Trump is breaking the number one rule of today's media.
You don't respond.
News outlets have already seen copies of Bolton's book. Today they printed all the juicy elements. What are they gonna print tomorrow? If Trump were smart, and he's not, and for someone who lives on social media he doesn't seem to completely understand it, he wouldn't sue, he'd let it go, it would be history and it would still be his word versus Bolton's, i.e. Trump would have plausible deniability.
Trump does understand the speed of the news cycle, which is why he tweets so frequently. But Trump is always playing offense, he doesn't seem to know how to play defense, at least not how to strategize defense.
Oh, Trump will roll over, like on the Juneteenth rally in Tulsa, there goes that plausible deniability once again, but when he sues to prevent publication of Bolton's book, all he does is amplify it.
I mean come on, if Trump were going to lose his job for faux pas, he would have been convicted at the Senate impeachment trial. But his supporters in lockstep, the Republicans in that chamber, wouldn't even allow Bolton to testify. In other words, if you're winning the war, SHUT UP!
The Democrats still don't understand social media. They are not aware that it's a land of mass, that it doesn't matter what you say if you don't have millions of followers. Today we all live in our own vertical, and the only chance to get wider distribution is to have a team of active followers who will spread the word. Numbers first, content second.
This is the exact opposite when it comes to art, as opposed to commerce. With art, you base your numbers on content. And when people are hooked by content, they stay glued, for quite a while, especially in an era where being attached to and proud of someone or something others are unaware of is a badge of honor.
But when you're at the top, never punch down. The only place you can go is down.
Don't defend yourself in today's media unless you are right. And even if you are right, there are a slew of people who still think you're wrong, who still believe Obama was born in Africa.
That's another thing you learn in the cyberworld. NEVER CORRECT SOMEONE! They tell you the sun was out at midnight and you correct them by not only telling them it set at 8:15 PM, you send pics, links...and what does the person say? THEY DOUBLE DOWN AND STILL TELL YOU YOU'RE WRONG!
It's funny, but anybody with a profile knows this. But if you're hiding behind the edifice, i.e. the newspaper, if you don't have a name, you mean nothing.
Your name, it's the most important element in today's social media world. Sure, people used to have fakes, but those disappeared when Facebook wanted real monikers. Sure, there are still trolls with fake accounts, especially on Twitter, but the great thing about Twitter is it's a bastion of data. They may be hating on you multiple times a day, but in some cases these trolls have ZERO followers. That's right, absolutely none! So there's no use in getting your knickers in a twist, because no one is even seeing the criticism. Furthermore, even people who have followers...most of the followers don't see their posts.
Twitter is news, TikTok is high school and Instagram is high school for graduates, who still want to gain status. That's another thing you learn when you leave school, no one cares about you, everybody isn't locked down in the same tiny environment. So, when you go on how great you are on Instagram, everybody thinks you're a chump who didn't get the memo. But you keep believing your number of followers and likes means something! But unless you've got millions of both, really you're essentially irrelevant, except for those followers paying attention. Everybody else doesn't know who you are and doesn't care. And Instagram is skin-deep at best.
TikTok... In junior high and high school it's all about impressing your friends, getting ahead, but people keep moving through the system and your status does not last. Meanwhile, you're deep in the scene in the meantime, in your petty wars, thinking you're popular until you graduate and find out the joke was on you.
As for the influencers?
That's just a news story.
Of course there are some people making money. But they're tools of the corporations, the product-providers, not vice versa. Sure, the Kardashians are the opposite, they dictate to the corporations, if they don't form a corporation themselves, but there's only one of them. That's today's society, winner take all!
As for those on Facebook... They didn't get the memo it's history. It's amateur hour, Facebook...with supposed gravitas that it doesn't really have anyway. You're sharing based on the concept that you're connecting instead of bragging, but no one believes that. And if you live on Facebook it proves you've got no life.
But Trump is not on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Because he knows they're irrelevant to his brand. That's another thing self-promoters don't get. Don't be everywhere, your fans are not everywhere, every platform is not right for you, go where your type of people are. If you're a nitwit entertainer who is just selling, don't bother with Twitter. Twitter is about news and your opinion thereupon. If you're not making news and you're uninformed and are unaware of and unable to comment on others' news...stay off Twitter!
Furthermore, other than Twitter, all these platforms are fads. Since it's based on news, Twitter is necessary. Sure, someone could come up with a better social media news site, but since Wall Street has convinced investors there's no money in Twitter, they don't. As for Facebook, it's already been superseded by Instagram, which Facebook was savvy enough to purchase. Same deal with WhatsApp. But all of these sites run on user content, based on the concept that people need to connect, which they do, but they don't have to do it on any of these sites! As for Snapchat, it's a sideshow, forget about it, like Second Life back in the day. A lot of ink, a small, passionate fan base, and that's it. Everything Snapchat invents, Instagram copies. Ideas cannot be protected.
And sure, the big kahunas want to keep down upstarts, the worst offender being Amazon, which will underprice, lose money to kill competitors. This is what Warren and Sanders were bitching about, but the DNC and inside media decided no one cared about that, so they focused on milquetoast Biden, promising a return to the past as they triangulate, imposing a flawed paradigm upon an era that does not exist. People use Amazon and Facebook products all the time, but they also hate them. it's kind of like the cable company, as soon as you get an alternative, you jump.
But having misplayed his hand with the Bolton book, give Trump credit, he understands much more of the game than the usual suspect players, said DNC and major media. Yes, by suing Trump will ensure the Bolton story stays on the front page longer than it would have. But Trump also knows that the internet runs on gossip and truth is one of the last priorities. Blame Fox News all you want, the truth is people are exposed to falsehoods all day long on the internet, have an opinion and express it, you'll see. Which is why Dorsey and Zuckerberg have so much power. And Trump knows he's got no power over them, not directly relative to their content, but he's jawboning to get them to blink all the while gaining adherents who hate social media. That's another thing, everybody who professes to hate social media is on it.
As for the content of Bolton's book...
A nonfactor.
The truth is the election is months away, and nothing negative sticks to Trump. Sure, he might have blown Covid-19, but no one you know died and you're already out and about, lockdown is in the rearview mirror to you.
And you...
Sympathize with African-Americans, as long as they don't get too uppity. And you don't like looting. And you won't say any of this out loud, but there's no way you're voting for old Joe, Trump has been good for you, you don't want any change.
And the DNC blew it because it doesn't understand that the internet runs on passion! You win and lose elections online, few people watch TV news, whether it be network or cable. So, what you want to possess is a lot of followers who you feed with content with spreadability. Come on, is anybody spreading anything Biden says? Proving, once again, that as flawed as Trump might be in the internet sphere, the Democrats are positively clueless. The Democrats are running on an old playbook that they believe is inviolate. They're selling CRTs in an OLED flat screen world. They believe CDs have pristine sound and they won't trust their credit card information to Spotify.
What did we learn with Bernie Sanders this year?
The young people didn't come out. They professed belief in his agenda, they just did not bother to vote.
And now voting is harder than ever. You might not get a mail-in ballot, you might have even been stricken from the rolls! And if you do go to vote, it might take hours and you might get Covid-19. Meanwhile, all the oldsters say REMEMBER BUSH/GORE! But these antiquarians don't realize these young voters were not even alive then, of if they were, they were unaware.
It's hard to discern the method in Trump's madness. But one thing is for sure, the Democrats and the media just react to it. Constantly print the shenanigans, throw their hands in the air and expect you to agree with them. Meanwhile, so many have contempt for the talking heads and reporters, if they're even paying attention at all. Come on, whether it be Tucker Carlson or Joe Scarborough, both think their doody does not stink and what they say is uber-important, not having gotten the memo that the internet has flattened our society. Celebs have been brought down more than one notch, a few in fact, and the hoi polloi has been lifted. So, if you separate yourself from the rest of the public, you're a target, in a world where people can fight back and don't think you're any better than they are.
So stop all this b.s on facts. The election will be based on emotions. And Trumpers believe their man is unjustly attacked, that the fake news empire is after him. Meanwhile, those with a brain know the opposite is true, but they never decide on one strategy or angle to hammer over and over like Trump, which you've got to do in today's world to be heard, because there are so many messages.
So, stop being holier-than-thou, believing Trump is a doofus and there's no way he can get elected.
First and foremost, the Republicans are tilting the table, via voter suppression, saying it's all about eliminating fraud when fraud is de minimis. Second, never underestimate the instinct of those who have not to give it up. Third, people neither like to appear dumb or uninformed, so they'll double-down on inane positions just to save face.
So, the truly rich stay out of the fray, they pay in secret, via lobbyists, PACs...they're smart enough to realize it's hard to win the internet news game, even if you're right.
And the rest of the country is arguing 24/7 on social media.
The internet allows those without money to triumph, but only if they're organized and are clear on what they want.
Once again, the election will be decided on the internet. The news media always wants a new story and the public is inundated with messages and little sticks. So, it's all opinion, all the time. Go online, learn the game, it's hard, harder than ever, you can play, but you may not even be heard, never mind win. But if you do want to win, when it comes to politics, followers first, message second, veracity may be irrelevant. Remember that.
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