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Comedy US FCC boss rants about social media

by on30 November 2017


No net benefit to American society could be the next thing to go

Comedy Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai thinks that there is a conspiracy by ISPs to rule the world and is dismantling net neutrality to put them in their place, but now he has another cunning plan – getting rid of social media.

Pai told the Media Institute that he is uncertain if social media is "a net benefit to American society… Now, I will tell you upfront that I don't have an answer."

Pai said web platforms are more of a threat to free speech than the internet service providers. Today he's arguing they are responsible for polarizing Americans politically and alienating them personally.

Which is ironic really because that is what many American internet users think that Pai is doing.

“Everything nowadays is political. Everything. … This view that politics-is-all is often made worse by social media", he read from his notes.

Yesterday’s comment is bizarre even for Pai and needs to be seen in a wider context. Pai sees himself as taking on those nasty liberal Silicon Valley giants. The biggest of these are Twitter and Facebook.

According to Pai, social media has caused people to lose their roots in the real world.

"In a way, one could say that 'social media' is the most inapt phrase ever coined", he said. "It allows us to stay in touch while keeping a distance. It has sped the breakdown in human interaction."

He might have a few problems with this particular view. While some people might have not paid much attention to his barking mad net neutrality arguments, he might find his head on a spike after a peasants' revolt if he tries to dismantle Twitter or Facebook.

Donald Trump would also not have a place to share his high calibre intellectual musings with his enlightened fanbase who hang people on his every word.

Last modified on 30 November 2017
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