Hey everyone!Welcome to the first issue of Wired political lab communication. I’m Makena Kelly, WIRED’s senior political writer, and I’m glad you’re here.
In the aftermath of the 2020 U.S. election, rhetoric on the internet spilled into the real world, with violent consequences. In the years since, those drumbeats have only gotten louder, the misinformation bleaker, the conspiracies crazier, and the technology more enabling. It’s already a dizzying backdrop — and it’s only March. I’m here not only to help you understand what’s happening now, but also to help you understand what’s coming next.
Politics has never been stranger—or more online. Wired Politics Lab Your guide through the maelstrom of extremism, conspiracy, and disinformation.
Current status of the Internet
The web is unrecognizable from what it was four years ago. Companies like Meta have all but abandoned news and political content after being grilled by Congress more times than I care to remember over disinformation and alleged censorship. Elon Musk bought Twitter (now X), fired much of the site’s trust and safety team, and turned the platform into a wasteland of conspiracy and disinformation. On top of that, AI-generated automated calls and spam are filling voicemail inboxes and news feeds, posing unprecedented challenges to regulators and social networks. While some intelligence officials and lawmakers have suggested national security risks in the past, TikTok has grown into a powerful cultural and political force, with even the Biden campaign getting on board.
Campaigns have to adapt: ”I think the fact that the internet has become more personal over the last four years means we need to play the game differently and try some new things,” deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty told the Biden reelection campaign My decision to join TikTok.Long-shot candidate RFK Jr. has relied on podcasts such as The Joe Rogan Experienceas well as influencers on Instagram and TikTok to get his message out to voters.
Still, everyone heard the news last week: The House passed a bill forcing TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to sell the app or ban it in the United States. That makes it a little crazy for a campaign to go all out on a platform that may not exist while their own colleagues are trying to destroy it.
While TikTok may be facing an untimely end, other platforms are being resurrected. My colleague William Turton and I reported Wednesday that Parler, one of the first uncensored social media alternatives to Facebook and Twitter, is preparing to relaunch after being offline for nearly a year after being acquired by a right-leaning marketing firm. roll out. Just this week, Parler returned to iOS, with Google Play Store approval expected later this week.