism and divisiveness.