There are 3 Dimensions of Power
- Decision-Making
- Agenda Setting
- Thought Control
Network Television and print media were the old ways. You’d control what people perceive to be important through sitcom values and talk show hosts. AI is just the next generation, making it even more intimate and organic, but the end goal remains the same.
The bot armies in comment sections are here to make you think you’re part of a hive mind; that you’re one with the crowd, but in reality you’re being manipulated into conformity.
Instead of your favorite actor onscreen or talking head telling you what is “normal” to think and believe, a chat bot in your pocket or a comment section on your favorite social media is guiding you towards what’s “normal”, toward what’s the “correct” answer.
I’m going to play the devil advocate here and say this is actually rather impressive. Look at all of those towers which I imagine are steel, something up and coming for the era. And the new methods of drilling being implemented. This was cutting edge stuff in 1859. Dawn of an era. Birth of several blue collar trades. Just like we have “forefronts of innovation” today that one day we’ll look back at and cringe. This was exciting stuff in its time. Pinnacle of human progress.