Mind F*K, Cambridge Analytica
I am posting this Fresh Air interview of Christopher Wylie and his book about Cambridge Analytica here because I strongly feel that the subject matter is not getting enough attention.
The way the technology Mr Wylie worked with was applied by Cambridge should be viewed as being as dangerous as any weapon humans have devised. I realize some will say I’m being hyperbolic. Have at it.
I remember being taught, even in school, how to understand the goals and effects of advertising including the means by which subliminal messaging works. It’s banned in some places, sort of regulated in the US. I was taught to be aware when watching TV. When we look at the progression of communication, the written word leaves the emotional interpretation to the reader and their personal life experiences as reference for understanding the author’s message. The ability to add a picture opened up a means for the author to be more specific in the message being presented. With the advent of recorded sound, even more specificity could be had via tonal inflections. But, when video came around, there was little room for the recipient of the message to not “get” the message. Jerry Mander wrote about this in his book: 4 Arguments for the Elimination of Television. More relevant today with the consolidation in the industry of broadcast. Watch his 9 minute talk and then read on. Today it’s the internet I believe that has replaced the TV.
Yet, even with the ability of video, the message was broadcast widely hoping to catch the few receptive. Not anymore. Data is the issue. There is the ability to build a digital you. Not the physical image of you, but you the person as lived via you brain. Your mind is digitally catalogued. You could say we have found the fountain of youth. Unless your data is destroyed, you will now live on for all eternity.
Cambridge Analytica is a tail of technology in the hands of “the evil genius”. As you will hear in Mr. Wylie interview, the development of the data processing was for the purpose of finding those who could be “radicalized” and then reach them before that might happen. Along comes Steve Bannon, a big money backer and the machinery gets turned on society. The intention was to target those who could be incited to anger and then incite that anger. Specifically mentioned is the Alt Right type personalities.
This technology is using all we know about how the brain/mind works and turning the knowledge on society for selfish want. Imagine how miserable, hurt, depressed, angry you have to be to want to move the world to be as you are? That’s Bannon. I’ve known people like this first hand. “I hurt and I want you to hurt”. This is consensus building without those targeted even being aware their consensus is manufactured. This is power beyond the threat of nuclear war. The goal is not to mold everyone. The goal is to mold enough such that serenity within society can not exist for the likes of Bannon. For others it is just power for one’s purpose. In the end, it is the ultimate tool of selfishness.
The company no longer exists. The machinery still exists and is still being used as a weapon. Defensive or offensive is a matter of one’s ideal/ideology of life. This goes beyond elections. I touched upon this a bit in my post looking at the phrase “Rat Race” and how it’s not a commonly appreciated concept anymore. The present process of “normalizing” or the idea of moving the Overton Window.
Or, it could be the ultimate tool for selflessness. But, we’er not even thinking about that question are we? Oh well, I guess the “free market” will solve it for us…Don’t ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to.
While it seems the author couldn’t wait to getting around to invoking the “alt right” as a social disease driven by Steve Bannon and his minions of Nazi hackists, I would like to point out that all the text, images, and data are easily avoided. No one is forced to use or to participate in the vast muddle of communications and data stew that’s flowing through the veins of the modern world. However, that doesn’t mean that there’s not some sort of effect on those that do participate. For every “Alt Right” jerk there’s some Antifa soy boy ready to sucker punch you for wearing the wrong color hat so let’s “re-distribute” the weath of these pathologies, please.
Good Morning Michael:
Welcome to Angry Bear. First time commenters always go to moderation to weed out spam, spammers, and advertising. And yes, wouldn’t the world be wonderful if people just minded what they did and not what everyone else did.
Wow nice tree.
Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign is currently spending $100M/weekly on Facebook ads that are not subject to any fact checking. Their policy stipulates that political campaigns will not be banned on the platform for making false statements. They insist on applying standards lower than Print/Broadcast. Ok then.
In terms of policy FB has already decided to support the Trump campaign and anything that might follow because it keeps the cash flowing. Right, capitalism.
But are they pi$$ing in their own well? Why would legitimate advertisers want to share space on a platform with acknowledged and protected forms of propaganda? Will advertisers abandon FB like they have abandoned FNC?
And more to the point of the post, I will observe that I grew up during the cold war with the duck and cover nonsense, the civil defense signs on fallout shelters, and the thoughtful films/books that questioned whether mankind could survive the new “nuclear age”.
We’re still answering that question I guess, especially with Trump at the wheel. But I have serious doubts mankind will manage to survive social media. It is insanely profitable and turns out to be wildly effective at controlling large populations. A tough double nut to crack, that one.