The Digital Oligarchs

Do you remember when the Internet was going to free society from the censorship of oligarchal media organisations? Every citizen would be empowered with the freedom of communication and potential to build their own audience and curate their own news.

Some people foretold that the power would not be confined to the honest and righteous but could also be co-opted by the crazy, dishonest and dangerous.  Those that cherish freedom of speech (like me) thought that's a reasonable price to pay as bad ideas can be dismantled by open and honest debate.

It all sounded so promising at the time but oh how wrong we were!

The Internet became dominated by some mega social media platforms that created a partisan sewer of vile and vituperative remarks by cowardly keyboard warriors. These depraved souls were even legitimised by lazy mainstream media journalists who cited their ravings as the basis for news.

I wish I could say that the Internet idiots were only a preserve of the left. Unfortunately they are not. The right side of political life also has their share of trolls and hate-mongers.

However, in my experience, it is the political left who lead the most objectionable content that is conveniently ignored but sometimes celebrated by the media titans.

A hateful post from a lefty is excused or airbrushed from public criticism but a more innocuous statement from the right is grounds for losing your job. You can deny the existence of ANTIFA but if you question the origins of SARS-CoV-2 you are shut down.

That's why a Chinese virologist who has produced a paper on how SARS-CoV-2 was created in a lab has been banned from Twitter.  Imagine that, Twitter decides that the Chinese Communist Party must be believed  and that any further discussion is grounds for censorship!

We see the same on Facebook. A pro-Trump ad that claimed Joe Biden would raise taxes was also banned. It didn't matter that the advertisement directly quoted Biden saying:

If you elect me, your taxes are going to be raised, not cut

Truth (meaning Biden's own words) was not a reasonable defense in the eyes of the Facebook censors. Check out the ad for yourself below.

In Australia, immediately prior to the redefinition of marriage debate, the NO campaign met with Facebook executives to ensure our FB page wouldn't be subject to unjustified censorship. Despite the assurances from facebook executives, the page was shut down within 48 hours of going live!

It's not much better on most digital platforms. A few years ago I was banned from music streaming service Spotify for creating an Australia Day playlist celebrating the best of Aussie music. My list was done in response to the taxpayer funded JJJ cancelling their own Australia Day list as a political sop to 'change the date'.

Some of the entitled losers who think they are somewhat special even threatened to sue me for including their songs. One went so far as to waste his money (partially funded from streaming music royalties might I add) sending me a threat from his lawyers.  

I responded in the most appropriate way possible by sharing it on social media and telling the world what he could do with it!

Back in the early days do you remember the Google motto?  It was 'Don't be evil' and later changed to 'Do the right thing'.

A laudable aim except the 'right thing' is in the eye of the executives who's primary goal is to make money while appeasing the militant left. That partially explains their own search bias toward the PC point of view.

The mainstream media aren't much better. With few exceptions they promote an agenda while limiting their 'balance' to ridiculing those who have a different perspective. Is it any wonder that people choose to tune in to what they like to hear.

Anyway, that's why I have chosen a more positive means of sharing what I think you need to know.  

Not only do I want to help those who actually value what I do enough to financially support it, I  don't want to be subject to censorship or de-platforming because of PC despots who run digital media platforms.