Outrage Society

Good afternoon eMBers…

 

This is something a bit different. You may or may not like it. As always, I welcome any feedback you have.

 

I’d like to dive in a bit deeper on the daily Morning Bullets I send you with some additional commentary. And today I’d like to speak to you about an alarming trend: the outrage society.

 

Social media was supposed to connect us all. And it has. For better or worse.

 

You may or may not recall but social media came out of what is known as “Web 2.0”. Basically, Web 2.0 was supposed to usher in the era of the “user-generated web”. This allowed anyone to easily post and publish content.

 

With the gatekeepers gone, communication went from “one to many” to “many to many”.

 

Of course, the unintended consequence is the outrage society we now have. Why?

 

Because there’s a payoff. Getting that “Like” or having people “share” your thoughts is intoxicating. There’s a little shot of dopamine every time it happens.

 

There’s also a much more practical matter at hand: money.

 

It pays to be outraged. The difference now is, the media — and the government — no longer has a monopoly on profiting from outrage.

 

However, I believe a shift is coming. The pendulum can only swing so far before it comes crashing back.

 

While the old gatekeepers are gone, we are now witnessing the rise of the new gatekeepers: the companies and technology behind the biggest social media platforms. And boy are they flexing their muscle. (Brian, you can link to some articles here showing how influencers have been de-platformed)

 

On the one hand, it’s easy to argue “well, those are private companies, they can decide what to allow/not allow on their platform”… and that’s true. But when you have a situation where you mix in mob-induced outrage with monopoly power, be very afraid if you’re on the opposite side of the mob.

 

So what does this all mean? 

 

Well, I believe we’re on the verge of a major tech breakup. Government will step in.

 

It’s not a matter of if, but only of when.

 

Take a company like Facebook.

 

Right now, Facebook is in a fight for survival. With pressure from world governments — and the outrage society we live in — their focus is solely on keeping the status quo. And it’s not just Facebook. It’s every major player in the tech space because let’s face it, government doesn’t like the competition.

 

So, who benefits from a major shakeup in tech? Are there investable ideas you can capitalize on? What can we learn from breakup examples of the past?

 

Here at Morning Bullets we’ll continue to explore these issues and keep you up-to-date on what’s happening, but I personally encourage you to think about this inevitability. That way, you can be in the best position to capitalize on the situation.

 

Good afternoon eMBers…

 

This is something a bit different. You may or may not like it. As always, I welcome any feedback you have.

 

I’d like to dive in a bit deeper on the weekly Morning Bullets I send you with some additional commentary. And today I’d like to speak to you about an alarming trend: the outrage society.

 

Social media was supposed to connect us all. And it has. For better or worse.

 

You may or may not recall but social media came out of what is known as “Web 2.0”. Basically, Web 2.0 was supposed to usher in the era of the “user-generated web”. This allowed anyone to easily post and publish content.

 

With the gatekeepers gone, communication went from “one to many” to “many to many”.

 

Of course, the unintended consequence is the outrage society we now have. Why?

 

Because there’s a payoff. Getting that “Like” or having people “share” your thoughts is intoxicating. There’s a little shot of dopamine every time it happens.

 

There’s also a much more practical matter at hand: money.

 

It pays to be outraged. The difference now is, the media — and the government — no longer has a monopoly on profiting from outrage.

 

However, I believe a shift is coming. The pendulum can only swing so far before it comes crashing back.

 

While the old gatekeepers are gone, we are now witnessing the rise of the new gatekeepers: the companies and technology behind the biggest social media platforms. And boy are they flexing their muscle. (Brian, you can link to some articles here showing how influencers have been de-platformed)

 

On the one hand, it’s easy to argue “well, those are private companies, they can decide what to allow/not allow on their platform”… and that’s true. But when you have a situation where you mix in mob-induced outrage with monopoly power, be very afraid if you’re on the opposite side of the mob.

 

So what does this all mean? 

 

Well, I believe we’re on the verge of a major tech breakup. Government will step in.

 

It’s not a matter of if, but only of when.

 

Take a company like Facebook.

 

Right now, Facebook is in a fight for survival. With pressure from world governments — and the outrage society we live in — their focus is solely on keeping the status quo. And it’s not just Facebook. It’s every major player in the tech space because let’s face it, government doesn’t like the competition.

 

So, who benefits from a major shakeup in tech? Are there investable ideas you can capitalize on? What can we learn from breakup examples of the past?

 

Here at Morning Bullets we’ll continue to explore these issues and keep you up-to-date on what’s happening, but I personally encourage you to think about this inevitability. That way, you can be in the best position to capitalize on the situation.

 

Your biggest fan, 
Frederick Frost

 

P.S.  We’d love your opinion.

 

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