This opinion piece argues that Europe should “shut down recommender algorithms” of the big US social media platforms - Facebook, X, Instagram, etc. - because the author believes that these algorithms are undermining European democracy.
The most obvious example of such an algorithm is on X, where Musk can manipulate the algorithm to boost European far-right parties, like AfD. But the author argues that other social media CEOs, like Zuck, are beholden to Trump’s anti-liberal agenda - for example, Trump “openly threatened to throw Mark Zuckerberg in jail for the rest of his life”. Therefore: “It is reasonable to assume that tech oligarchs will do what [Trump] tells them”, which may include the Trump administration pressuring US social media companies to recommend more right-wing content.
So the author says: “The EU must immediately switch off the tech companies’ algorithms on its soil, at least until they are proven safe for democracy”. Do you agree with that?
Classic fascist answer: The AfD heavily used the absence of other parties on particularly TikTok to propagandise, they would structure their parliament speeches just for soundbites on TikTok. Once spotted Die Linke started to strategically engage them also there, the other parties still don’t have coherent strategies. Individual politicians are doing things, but no proper campaign.
Which kinda isn’t a new phenomenon e.g. the SPD had tons of newspapers back in the days and pretty much sold all of them. Some kept their edge (e.g. the Hamburger MoPo, not to be confused with the Berlin Morgenpost), but most washed out to standard liberal press gray. CDU, FDP? Exists by grace of the Springer press, they’re on the short end of the lever. Greens, well, the taz exists but who reads the taz. The MoPo works because despite being far from gutter press, it’s still a tabloid: You gotta have those sportsball results. A paper to read in the metro, talk about in a bar and leave at a construction site, not a coffee house.