An ancient philosophical quandary dedicated to law enforcement has infiltrated the ranks of the tech industry. In preemptively apologizing to the gods that rule over the use of tenses and thus time, the epidemic of wrestling with semantics and logical conundrums has set a destination for the blue glass cubicle office park campuses of Silicon Valley with the ceaselessly and subversive unstable actions of John McAfee. The AV tycoon has built a lucrative empire of anti-virus software products based entirely on marketing fear mongering and selling the idea to the consumer that hackers are salivating at the prospect of gaining access to a personal PC to sift through and steal a collection of family photos, a few scattered text documents and assorted music tracks from Peter Frampton Comes Alive.
Getting back to the original thought, certain law enforcement personal has historically been plagued by the following stigma, “The best detectives make the best criminals, and vise versa.” While not a completely unfair categorization, the idea that investigators who share linear thought patterns with crooks, are more effective in their duties than colleagues who do not, is not an unreasonable assumption. The negative connotation to this premise, is that the good guys who possess this intriguing duality of characteristics reaching across the spectrum of morality never entirely reach the threshold of complete trust. In the case of the brilliant McAfee, he exists as a legitimate figurehead for the anti-virus platforms globally, yet is marred in perpetual rumor and controversy as to potential deals made with the digital devil. With the ongoing investigations and perpetual criticism rightfully endured by social media, the echoes of McAfee are apparent in the key leadership positions at the largest online communities, as the end to the honeymoon phase was made official by violently collided with a formidable structure consisting of rules and regulations bent and warped to an unrecognizable extent, in bashing ethics to the a parallel dimension. Being John McAfee has gradually emerged as the trendy response to adversity in maintaining a flawed business model through every means possible, even if the circumstances involve a fifth of Grand Marnier, a renegade drone, seven CNN “broken” news specialists, and billions of dollars accessible in the recreational fund. The metaphor of throwing darts blind, does not justify the quirky heedlessness in deciding corporate course of actions during times of desperation.
In banking on an unstable future that the 2020 election will reinvigorate a frustrated subscriber base searching for more intriguing and trustworthy online alternatives, the largest social network in the known universe has essentially applied for a shady payday loan, and along with the duct tape patch job in scrambling to reassure investors and advertisers, the terms and conditions of the contract is nothing less than exploitative to a point of suffocating inanity. The response to the incessant noise from the mainstream press, industry professional and account holders in viciously criticizing the competency of Zuckerberg and crew to navigate through the impossible stormy waters, has been less than underwhelming. Instead of addressing the known issues highlighted by privacy and security concerns compromising the integrity of the entire platform, not to mention promoting a one-sided political agenda, the company has decided to launch a Bitcoin derivative, a testament to the McAfee- Jekyll and Hyde mentality of chronic instability.
On the other end of the digital spectrum, Bitcoin has endured a wallowing spell through the stagnation of a market wide correction spurred by the allergic reaction of big-time legitimate retailers to implement cryptocurrency payment options, with Amazon and Starbucks leading the notable charge of resistance. The recent F***book public decree to join the cryptocurrency marketplace has reinvigorated the entire electronic monetary unit industry, and created an interesting correlation between the two vast entities. How far the phenomenon develops between cause and effect has future ramifications in two key crucial arenas of the internet landscape.
While the complexities of the symbiotic relationship barely scratch the surface of intrigue, the results are misleading in prompting a mass migration towards F***book confidence or the cornering the Bitcoin marketplace, reports The Guardian, as news of the awkward organic unintentional set of circumstance has sparked a surge in cryptocurrency values. As the warped one-world vision of Mark Zuckberg sputters and spews environmental toxins in the form of a sentient self-driving Tesla mowing down middle class pedestrians, the development of the social media version of Bitcoin, appropriately named Libra, has temporarily silenced rumors of competing factions emerging within the executive offices at the Bay area headquarters threatening to tear the company apart. Ironically, the aforementioned John McAfee has been a major player in the crypocurrency game in advocating for aggressive investments into the infrastructure. With series of governments sanctions on the horizon and the downward trend of user engagement and site analytics, the positive headline could not have come at a better time for F***book and other social networks, as authorities crack down on blatant privacy concerns and questionable business practices bordering on anti-trust violations. In order to survive the expectations for accountability carpet bombed into the various board rooms, Zuckerberg and other software magnates have had to conjure their own inner McAfee’s to counter the onslaught of responsibility and transparency in pivoting against the accusations and threats culminated by calls for deregulation.
The resurgence of Bitcoin to pre-digital monetary unit recession levels of hysteria and a steadily climbing price that threatens to pass the $12 thousand threshold, has attracted a new wave of investors and prompted the restoration of mining efforts that were effectively mothballed during a brutal 10 month period for the entire marketplace. Apparently, the powers that be of the financial world are intrigued by Libra, and the prospect of social media account holders directly interacting with online retailers and service providers through cryptocurrency transactions, rather than traditional payment options. The redefinition of digital consumer behavior in introducing the fundamental concept of Bitcoin to the younger generations through a customized narrative which harmoniously syncs with the diverse array of devices and applications available, is a potentially lucrative concept in changing the way that humanity thinks about spending money. Who can lose when the concept of dollars spent and the negative connotation to impulse consumerism, is replaced by credits used to purchase items directly from a user’s timeline, or F***book’s Libra transacted with the relative ease and entertainment value of playing an online video game? However, the venture remains tangible only if the online communities can prevent an epic implosion in attempting to navigate a tedious and tumultuous landscape brought forth by the careless handling of sensitive data. Otherwise, Bitcoin and relevant offshoots will be at the whim of retailers integrating the necessary infrastructure in attempting to justify valuation against time-tested exchange methods.
In choosing to be John Malkovich or following the thistle bramble laden pathway passively blazed by John McAfee, the temporary fortunes generated by the unbelievable non-thinking tree of Zuckerberg are the mark of a nefarious dichotomy lacking benevolence, but displaying a wealth of empathy. The blurred distinction between good and evil flourishes within the comfortable confines of 20,000 lines of implacable code, a meticulous and regimented environment where nuance is an impossibility, and a sobering reality for the kings and queens of tech.
Read the Guardian story here
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