During US President Biden’s farewell address, he warned the American people about the “tech-industrial complex” that was creating an “oligarchy” in the United States. When we look at the news recently, we can see it forming before our eyes:
- The Supreme Court has upheld the bill to ban TikTok as TikTokers flee to 小红书 (xiao hong shu, aka Little Red Book) in protest.
- Elon Musk, the richest man on Earth, is set to get his own office in Trump’s White House and his own government agency.
- Meta has removed fact-checking and changed their content moderation rules to allow hate-speech, particularly against immigrants, setting the stage for Trump’s deportation plans.
The relationship between Silicon Valley billionaires and the federal government is a necessity (to the ruling class at least) in order for the State to regain control of the flow of information, particularly on social media. The information we consume about the world shapes our reality, and limiting the types of information available is a great way for any country to shape the perceived reality of its citizens. In this context, the question becomes: who gets to shape your reality? The State, the enemies of the State, or you?
