I’d like to think I am immune to ads, but am? Do I buy products because of ads and commercials? Some of us must fall for the Super Bowl ads or companies couldn’t justify $5 million for a 30 second spot.
There is the obvious manipulation attempt when we buy something online and ads follow us around enticing us to buy again. But, we are being manipulated in more sophisticated ways on the Internet and it turns out we are not influenced equally. I urge all of you to watch the movie, Trumping Democracy. It is about the billionaire Mercer family who bought Breitbart News, paid Steve Bannon to run the Trump campaign, and runs a data profiling company called Cambridge Analytica. They carefully targeted Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania voters, using computer algorithms, to win the Electoral College for Trump. They sent dark posts to about 70,000 people profiled as “neuroticism” to flip them. Dark posts are untraceable messages and ads that flash on a person’s computer for a short time and then disappear. The company profiles people through their use of the Internet, from Facebook likes to purchases. Cambridge Analytica collects it all.
Who else is manipulating our institutions and us? Dark Money by Jane Mayer is a very sobering book about the multi-billionaire Koch brothers and their involvement in politics. Starting with their grandfather’s outrage against income taxes in 1913, the Koch family has been fighting government regulation ever since. They have been tipping politics in favor of a free market economy and pushing that doctrine for decades. They created alt-right think tanks that disseminate disinformation—e.g. denying climate change impacts. They are changing college and high school level curriculum, purchasing news outlets, and lobbying Congress. They just invested $650m in Time magazine. They are investing millions in judicial and congressional campaigns to seat those who will support their goals. You can bet they helped get the tax reform bill passed.
Why are the alt-right/libertarian billionaires such as the Koch brothers and the Mercers hijacking democracy? They want complete control over their money and complete freedom to make money without fettering laws reigning in pollution, advancing fair wages, or protecting public lands. The Citizens United Supreme Court decision of 2010 allows corporations to donate unlimited funds to political campaigns. This gives undo influence to the wealthy and undermines democracy. Why such ruthless pursuit of control, when they are already obscenely rich? They are not invested in the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for others. They probably don’t even need democracy now that they’ve earned their fortunes.
What can the rest of us do to keep protect our democracy? Pay attention, read beyond the headlines, use more than one source for news, and watch documentaries like Trumping Democracy. We still have credible news sources e.g. The Washington Post, NPR, etc. Dig for the truth; learn the facts. Lobby your representatives. Vote! And watch those ads on the Internet designed to get you riled up the opponent so you vote for their candidate!
Lynn Boulton
This article was published in the January 11, 2018 edition of the Mammoth Times.
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