Unfortunately, I think this is the future. We already had one reality TV star president. We have a TV "doctor," and a football player running for senate this year. I wouldn't be at all surprised if a lot of social media influencers end up in office. This is, of course, if the internet platforms remain relatively open.
The other scenario (and I think more likely) is that the internet media platforms will use the political power that their gatekeeper status confers on them to promote their own narrow interests. They will form their own content arms which will be algorithmically favored, and cut the old legacy media gatekeepers out entirely.
Not just the future, more like the status quo. There is a centuries long history of business tycoons buying media outlets for their own purposes. Social media platforms and influencers are just a new flavor.
To some extent but the unprecedented reach and real time factor of social media, along with the precise targeting and personal data archives from Stasi’s wet dreams makes this really a new era rather than simply more of the same, in my opinion.
Been happening long before the present century and long before Trump. Reagan, Schwarzenegger, Bill Bradley, Jack Kemp, Jesse Ventura, Al Franken, Sonny Bono.
