The Dream of the Raised Arm

“False flag operations. Disproportionate cultural panics. Disproportion generally. Censorship. Self-censorship. Conspiracies. Deep dives. Doing your own research. Keeping receipts. Putting you on blast. Registering your deafening silence. Living in bubbles. Living in echo chambers. Let that sink in. #Nuance. Team Fact. Team Feeling. For the past fifteen years we have—all of us—been subjected to a truly monumental network of psychological influence that our governments have failed to regulate in any real way whatsoever. Just as it was in the Thirties, our version of the propaganda megaphone is “subject to no legal or moral restraints.” Maybe it’s time that it is?”

More Zadie Smith but this piece is really interesting, taking something written about living in Germany in the 1930s and seeing how that can help us view today. As is usual for Smith, her insights on social media and algorithms and how they are affecting our society and us as people. Something I'm thinking about weeks after reading it.