The time has come,’ the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings.’
– Lewis Carrol
Some may think it strange that I start what should be a very dry and serous post with a quote from one of Lewis Carrol’s more nonsensical poems, but bear with me for a bit and it shall be all made clear.
With the news that the Company that is self acknowledged as being a hard core political marketing (read Agitation/Propaganda) organization violated the terms of use of Facebook it has forced the body politic to face up to the facts. An just what facts are these? Simply, that what once started out as computer age equivalent of gathering at the local Pub/Saloon/Coffee Shop/back fence and talking, that is Social Media has reach full maturity and has been co-opted by the Con-men.
Make no mistake about it, we are no longer just talking about people being creative in their sales pitch. We are talking about people using social media to look deep into our pyche’s and use are deepest fears to manipulate and control us. An just like the oysters in the poem, will will be betrayed and consumed if we do not do something now!
It is time for all governments of the Free World to take action. Here in the USA it is time for the GOP to stop viewing the Russian actions in the 2016 election thru the distorting glasses of partisan politics. It does not mater who won the election in 2016, it is done and over. What maters is that hidden agencies used improperly gleaned personal information to craft fallacious activities in our body politic. Do not say “This is just an Internet issue.”, it is not.
Rather think how you would feel if someone was able to observe all of your reading/shopping/casual conversations and then sent in undetectable agents into your favorite local Bar/Coffeeshop, where every you gather with friends to talk, to use what they know of you to feed you lies. I don’t know about others but I would feel violated, betrayed and badly misused and I’d want to both put a stop to it and to wreak just revenge on the perps.
So the time has come to talk of many things:
Of Social Media – and accountability – and visibility
Of freedom – and politics
Of why our rage is boiling hot
and if Politicos have courage.