Neoconservative pundit Ben Shapiro and two-time failed Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have both spoken out against social media influencing public opinion, showing how both the establishment Left and the establishment Right are concerned about losing control over shaping the narrative.
Shapiro appeared on a Reuters Next next to former CNN host Don Lemon where he complained about the algorithms on TikTok and X, telling people to get away from their mobile devices because of the messages they are encountering on the platforms.
“When people say how do we get back to normal, my first recommendation is to do something that is the exact opposite of what people in our industry should be saying, which is get offline and actually get off your phone,” Shapiro said.
“The more online we are, the more polarized we are. And I think that’s been the opposite of the way that we viewed politics for decades in the country. The more informed you are, the better the electorate is going to be. And it turns out because our informational ecosystem is so polluted…what that means is, probably the more time you’re spending on X, or the more time you’re spending on TikTok, maybe the less informed you are, and also the more polarized you are, and the more out of touch with reality you are,” Shapiro continued, with Lemon agreeing wholeheartedly with Shapiro’s statements.
Shockingly, Shapiro did not complain much about the social media algorithm when global censorship was in place and Facebook was driving hundreds of millions of views to his Daily Wire blog. But now as the media landscape has opened up due in large part to Elon Musk’s acquisition of X and Shapiro’s subscribership base is rapidly declining, suddenly he has become a critic of the social media landscape that once elevated him to prominence.
Clinton offered similar sentiments about social media’s influence while appearing at the Israel Hayom summit in New York, believing it is a major problem for “democracy” that the public, particularly young people, is seeking independent views on social media platforms.
“Smart, well-educated, young people from our own country, from around the world, where were they getting their information? They were getting their information from social media, particularly TikTok… That’s a serious problem. It’s a serious problem for democracy, whether it’s Israel or the United States, and it’s a serious problem for our young people… A lot of the challenge is with younger people. More than 50% of young people in America get their news from social media. So just pause on that for a second. They are seeing short-form videos, some of them totally made up, some of them not at all representing what they claim to be showing, and that’s where they get their information,” Clinton said.
The old guard establishment on the Left and the Right are becoming increasingly worried at the open media landscape and that they can no longer play gatekeeper on the acceptable bounds of public opinion. Unfortunately for them, the flood gates have been opened, and there is nothing they can do to go back to the former status quo. The people have realized they were being deceived and are seeking alternatives who will give them an opinion that is not manufactured and designed to maintain a consensus protecting corrupt institutions.
