Link: author interview, on organizing and the limits of mass protest

General Discussion
1

For your consideration, a conversation with the author of “If We Burn”:

3 Likes
2

His show was just cancelled from TRNN.

1 Like
3

I read that on his Substack.

1 Like
4

Lol that name always gets me why not a Superstack what a missed opportunity.

1 Like
5

That is hilarious and so true! :joy:

1 Like
6

A key point of author is how, intrinsically, mass protests are mediated; reports originate from a protest, then pass through media platforms, to a wider audience. Notably, media sources interpret reports, and can distort a protest being reported on, such that over some length of time and over some breadth of platforms a protest’s or movement’s main point is hijacked, or at least malunderstood. This to me feels akin to manufacturing consent, but more like manipulating dissent.

One question is like, “how would progressives access a mainstream media source?”; to reach the mainstream media audience, to grow shared understandings with those of us not tuned into alternative media, to grow solidarity across current media-divided cohorts. However, I assume over time the mainstream-media-shaped audience will shrink and be less and less politically relevant.

So another question is like, which audiences and platforms are important for growing future solidarity?; and, what are the trends which inform this question? The media industrial space has changed drastically, which has enabled our alternative media, and has began marginalizing mainstream media, and the space continues to change. How are these changes informing those trends?

I assume AI tech is going to shape these trends, probably more than most other factors, (other factors such as reactive political propaganda lawfare, eg: TikTok bans). I imagine AI tech will supplement much of news media. Many people could have an AI personal assistant, tutor, news analyst, etc, all-in-one, in their pocket. And simple phone recordings of protests could inform as reporting the AI news analysis.

So, it seems to me as if progressive politics benefits from AI tech insiders consciously shaping media industrial space, sooner rather than later. This would affect the potential effectiveness for (near-to-far) future protests and social movements. Ideally, we would position the future of AI structured media to include progressive interpretations of news within a future mainstream news industry.

Those are my rambling thoughts thus far :turtle:

1 Like