The temper
streets of social media, peddling his druthers, interacting with denizens of this ‘Second Life’ world, entering gated communities (groups) and engaging with the impassioned advocates of other candidates. Jack would offer a shoulder to cry on and an accommodating ear to the disgruntled and the angry, to people who knew the ugliness of the rogues and rascals in government.
The creator’s preferred candidates and pairing won and he felt that the work of his hands was blessed, and he felt good about Jack.
- thing else.
here as in minutes, on social media, they could protect their candidate, clog up threads, and bash and. This was ‘The Swarm’ that we in communications expected with one difference: each member represented various personae — many Jacks.
If it was a vicious campaign — well, this was a new campaign medium — people learned how to use it to the hilt. Mercenaries brought to leave posts unanswered; they responded in vast numbers.
Jack was active — for a while. He received many threats but what successfully silenced him was the medium’s new requirement for money. His voice could no longer be heard above the din of the boosted and sponsored and the paid conversations; he was now one feeble, uncommissioned voice in the wilderness.
The temper did not change after the elections. If you feel that the fever is still at campaign period pitch, welcome to the new reality: social media warriors are the cheapest PR folks you can hire. They operate 24/7, always ready to protect and defend and undermine the opposition of the day. It really doesn’t matter if you won by a landslide in the last election; today it’s campaign season forever.
Knowing how ugly it can get, do I want social media controlled?
This is media except that right now we have yet to learn how to tell programming from the ads. This is commerce and conversation, human interaction being waged in democratic space. We can all opt in, like, follow, or block, unfriend, unlike, choose what not to read.
Social media is the ultimate soapbox, the podium of the ordinary man. While he is usually powerless against government, there is an arming that happens as he steps onto it. Facebook or Twitter posts are his prayer.
to task, force otherwise deaf heavens to listen and respond. He can affect and infect people, topple governments. While on the podium, he is the
We pray social media remains zonalibre: a safe place where he can espouse, accuse, champion, rally and protest without bridle and censor, a place where the ordinary man is free to make demands of government, without fear, without the Luddites of our Senate looking over his shoulder.
Bridle his indignation, check his words and you hurt his spirit; leave him without a voice and you force him to consider the use of his arms instead.
If you must err, err on the side of excess, not less.
As for Jack, he is dead now, or deactivated. The creator grew old and lost fondness for his puppet. The author is chairman of Es tim a, an ad agency dedicated to helping local industrialists and causes, and co-founder of Caucus, Inc ., a multi-