Digital Dissent Dispatch

In the twilight of social media’s grand delusion, where the promise of connection has given way to the reality of algorithmic manipulation, I’ve recently found myself adrift in a digital wasteland. The platforms that once heralded a new era of human interaction have let me—and us all—down.

I left Twitter and recently fell out of love with Instagram. Linkedin, that bastion of corporate conformity, represents professional dialogue, while Bluesky dangles the carrot of decentralized utopia. But who’s to say these two can persist?

A newsletter feels right for me at this time. However, I won’t conform to the rules of successful newsletters (yet): I comment on business, technology, ethics, and politics. This approach contrasts with the typical recommendation for newsletters, which often emphasizes focusing on a single niche or closely related topics. I want to share articles that have impressed me. As I usually did on Instagram or LinkedIn, I write about shady business practices, tech industry overreach, ethical dilemmas, and political shenanigans.

We’ll call it “Odds and Sods.” You’ll get a bit of this and a dash of that – all sorts of interesting tidbits thrown together. So, every week, I will try to curate my rants from other platforms into a newsletter. In the words of Christopher Hitchens, “Time spent arguing is, oddly enough, almost never wasted.”

The newsletter is dead. Long live the newsletter.

Recommending: Elon Musk’s war on Wikipedia

You should read Molly White’s piece on Elon Musk’s recent attacks against Wikipedia. She dissects how Musk’s grievances have escalated into a broader campaign that aligns with right-wing efforts to control information flow. White’s analysis goes beyond Musk’s tweets, revealing the complexities of Wikipedia’s content policies and the challenges of maintaining an open, collaborative platform in today’s polarized information landscape. She connects Musk’s actions to more significant trends in media manipulation and the weaponization of “free speech” rhetoric. This article is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, ethics, and information integrity in our digital age. Check out Molly White’s full article for a deep dive.

Elon Musk is not a genius.

Elon Musk: my archenemy since 2016. As a journalist, I’ve witnessed the unwarranted hype surrounding him. His talent is convincing people he’s a genius. In reality, Musk didn’t invent his companies’ core technologies. He’s known for grandiose promises and missed deadlines. Let’s examine a joke that illustrates this: Believing he’s onto something, Musk tweeted: “woke_mind_virus found at 127.0.0.1” – he appears oblivious to the fact that the IP address he cited always points back to his own computer. Congratulations, Elon. So you located the woke mind virus in your own mind?

There is also a recent video of him lying about being good at video games. When experienced gamers and streamers examine his gameplay, they see that his claimed high skill level is inconsistent with his lack of understanding of basic game mechanics. You can see the full deep dive here.

As Elon Musk claims to be good in more and more fields, one can only hope that more people come to the same conclusion as Rod Hilton did on Mastodon two years ago:

Why not Substack?

Initially, I opened an account on Substack, a rival newsletter tool. But the presence of Nazi and white supremacist content on the Substack platform made me change my mind. And as Marisa Kabas recently reported, this hasn’t improved. I completely agree with her: “There is no such thing as a perfect place on the internet. But it’s possible to avoid the ones that aren’t even pretending to try to be better.”

Oops, We Printed Fascism

German magazine Katapult believes that by publishing hundreds of thousands of pamphlets containing 40 inflammatory quotes from AfD politicians, simply exposing voters to the AfD’s actual statements will deter support. This is dangerously naive and fundamentally misguided. It completely ignores decades of research on effectively countering right-wing extremism and could potentially backfire spectacularly.

First, simply presenting extremist quotes without context or counterarguments risks normalizing and amplifying their hateful rhetoric. Research clearly shows that exposure to extremist content, even when intended critically, can lead to desensitization and increased acceptance over time. Second, this simplistic “let them speak for themselves” strategy naively assumes that extremist statements will be universally rejected. Such statements often resonate with latent prejudices and can attract rather than repel certain audiences. You’re essentially doing the AfD’s propaganda work for them.

Third, the notion of plastering public spaces with extremist rhetoric, even with critical intent, is deeply irresponsible. It risks traumatizing vulnerable groups and creating an atmosphere of fear and hostility. In summary, this approach is a simplistic, potentially counterproductive gimmick that truly ignores the complex, nuanced work required to combat right-wing extremism.

Digital Stockholm Syndrome: America’s Tiktok Addicts Embrace China’s Trojan Horse

The surge of Americans flocking to Rednote, a Chinese social media app, amid concerns about Tiktok’s ban, highlights the addictive nature of these platforms and users' naivety. This shift from one security concern to another is dangerously shortsighted.

Firstly, the geopolitical ramifications of this migration are crucial. In a misguided attempt to counter U.S. fears about Chinese data practices, these "Tiktok refugees” unwittingly partake in a form of digital colonialism. By choosing Rednote, they aren’t just switching loyalty but undermining their government’s efforts to protect national interests.

The data security concerns troubling Tiktok are even more pronounced in Rednote. Its terms of service resemble a Kafkaesque text, alarming anyone who cares about privacy and free expression. This situation reveals our addiction to social media and our poor digital awareness.

The rush for a Tiktok alternative demonstrates the dependency these platforms foster, regardless of their origins. The irony, of course, is that in their quest to protest against perceived government overreach, these rebels are subjecting themselves to a far more pervasive and potentially dangerous form of surveillance.

In conclusion, the rise of Redtote in the wake of Tiktok’s potential demise is not a triumph of user choice or digital freedom. It is, rather, a damning indictment of our collective failure to grasp the geopolitical implications of our online actions, our willful ignorance of data protection concerns, and our pathetic addiction to the endless scroll. The red app icon symbolizes the flaws of our digital age.

This is the end of my first edition. Thank you for reading this far. Please let me know what you think.

I asked an AI about my concept, and while it agreed that filling a niche is better, it also said, “Your approach of covering multiple interconnected topics can be a strength if executed well. It allows you to explore the complex relationships between these fields and offer a more holistic view of current issues.”

Now that’s what I call empathy.

Until next time,

John Stanley Hunter