Social networks are the new opium of the people. No, I don’t want to revisit the old Marxist concept, but it’s the formula that came to mind, as we prepare to formalize Donald Trump’s second term.
There is something very revealing of our times in the events of the last days.
The prospect of banning TikTok on American soil seems to shake our neighbors much more than the presence of technology giants alongside the president’s secretaries to listen to him pronounce an oath which he has already broken during and after his first term.
Panic and reprieve
Panic seemed to have gripped many Americans, including lawmakers, in recent days.
We already knew that a rare bipartisan bill had been agreed to by Congress and President Biden.
Since Friday, we also know that this law does not constitute an infringement of the First Amendment, according to the Supreme Court.
However, many elected officials gave the impression of regretting their vote, Joe Biden pushed the problem forward, pretexting the imminent arrival of his successor, and Donald Trump confirmed a 180-degree turn by suggesting that he favored a delay of 90 days to better assess TikTok’s situation.
This is the same Donald Trump who wanted to ban TikTok during his first term. Not only is he now more popular on the platform, but of course he has 170 million US users.
Where have the reasons given for banning TikTok gone? Data will be better protected and it will be impossible for Chinese leaders to demand that TikTok’s parent company provide information?
-Mind you, we still have no evidence that TikTok behaves differently from all other platforms when it comes to data and we don’t care.
Tech giants fuck the ring
If there is a panic that seems necessary to me on January 20, it is not that linked to the future of TikTok, but rather that of this alliance between the technology giants and the 47e president.
The latter will stop at nothing to accommodate Donald Trump. They contributed millions of dollars to the swearing-in ceremony and gave up on fighting misinformation.
Better yet, these billionaires are playing the president’s game by letting us believe that the wokes constitute the great threat reigning over the world.
The far right, you say? We’re exaggerating! The concentration of powers and the shadow of the oligarchy? A view of the mind!
Let’s not even talk about inequality, diversity or inclusion anymore because according to these giants, things have changed…
By worrying more about TikTok than about the alliance that is taking place in broad daylight before their eyes, our neighbors are falling into the trap. It is reasonable to wonder whether we would react differently.
