A00096 - Must See TV for December 2022: A Thousand Cuts: Networked Propaganda
Those of you who have viewed the documentary A Thousand Cuts should have witnessed the courage that Maria Ressa has exhibited over the last decade in fighting the controversial, and homicidal, presidency of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodrigo_Duterte
The documentary clearly depicts the confrontations and the government sponsored suppression of freedom of the press. It is not often that you see a political leader warn drug dealers that he would kill them if they did not stop dealing drugs. It is even rarer when you realize that the president means what he says.
Reporting on such an individual and living and working in such a hostile environment is why Maria Ressa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. However, what appears to have brought her to the Techonomy 22 conference was the concerns she was raising about the use of social media by authoritarian governments to advance the authoritarian's agenda. A series of articles that Maria Ressa's publication rappler.com published concerning the efforts of Bongbong Marcos, the son of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, to rewrite his father's history is reflective of the concerns that Maria Ressa has made regarding the threat that social media poses to democracy, not just in the Philippines but around the world.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/245290-marcos-networked-propaganda-social-media/
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/245402-networked-propaganda-marcoses-rewriting-history/
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/245402-networked-propaganda-marcoses-rewriting-history/
What is chilling is that the networked propaganda utilized by the Marcos camp appears to have prevailed.
as Bongbong Marcos was elected the 17th President of the Philippines in May of 2022
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongbong_Marcos
In my study of history, I find that dictators are not ignorant of history and that those dictators who watch will attempt to repeat Bongbong Marcos' use of social media to rewrite history in a manner more acceptable to the interests of the dictator. But, of course, we already know that since for the last two years the history of the 2020 United States Presidential election has been rewritten by many who still appear to be hostile to the practice of democracy that exists here. Stay tuned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongbong_Marcos
In my study of history, I find that dictators are not ignorant of history and that those dictators who watch will attempt to repeat Bongbong Marcos' use of social media to rewrite history in a manner more acceptable to the interests of the dictator. But, of course, we already know that since for the last two years the history of the 2020 United States Presidential election has been rewritten by many who still appear to be hostile to the practice of democracy that exists here. Stay tuned.
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Fairfield, California
December 13, 2022
-----Original Message-----
From: skipjen2865@aol.com
To:
Sent: Sat, Dec 3, 2022 3:59 am
Subject: Must See TV for December 2022: A Thousand Cuts
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/a-thousand-cuts-maria-ressa-nobel-peace-prize-winner-where-to-stream-the-documentary/
From: skipjen2865@aol.com
To:
Sent: Sat, Dec 3, 2022 3:59 am
Subject: Must See TV for December 2022: A Thousand Cuts
One of the disappointments associated with attending the Techonomy 22 conference last month was that Maria Ressa the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize recipient was unable to attend. She graciously appeared briefly by Zoom and explained that she was unable to attend because pending legal proceedings in the Philippines had prohibited her from leaving the country. I had wanted to hear her speak especially since she has expressed concerns that social media, in general, and Facebook, in particular, pose an existential threat to democracy not only in the United States but also around the world.
Fortunately, on Friday, december 2, 2022, Maria Ressa appeared with Judy Woodruff on the PBS Newshour. Apparently, she had been granted a short leave by the Philippine courts to briefly leave the country, but that she was still subject to the criminal proceedings that could land her in prison for up to seven years.
Watching this courageous journalist and listening to her concerns about social media that I tend to share, leads me to want everyone to see the documentary that profiles Maria Ressa titled "A Thousand Cuts" in conjunction with our reading of Cloud Empires during this month of December 2022. Accordingly, please go to
and let the discussion begin.
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
-----Original Message-----
From: skipjen2865@aol.com
To:
Sent: Tue, Nov 29, 2022 5:33 am
Subject: Book of the Month for December 2022: Cloud Empires: How Digital Platforms Are Overtaking the State and How We Can Regain Control
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/irish-regulators-fine-meta-265m-euros-in-latest-privacy-case/
From: skipjen2865@aol.com
To:
Sent: Tue, Nov 29, 2022 5:33 am
Subject: Book of the Month for December 2022: Cloud Empires: How Digital Platforms Are Overtaking the State and How We Can Regain Control
Yesterday was my birthday. One of my Victorville cousins informed me that I had received some 13 Happy Birthday greetings on my Facebook page and asked if I wanted to see them. Given my disdain for social media in general and the dire warnings set forth in The Social Dilemma about involvement with social media, I expressed reluctance. This reluctance was bolstered by a report I later saw while watching France 24. The report was about the latest fines imposed on Meta, Facebook's parent company, by European regulators
The European regulators appear to be more strict or vigilant than American regulators which gives one pause to wonder just what has happened here in this country which has gone undetected or undisclosed.
I do not know much about technology and social media, but perhaps, it is time that I learned a bit more. Accordingly, I will be reading
Cloud Empires: How Digital Platforms Are Overtaking The State and How We Can Regain Control by Vili Lehdonvirta
as my Book of the Month for December 2022. You are welcome to read it too.
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
-----Original Message-----
From: skipjen2865@aol.com
To:
Sent: Wed, Nov 16, 2022 12:11 am
Subject: Must See TV for November 2022: The Social Dilemma
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/technology/google-privacy-settlement.html
To:
Sent: Wed, Nov 16, 2022 12:11 am
Subject: Must See TV for November 2022: The Social Dilemma
I recently attended a conference named Techonomy 22 which was held in nearby Sonoma, California, from November 13 to November 15. Techonomy 22 is the successor event to the Techonomy events sponsored by Techonomy Media
It is my understanding that Techonomy 22 was the first Techonomy conference to be held in the last three years due to COVID.
The principal moderator of Techonomy 22 was David Kirkpatrick, a classmate of mine from Amherst College. David did a masterful job of interviewing some of the most prominent individuals in not only the fields of technology but also in the fields of medicine and climate change. The wonders and marvels discussed at the conference were at times overwhelming, especially for a person, like me, who is technology averse. Nevertheless, even as a Luddite, I came away with a deeper appreciation of the Tech Universe with all of its potential, and its peril. Over the next few months, I hope to elaborate and report on some of the things I learned both at the conference and away from the conference. Today, I begin with some of the things I learned away from the conference.
By coincidence, on November 6, a week before the Techonomy conference began, Sixty Minutes aired a segment entitled "Angry in America"
In this segment, it is made clear that social media has played a large part in stoking the Anger in America by purposely dividing us and by serving as platforms for disinformation. I noted the names of two of the prominent individuals interviewed for the segment, Tristan Harris and Jonathan Haidt, and looked them up on Wikipedia;
In reading these bios, I noted that both individuals appear in a Netlix documentary entitled The Social Dilemma.
On Saturday, November 12, the day before Techonomy 22 began, I watched The Social Dilemma It was my worst nightmare. The nightmare was compounded when I returned home from the conference yesterday only to find these two alarming articles in the air:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fbi-extremely-concerned-tiktok-operating-171955671.html?guccounter=1
only to be followed by a further reading of this
Based upon all this, I find that my conscience compels me to name the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, as the Must See TV for November 2022. I also recommend we all consider the recommendations contained therein.
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
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