Intention economy update: Musk sells X to Musk AI

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Musk sold X to Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI:

X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, has been sold.

Elon Musk said Friday that xAI, his artificial intelligence company, had acquired X in an all-stock transaction that values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45 billion, his original take-private price, minus $12 billion in debt).

That’s $1 billion more than the take-private price of $44 billion in 2022.

“xAI and X’s futures are intertwined. Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent,” Musk wrote on X. “This combination will unlock immense potential by blending xAI’s advanced AI capability and expertise with X’s massive reach. The combined company will deliver smarter, more meaningful experiences to billions of people while staying true to our core mission of seeking truth and advancing knowledge. This will allow us to build a platform that doesn’t just reflect the world but actively accelerates human progress.”

The sales pitch: The intention economy is sold as something benign and wonderful for consumers. It is a marketing paradigm that is claimed to focus on empowering customers by prioritizing their expressed intentions and needs, rather than relying on traditional seller-driven methods. The concept envisions a shift where buyers actively shape markets by signaling their specific demands, and businesses compete to fulfill them.

Here’s the reality: Musk intends to ramp up the sales and persuasion power of X. He is using AI in pursuit of a lead and dominance in the intention economy. The intention economy focuses on capturing, analyzing and manipulating human motivations and desires to drive sales and manipulate reality. In other words, the goal is to commodify and conquer the human mind using AI. Accumulating evidence indicates that the intention economy’s AI infrastructure coupled with hyper-targeted data collection creates a ton of opportunity for manipulation and abuse. The intention economy can be weaponized to exploit consumers, undermine personal autonomy, distort markets, and threaten democratic processes. 

LLMs (large language models) like ChatGPT analyze conversational data, search histories, and behavioral patterns to infer desires, creating a marketplace where personal intentions are bought and sold. Generative AI tools process "hundreds of words of rich, contextual data" from users, moving beyond keyword-based targeting to proactively anticipate needs and desires. For instance, Meta’s Cicero model demonstrated the ability to infer human intentions in strategy games, a capability extendable to commerce and politics.

Human cognitive vulnerabilities are targeted to boost sales. The intention economy’s reliance on behavioral data allows people like Musk to identify and target moments of psychological weakness. Precedents in digital advertising, such as targeting beauty products to women during “prime vulnerability moments” like Monday mornings, illustrate how intent-driven systems can boost sales by  amplifying AI’s ability to manipulate people. Digital signals of intent, such as search queries, voice assistant interactions, and social media activity, are collected and auctioned to advertisers. This creates a feedback loop where users’ expressed desires are not merely observed but actively shaped and sold.

The intention economy’s arguably most insidious effect is the erosion of free will. By embedding suggestions into seemingly neutral interactions such as chatbot chats or search results, AI systems bypasses conscious decision-making. Users perceive choices as self-directed, unaware of algorithmic curation or manipulation. This “soft coercion” mirrors techniques described by Shoshana Zuboff in Surveillance Capitalism, where autonomy is traded for convenience. Marginalized groups face heightened risks. Low-income users, often reliant on AI-driven services for essential needs, are disproportionately targeted by predatory practices. For example, AI can steer subprime loan offers to individuals expressing financial stress in chat logs. 

To protect consumers, tech firms could adopt human-centric design  (HCD) principles that prioritize user welfare over engagement metrics like sales, profits and false beliefs instilled in people’s minds. How likely is that to happen? 

In my opinion, very unlikely for at least the next ~5 years, based on current American politics and political conditions. In Pxy’s analysis: While profit-driven firms resist systemic change, the rising costs of reputational damage and regulatory non-compliance make HCD adoption increasingly pragmatic. As Stanford’s Makridis notes, the question is not if HCD will prevail, but how many users must be harmed before industry-wide reckoning occurs? 

Q1: How likely is it that (1) intention economy billionaires will voluntarily adopt HCD to protect consumers, or (2) government will impose regulations to use HCD to protect consumers from intention economy abuses?

Q2: Is it time for mandatory universal public school education in defense against the dark arts like authoritarian lies and demagoguery, intention economy-implanted false beliefs, and intention economy-driven sales to consumers? 

Q3: Is it too late to either implement mandatory universal public school education in defense against the dark arts, or to rely on it even if it is implemented? 

MAGA's poison bombs: MAGA's attacks force Canada to respond; Totalitarianism revisited

TNR writes that Canada is shifting from the status of an ally and cooperating friend to a nation that  will distance itself from the US:

Canada Announces Bombshell Break With U.S. Over Trump

The new Canadian prime minister announced the two countries’ relationship is “over”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney officially broke things off with the United States Thursday, marking a seismic shift in relations between the longtime allies.

“The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over,” Carney said during a press conference, following a meeting in Ottawa with his ministers to “discuss trade options” in response to Donald Trump’s “permanent” 25 percent tariffs on all imported vehicles and auto parts.

“What exactly the United States does next is unclear, but what is clear, what is clear is that we as Canadians have agency. We have power. We are masters in our own home,” Carney said.

“We can control our destiny. We can give ourselves much more than any foreign government, including the United States, can ever take away. We can deal with this crisis best by building our own strength right here at home.”  

“We will need to dramatically reduce our reliance on the United States. We will need to pivot our trade relationships elsewhere. And we will need to do things previously thought impossible at speeds we haven’t seen in generations,” Carney said.

Well there we have it. djt and his morally rotted MAGA wealth and power movement have needlessly alienated a precious, long-time friend and ally. How long will it be until the MAGA rank and file wake the hell up? Or will they never be able to see the vast damage that morally rotted djt and his morally rotted MAGA bullshit is needlessly causing to the US and its interests? The US is needlessly losing friends, power and moral authority. At this point, there seems to be little or no American moral authority left.

Analysis: What are the final djt/MAGA elite goals? What is the end game?

In the last few weeks, my assessment of both djt and MAGA elites has shifted some. I previously thought that djt and MAGA elites were only focused on wealth and power to set up an old-fashioned corrupt dictatorship. Now I believe it is worse than that. In my opinion, djt and MAGA elites are focused on wealth, power by way of destruction. It's not clear to  me yet if the destruction component is squarely directed at just killing democracy and establishing an old-fashioned kleptocratic dictatorship, or if the destruction aims to for something a lot worse, namely establishing an modern American totalitarianism.

The post that PD put up earlier today raised the question of totalitarianism. After reading, actually, trying to read, Hannah Arendt's 1951 book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, I dismissed the idea of djt having either the intelligence or the work ethic needed to be a contender for totalitarian status on a par with Hitler or Stalin. djt struck me as too lazy and too stupid to even come close to pulling off a Hitler or Stalin move. Now I am not so sure, but for a reason I did not foresee until now. 

What I did not see coming was Project 2025 and it's secret 180 day attack plan, the 180-Day Transition Playbook. To my knowledge, the Playbook still has not been leajed to tghe public, indicating to me how critically important it is to MAGA elites' planning and operations. The people behind those initiatives are neither lazy like djt nor stupid like him. I now think that what they are driving to establish probably is an American totalitarianism or something fairly close. As one can appreciate, the difference between a kleptocratic dictatorship and a totalitarian state can be hard to tell because the differences tend to be opaque and obscured by relentless demagoguery. 

In the wake of the Hedgseth/djt national security breach fiasco, the relentless lying by djt and the MAGA elites involved cannot be clearer proof that demagogic lying to the public to disinform, divide and distract is a core moral value. Arendt commented about the role of propaganda (demagoguery) coupled with terror in a totalitarian state:

The essential point is that the necessities for propaganda are always dictated by the outside world and that the movements themselves do not actually propagate but indoctrinate. Conversely, indoctrination, inevitably coupled with terror, increases the strength of the movements or the totalitarian government’s isolation and security from outside interference. Propaganda is indeed part and parcel of “psychological warfare”; but terror is more. . . . . Where the rule of terror is brought to perfection, as in concentration camps, propaganda disappears entirely; it was even expressly prohibited in Nazi Germany. Propaganda, in other words, is one, and possibly the most important, instrument of totalitarianism for dealing with the nontotalitarian world; terror, on the other hand, is the very essence of its form of government.

So the question is, is Arendt right that terror (mass murder) is always needed for totalitarianism to exist? Or can there be such a thing as a modern day totalitarian state without the brutal murdering terror that Hitler and Stalin used? I look to China for an answer. There, the power elites have established a highly sophisticated digital dictatorship. It strikes me as almost impossible for a society to oppose even mildly, much less overthrow. Social media is deeply entwined with China's digital dictatorship. It is heavily dependent on cell phones and digital commerce propagated through cell phones. No one goes anywhere, associates with anyone else or buys much of anything without all of it being tracked and scored for threats to the communist party. In my opinion, that is what makes China's dictatorship so powerful and seemingly indestructible. MAGA elites are 100% aware of what China is doing and why they are doing it. Again, MAGA elites are not stupid or lazy. But they absolutely want unfettered access to wealth and power. 

Arendt wrote about what she and the world knew in 1951. She did not know about social media or cell phones, or their power to literally influence human brain wiring. Social science is clear that social media influence can and usually (always?) does affect how people see reality, think about it and act on those beliefs. When beliefs are based on authoritarian demagoguery in the realm of politics (and everything else?), they are often, probably usually, acting on a non-trivial basis of lies, slanders and irrational emotional manipulation. 

Q: What strikes you as the most likely goal the 180-Day Transition Playbook has in mind, old-fashioned kleptocratic dictatorship (with plutocracy and Christian nationalist theocracy), true Hitler/Stalin-style totalitarianism, or something in between without the mass murder of true totalitarianism, e.g., totalitarianism-lite or semi-totalitarianism?

NBC reports: "Trump targets 'IMPROPER IDEOLOGY' at Smithsonian Museums"

Okay, this is the one of the  weirdest and sickest headlines I've seen yet in America. Apparently we are entering Stalinist territory-- Trump's latest EO takes aim at "Improper Ideology"-- apparently a legal determination that some ART AND HISTORY PROGRAMS/EXHIBITIONS at the renowned Smithsonian Museums constitute "IMPROPER, DIVISIVE OR ANTI-AMERICAN IDEOLOGY," which must  be eliminated and/or defunded, and with it (of course) DEI employees and any others that offend the sensibilities of Trump and his new Minister of Propaganda, JD (Goebbels) Vance.  Now I criticized the 1619 Project years ago-- before Smithsonian incorporated it, but criticism is one thing and censorship in the name of political orthodoxies another entirely. Unbelievable stuff! When, if ever will the people of this country reject this obvious bid for something that reeks not just of autocracy, but good old fashioned 20th century Totalitarianism with tropes like "Correct/Incorrect Ideology?!?"  If people take this language and outlandish use of executive power lying down they are signing onto something we've never seen at the federal level in this country. Emerging Totalitarianism.  It is truly disgusting. Here's the report NBC  filed this AM. Truly Orwellian.

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Trump targets 'improper ideology' at Smithsonian museums in new executive order

 

 President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday taking aim at the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers.
 

Trump directed Vice President JD Vance to eliminate “improper, divisive, or anti-American” ideology from programs at the Smithsonian Institution, which receives federal funding. [Note: This is on the heels of several arbitrary measures stripping research universities illegally of millions of dollars including Columbia U and others on grounds of "antisemitism" -- so it is happening quickly across multiple institutions in education, media and the arts as the story on PBS by Germaine today shows]
 

“Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology," the order reads. "This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
 

In the order, Trump accuses the Biden administration of advancing “corrosive ideology” at the museums, singling out certain entities, like the National Museum of African American History and Culture that he said perpetuated “divisive” and “race-centered” ideas.
 

Representatives for the Smithsonian Institution did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday night.
 

Vance, who is a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, will also be tasked with working with congressional leaders to appoint board members who are “committed to advancing the celebration of America’s extraordinary heritage and progress.”
 

Trump’s order further directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to restore federal parks and monuments that have been “improperly removed or changed” in the last five years to perpetuate “a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events.”
 

The order is in line with Trump's rationale for reverting the name of Alaska’s Mount Denali to Mount McKinley, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's explanation for reversing a Biden administration decision to rename military bases honoring Confederate leaders. [Note: "Proper Ideology" must emphasize Lost Cause Civil War tropes honoring the Old South, and its full out White Supremacy. Robert Lee and Confederate flags = "proper;" DEI = "Improper, divisive, Anti-American" -- swallow hard and believe it true.]

The order comes as the Trump administration presses forward in its war on diversity, equity and inclusion, a widely used label applied to efforts to improve workplace culture and create more opportunities for disadvantaged groups.
 

Trump has issued directives placing all federal employees in DEI roles on administrative leave, closing all DEI-related offices and programs and removing mentions to the framework from all federal websites and social media accounts.
 

Similarly, the Education Department this month announced investigations into more than 50 universities it accused of “engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”
 

And the Defense Department this month deleted thousands of pages honoring contributions by women, Black, Native American and other minority groups as part of an effort to ensure it did not promote any DEI concepts. Some of the pages were restored after public backlash.
 

The Smithsonian Institution was created by Congress in 1846 to serve as an "establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men."
 

It consists of 21 museums, 14 education and research centers and the National Zoo, all maintained by more than 6,500 employees and more than 3,800 onsite volunteers. More than 17 million people visit the collection of museums annually.
 

The Smithsonian has two sources of funding: federal appropriations and income generated from gifts, revenue-generating activities and investments. In its most recent budget request, the institution asked Congress for more than $1 billion to fund "essential operating expenses."
 

"Donors tend to be attracted to museum openings and exhibitions, not the prosaic annual budgetary requirements of staffing, maintenance, and operations that we rely on the federal Government for help to meet. For all our collaborations and ancillary sources of funding, the U.S. Congress remains our most important partner," Lonnie G. Bunch, the secretary for the Smithsonian said in the request.
 

Trump's order directs his administration to work with Congress to ensure that future Smithsonian funding does not go to exhibits or programs that "degrade shared American values, divide Americans by race, or promote ideologies inconsistent with Federal law" or "recognize men as women."

Rule of law collapse update: Devon Archer's pardon

In another sign that djt holds the rule of law in cynical contempt he pardoned Devon Archer, a former associate of Hunter Biden. Archer was convicted in 2018 for his role in a fraudulent scheme that defrauded a Native American tribe. Archer scammed the Wakpamni Lake Community Corp., a business arm of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The scheme involved fraudulent issuance and sale of over $60 million in tribal bonds. 

In his comments yesterday, djt said that Archer was "treated very unfairly" and considered him "a victim of a crime." He did not specify what crime Archer was allegedly a victim of. Archer claimed he was the target of "a convoluted lawfare effort" and had been "subjected to a complex legal campaign aimed at destroying and silencing" him. So Archer and djt are both lying liars about this.

So why did djt pardon a friend of Hunter Biden? Because Archer provided key testimony in 2023 to congressional Republicans investigating the Biden family's business dealings. He claimed that Hunter Biden sold "the illusion of access" to his father, Joe Biden.

So how what else did this get for Archer? He got out of his 1 year and 1 day jail sentence because he had not yet started serving time for his crime. The pardon also relieved Archer of paying $43,427,436 in restitution and an additional obligation to forfeit $15,700,513 was nullified. In total, the pardon erased Archer's financial obligations worth about $59,127,949 related to his criminal conviction.

This is how djt and MAGA elites treat the rule of law. For them, the law is there to serve them and their interests and to punish opposition and criticism. The day after the 2024 election, I predicted the rule of law would collapse with djt and MAGA elites being above the law. It looks like that is coming true or already is true.

MAGA poison: NPR and PBS in the crosshairs; Attacking another law firm; Europe and democracy

As I expected and predicted, MAGA elites would get around to targeting NPR and PBS sooner or later. The NYT writes: Live Updates: NPR and PBS Facing Tough Questions From Congress -- The chief executives of the biggest public media networks in the United States are expected to defend their funding and push back against accusations of media bias. Congressional Republicans are casting a harsh spotlight on PBS and NPR, America’s biggest public media networks, on Wednesday in a government hearing, lobbing accusations of media bias against the media organizations. 

One of the speakers, Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow of the conservative Heritage Foundation, is accusing public media groups of “egregious bias.” His recent book is “BLM: The Making of a New Marxist Revolution”, so we all know where this crackpot, radical right authoritarian shitshow is going. 

As would might guess from the hearing title “Anti-American Airwaves” and its organizer the radical crackpot MAGA thug Marjorie Taylor Greene, there is a ton of MAHA hostility toward NPR and PBS. Why? Because they broadcast far too much inconvenient fact, truth and sound reasoning. Seeing MAGA wanting to attack and kill NPR and PBS was brain-dead easy -- MAGA has hated both for years.

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djt has issued another mindless, authoritarian vengeance EO that attacks another law firm that pissed him off. The NYT writes: Trump’s Old Grudge Fuels Swipe at a New Law Firm -- An executive order underscored the extent to which the president, who faced four indictments after he left office, aims to exact a price from anyone associated with past investigations of him. The order underscored the extent to which the president, who faced four criminal indictments after he left office in 2021, now aims to exact a steep price from anyone associated with past investigations of him.

The EO against the law firm Jenner & Block 1) suspends and reviews all security clearances held by J&B employees, deeming their access to classified information inconsistent with "national interest", a concept that is not defined, but means anything that can impair J&B's business, 2) directs agencies to terminate existing contracts with the firm and bars future contracting, and 3) prohibits hiring Jenner & Block attorneys for federal roles without explicit waivers. 

The EO singled out a former Robert Mueller prosecutor, Andrew Weissmann (who left the firm in 2021), as an example of J&B’s alleged "unjustified" hiring practices. Clearly, djt is going after anything with ties to investigations against him. djt continues to lie by falsely claiming that all prosecutions of him were politically motivated.

The EO lies by claiming it is based on policy disagreements and procedural concerns. The order’s timing, focus on individuals like Weissmann, and similarity to previously law firms attacked by EOs strongly indicate that this EO is for vengeance and nothing else. djt's fee-fees were hurt. The sanctions are squarely aimed at penalizing J&B for legal work that hindered Trump’s agenda and for employing attorneys linked to investigations he disfavors. As a thug dictator, he has no qualm about abusing his power to impose massive damage on those who enraged him. 

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One of the things that was apparent to me long before the 2024 elections was that if djt got re-elected it could be catastrophic for all democracies everywhere. My Nov. 6, 2024 post included this prediction:

All global democracies will be under increasingly intense pressure to go authoritarian. The last stand for global democracy will be Europe's democracies, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and little or nothing else.

The NYT reports about increasing pressure on democracy in Europe: "Europe Talks Tough on Military Spending, but Unity Is Fracturing -- European leaders are struggling to find the money and the political will to replace the bulk of the U.S. contribution to Ukraine and to their own defense. There is an inevitable gap between talk and action, and unity is fracturing already, especially when it comes to spending and borrowing money in a period of low growth and high debt. The Dutch and others are not fans of raising collective debt for defense. Keeping Hungary on board is ever more difficult. [Former prime minister of Estonia, now the chief foreign and security official for the European Union, Kaja Kallas'] effort to get the E.U. to provide up to 40 billion euros (more than $43 billion) to Ukraine through a small, fixed percentage levy on each country’s national income has gone nowhere."

So there we have it. The EU can't even come up with a paltry $43 billion for the Ukraine. The Ukraine is screwed, which was another of my 11/6/24 predictions: There will be hideous genocide in Gaza, Lebanon and the Ukraine. The Ukraine will fall to Putin and his brutal vengeance. The slaughter will be savage.

Euro-sentiment - not good for Ukraine

Worse yet, Hungary is a dictatorship led by Viktor Orbán. He is a thug that MAGA elites and djt love and admire. He can easily extort the EU by threatening to toss sand in the gears of EU efforts to defend itself and the Ukraine. On March 8, 2024 djt hosted Orbán, praising him as "fantastic" and "the boss." djt cited Orbán as a character witness (😱) during a televised debate, quoting Orbán's support for his potential return to the presidency. Orbán has spoken at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a gathering of MAGA elites. MAGA politicians, including senators and representatives, have attended CPAC events in Budapest, showing alignment with Orbán's policies.

Orbán at CPAC teaching MAGA

elites how to kill democracy

MAGA elites loved the lessons!

Meanwhile, authoritarian political parties are in the rise in other EU nations. It is not clear that the EU can defend itself absent kicking out a dictatorship like Hungary. Russia is slowly but surely rebuilding the old Soviet Union. Both djt and MAGA elites are in Putin's side. Traitors.

A collision: The Hegseth dustup, communications theory and pragmatic rationalism

Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980)

Communications media philosopher

This is really wonky, but I find it fascinating. A comment here yesterday about the MAGA idiot Pete Hegseth and other MAGA elites stupidly breaching national security sparked this post. 

NOTE: Nothing in this blog post is intended to shift any blame or responsibility whatsoever from the MAGA morons involved in the national security breach to any form of social media. All blame and responsibility is with Pete Hegseth and the other MAGA morons for breaching national security and djt, Hegseth and all the other morons for lying to us about it and denying actual facts. Social media may have been a non-trivial contributing factor in impairing the judgment of everyone involved, but that does not absolve them of their outrageous failure and lies to cover it up.

Comment: I'm trying to stay off for awhile, but this Hegseth dust up is an irresistible example of what annoys me most. The Screen.

Hegseth and his bros were talking on mildly secure Signal about a military attack. Did it mess up the attack? No. Were they saying anything critical to national defense? No. Did using an open app installed on otherwise secure devices create a hackers dream?..
The issue here should be the use of the internet at all.

As John Stewart said on 3/24 internet/social media is a machine. Interactive Media is a machine Designed in laboratories to change the behavior and rewire the brains of those who engage it. It is a programmed machine that programs those who use it, no matter the users intended use.
. It is NOT a conduit for speech like an old phone, and free speech has nothing to do with this problem.
He says it better than I do.
The machine takes your input, every nuance of your life on or off social media, in your car, everywhere all the time. and crafts a specific and personalized response to get you to think and do what they want.
But mention that and people invariably say, "well what do you want me to do?, The net is essential to everything. It cannot be shut down, I need it.." And they are right.
Hegseth, and the rest of the gang, are not the problem. They are there because the social media created Trump and MAGA. The media , divided us, and taught us to fear, and sold us lie after lie and we drank it all down like an abused child begging, clinging to the leg of the parent beating them to death. .
The message on the medium is not the message. The medium is the message.
The Medium is the message.
The medium is the Message.

Response: Pxy (pro-search and deep research modes):

Q1: What does the Medium is the message mean?

A1: "The medium is the message" is a phrase coined by Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan in 1964. It means that the form of communication (the medium) itself has a significant impact on how the message is perceived and understood, often overshadowing the actual content of the message. The shift from oral culture to print-based ones changed societal focus from auditory to visual. Understanding this concept is crucial in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, as it helps us anticipate and potentially shape the effects of new communication technologies on our culture and society.

Q2: Exactly why is understanding this concept crucial in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape? What is the social science data on this point?

A2: McLuhan’s axiom “the medium is the message” asserts that communication technologies—not just their content—reshape human behavior, social structures, and cultural norms. In the digital age, this principle remains critically relevant, as platforms like social media, search engines, and streaming services fundamentally alter how information is processed, identities are formed, and power is distributed. Empirical research reveals that digital mediums amplify polarization, reshape cognitive processes, and create systemic inequities in digital literacy. Understanding these effects is essential for fostering informed citizenship, mitigating misinformation, and ensuring equitable participation in a technology-driven world.

Is that about right? I think it is.

The issue here should be the use of the internet at all. .... Hegseth, and the rest of the gang, are not the problem. They are there because the social media created Trump and MAGA. The media , divided us, and taught us to fear, and sold us lie after lie and we drank it all down like an abused child begging, clinging to the leg of the parent beating them to death.

If I understand your analysis, which I might not, social media has had effects significantly more harmful than beneficial to society, knowledge generally, government, democracy, human rationality, etc. (good things generally). If that's your argument, we are in agreement. I think I have been arguing the same thing about social media for years, at least ~15, maybe ~20.

But I articulate the same (similar? overlapping?) concept differently. I don't anchor my arguments to McLuhan's insight, which I do not dispute. My anchor is human cognitive biology, social behavior and pragmatic rationalism, a pro-rationality, morals-based, anti-biasing, anti-ideology ideology (a meta-ideology according to Pxy).

Stepping back how does McLuhan fit into pragmatic rationalism , assuming it fits at all? I asked Pxy:

Q3: In what ways, if any, does the meta-ideology (anti-biasing, anti-ideology ideology) called pragmatic rationalism as described here, https://dispol.blogspot.com/2024/12/wonk-alert-perplexity-tinkering-with.html , fit with McLuhan's insight? Or, are the two concepts non-overlapping? Take steps to reduce errors from sycophancy and other sources of AI error.

A3: Pragmatic rationalism—an anti-biasing, anti-ideology framework emphasizing empirical evidence and cognitive self-awareness—intersects with Marshall McLuhan’s media theory in their shared focus on how cognitive environments shape human reasoning. While McLuhan’s axiom “the medium is the message” analyzes how communication technologies restructure perception and social organization, pragmatic rationalism seeks to counteract distortions introduced by ideological frameworks and cognitive biases. The two concepts converge in their recognition of systemic influences on cognition but diverge in their assumptions about human agency and the role of technological determinism. Empirical studies of digital polarization and algorithmic bias illustrate how McLuhan’s insights about media environments necessitate pragmatic rationalism’s methodological defenses against irrationality.

Conclusion: Complementary Lenses for a Fractured Media Landscape
Pragmatic rationalism and McLuhan’s media theory offer complementary diagnostics for contemporary epistemic crises. While pragmatic rationalism provides tools to counteract cognitive biases, McLuhan’s insights reveal why such biases emerge from media environments themselves. Together, they suggest a dual approach: reforming both individual reasoning and the media architectures that shape it. However, unresolved tensions about agency and determinism highlight the need for further research into how anti-biasing frameworks can adapt to rapidly evolving media ecologies.

Future directions might explore neuroplasticity-informed media design—creating platforms that align with pragmatic rationalism’s goals while respecting McLuhan’s warnings about technological subliminality.

Dang, that turned out to be a really interesting rabbit hole. Now I have a better feel for McLuhan. Pragmatic rationality as a tool to reform reasoning and McLuhan as as a warning. I like that a lot.

Germaine: Irrationality fighter . . . . 

. . . . and snarling watchdog of the public interest