The democratized access to social media applications, the capability to register and post anonymously, and the obvious political bias of technological platforms have turned the political conversation at the national level into antisocial, verbally violent arguments and rants. Furthermore, the illegal and ideological censorship by news media and tech giants only increases the aggressivity of those allowed to speak, threat and insult, while the silent majority is suppressed, "cancelled" and forced into silence.
Many people have become victims of the disgusting and cowardly attacks in social media apps, by leftist activists who have found a "safe" battleground to express and direct their hate towards those who do not agree with them. Most of these activists, take advantage of the anonymity that social media platforms grant them, to abuse and threaten others, and to even coordinate crimes using the direct messaging capabilities in said apps.
In Central America for instance, gangs (MS-13 and Barrio-18) are known to use Twitter and Facebook direct messaging capabilities to coordinate crimes that range from homicides and violent attacks to robberies and kidnappings. Just like these criminals, leftist activists and their anonymous trolls managed from troll farms, and net-centers coordinate bullying and swarm attacks against conservative users, in order to silence them and force them out of social media platforms. These coordinated cyberbullying attacks have already caused people to even commit suicide and many others (including young users) to fall into serious depression.
A matter of National Security
The reason why social media platforms have become so dangerous and a tool of criminals, is because they complicity allow anonymous profiles to exist and be utilized to attack others and coordinate criminal activity. This needs to be stopped, because it is not only becoming a direct threat to free speech, and many other human freedoms (religious, political, etc.), but also because this use and abuse of social media platforms will pose a clear and present danger to National Security, governability and stability, in the very near future.
Solomonic solution to to protect free speech, social media
For the time being, and until the Department of Justice decides to "drop the hammer" on them, social media platforms and tech giants will continue with their hypocritical censorship of conservative voices and users. However, to ensure that said platforms don't formally become accessories (because the practically already are) to murder, terrorism, vandalism, sedition and other crimes, they urgently need to do away with anonymous accounts.
To ensure that social media apps are not used as weapons, tech giants need to cancel each and every anonymous account that is not properly linked and registered to an actual living person. With this simple, democratic and accountable solution, watch the virulence and aggressivity in public opinion almost disappear overnight. Why? Because criminal activists are cowards, they cover their faces on the street and use anonymous trolls on social media.
Fiddling with TikTok while Rome is burning
It is rather troublesome how oblivious many people seem to be about the current "cold civil war" going on in the USA. It is equally worrisome the amount of misinformed people taking radical positions based on propaganda and fake news being forced-fed to them by politicians, U.S. news media and foreign media alike.
While a very vocal, influential and likely small group of activists kidnaps (with a lot of help from the news media) the nationwide public opinion, a big portion of undecided and uninterested citizens, are giving their privacy and personal information away to the Chinese Communist Party.
TikTok, a long-term social reengineering weapon
Less than a week ago, Secretary Mike Pompeo announced that the Trump administration was looking into banning Chinese social media applications, including the widely popular application TikTok. Besides the obvious and logical probabilities that TikTok is plagued with spying capabilities, people are failing to see the longer-term implications of an application that is slowly altering and reengineering the brain wiring of the younger generations.
If you downloaded and have spent any time on the application itself (big mistake for those who downloaded it to their cellphones with professional and personal privileged information), it is undeniable that the structure and "principle" behind TikTok, sparks leisure-creativity, and the content created by the millions of users, is rather entertaining.
By the same token, because TikTok content is based on 15-second short videos, it shortens the span of attention of its users, specially the younger ones, whose brains now will be looking for shorter and constant visual stimulation to remain focused. This creates not only a nightmare scenario for advertising and marketing agencies who will have to cramp their clients' messages into very short videos, but also for the education systems, because students' brains will be addicted to fast, constant visual stimulation.
Think about it from an elementary, and middle school teacher's perspective. Controlling and getting those children to concentrate will be a nightmare, but the more serious implication is this: Are our younger generations being rewired to have shorter attention spans, less retention capabilities, and prone to attention deficit disorders? Is this a social reengineering weapon that will slowly create millions of less intelligent individuals with addictions to attention-deficit drugs, to be able to function? They will win the war, before it even starts.
Mario Duarte is the youngest and longest serving Secretary of Strategic Intelligence to hold office in Guatemala, as well as one of the youngest intelligence chiefs in the world. His professional credentials include more than 18 years of experience in the fields of intelligence, national security, consulting, and strategy development in several countries. Mr. Duarte earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Houston, MBA from Rice University, postgraduate degree from Ortega Gasset Institute-Spain, and completed his PhD studies in National Security at San Carlos University Guatemala. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @mario_a_duarte. Read Mario Duarte's Reports — More Here.
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