Dispatch 1 - The Weaponization of Social Media
In this dispatch I look at the current news environment to see what has fundamentally changed with the addition of 24/7 cable sources, Facebook news feed, Google search results and Twitter and Instragram postings. I explore the impact of the speed at which information now comes at us, the qualities of the sources that are in play and the intent of these “news” platforms as they compete with each other to influence your opinions about what is going on and make a buck in the process.
References
Doug Rushkoff
Doug is one of my favorite social media commentators. In this dispatch we use a bit from his film Present Shock. It looks at the speed of technological advancements that can result in us feeling overwhelmed. Doug is one of my favorite media pundits, railing against the numbness that pervades too much of our social discourse. Listen to his Team Human podcasts, buy his books, watch his films and keep this guy in the conversation.