TIL there's a term for a style of propaganda that I Noticed emerging back around 2016: "permission structure". modelthinkers.com
Apparently Obama championed it back in 2013, and I guess a lot of money got poured into it.
Apparently Obama championed it back in 2013, and I guess a lot of money got poured into it.
That link presents the approach as benevolent, even rationalism-adjacent, but the strongest example of the techniques has been the goddamned Lincoln Project, which attempted to give marginal Republicans a cope structure for voting Democratic. And see how that worked out.
My first reaction to this table is wanting to punch someone. And I'm pro-vax!
People don't just do this shit spontaneously. It's generous foundation money paying bland-named consultant orgs to run training operations on how to flood social media with this poisonous glurge.
"No."
"But we agreed to do what I want."
"No."
"Great, now we're going to do what I want, come along now."
"But we agreed to do what I want."
"No."
"Great, now we're going to do what I want, come along now."
"I didn't agree to anything and I'm not going anywhere."
"STOP GASLIGHTING ME, FASCIST!"
"STOP GASLIGHTING ME, FASCIST!"
To clarify something: "Permission structure" is the specific idea of identifying Profiles and inventing bespoke rhetorical offramps for them to drive into your faction. Designer propaganda on a mass scale.
Social media amplifies the reach of the method; big data makes the idea of identifying, pinning down and shaving off identifiable sub-sub-subgroups more salient. Put them together and suddenly there's Money interested in screaming this shit at all of us 24/7.
Some people are saying "so what, big deal, this is just salesmanship (and it's Good)". Well:
a) Social media + big data creates a change in scale sufficient to be a change in kind; and
b) youtube.com
a) Social media + big data creates a change in scale sufficient to be a change in kind; and
b) youtube.com
By spamming the commons with this crap, you may be hitting your target*, but you're polluting public space, making a much bigger pool of people despise you, and generally shitting up the world.
*: Or you may not. The Lincoln Project mostly exists to buy cocaine for ephebophiles.
*: Or you may not. The Lincoln Project mostly exists to buy cocaine for ephebophiles.
Robot sums it up
"I understand that you're really concerned about Sauron, and really see why. However..."
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