What's an oligarch to do? The putative tech masters of the universe now face unprecedented criticism from both left and right.
The public so far still does not disdain the tech oligarchs as they do Wall Street or energy firm but they are clearly threatened, both politically and in their wallets.
Facebook's arrogance has even incited tension between the tech overlords, with Apple's Tim Cook assaulting Mark Zuckerberg for privacy violations.
Even if their net worth drops a bit, the tech oligarchs have more than enough money to subtly change the conversation.
To provide a patina of fairness, the oligarchs may try to find allies among libertarian conservatives who can be counted on to never oppose any malefactor, but conservative views on sensitive social issues, as Kevin D. Williamson just found, can't go too far off the reservation.
Ironically, the brouhaha over Russian efforts to influence the election may provide the oligarchs with the license to "Curate," or more accurately censor, views they don't like.
Ultimately the tech moguls are following the approach described by the late radical social thinker C. Wright Mills: "Power elites" remain so by constraining debate in ways that do not threaten their core interests.
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/04/07/if-the-tech-oligarchs-cant-beat-the-bad-press-theyll-just-buy-it/
The public so far still does not disdain the tech oligarchs as they do Wall Street or energy firm but they are clearly threatened, both politically and in their wallets.
Facebook's arrogance has even incited tension between the tech overlords, with Apple's Tim Cook assaulting Mark Zuckerberg for privacy violations.
Even if their net worth drops a bit, the tech oligarchs have more than enough money to subtly change the conversation.
To provide a patina of fairness, the oligarchs may try to find allies among libertarian conservatives who can be counted on to never oppose any malefactor, but conservative views on sensitive social issues, as Kevin D. Williamson just found, can't go too far off the reservation.
Ironically, the brouhaha over Russian efforts to influence the election may provide the oligarchs with the license to "Curate," or more accurately censor, views they don't like.
Ultimately the tech moguls are following the approach described by the late radical social thinker C. Wright Mills: "Power elites" remain so by constraining debate in ways that do not threaten their core interests.
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/04/07/if-the-tech-oligarchs-cant-beat-the-bad-press-theyll-just-buy-it/
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