Facebook vs. Australia
A short note on today.
Facebook has withdrawn from the news in Australia, showing their hand and are now taking an entire democratic nation to task to prove their strength. However, this is but one of many affronts to the individual and society.
This is autocracy with Californian characteristics. Australia is being made an example of in an attempt to ward off other nations doing the same. The news bargaining code was not the answer, but a democracy chilling abuse of power from detached billionaires in California is not either.
The lesson is that if you choose to stand up to surveillance capitalists, they will double down in undermining your society. We must recognise the moment as a turning point. Apathy towards the encroachment of tech companies into every aspect of both society and the individual must be replaced with a resolve to defend democracy.
Facebook, and other tech giants, face increasing criticisms in the wake of misinformation and the monetisation of extremism. Our response should be speaking their language, the engagement economy, your attention. Attention is finite and is the crucial medium of competition for these companies. Frame criticism through engagement to direct it to where it is most critical.
If the product is free, you are the product. In addition to the stifling of speech, these companies are guilty of a ‘coup from above’. Your preferences, private conversations, internet history, and almost all other interactions with the internet, are traded in the cloud without your informed consent to better target and splice society.
Respond by expecting your privacy to be respected not abused and respond by expecting your value to be recognised. Realise that Facebook is Big Brother Inc. Do not fall for the diamond cladded communication and messaging, do not be bullied.
