Regula Staempfli on toxic debates: Codes fire insignificant sidelines. This only serves anti-democrats. (English commentary by the author who apologizes for the inadequate translation)

Shitstorms are fuelled by Hyperlinks. Many of the outraged still don’t realize this. Destroying friends on the left does not lead to a democratisation of the system but feeds the rich in Silicon Valley. In my book “The banality of Trump”TM  (my English Title for Trumpism: A phenomenon conquers the world”) I explain the phenomenon of “Digitally driven scripted reality”.

It is very efficient in hurting all political discourse, especially in still existing democracies. Democracies nowadays fail not because they are being attacked by outsiders but from the inside via hyperlinks that fuel discourses based on hatred, on splitting people into enemies and friends. Hyperlinks, Codes, Algorithms are programmed to divide, individualize, scandalize all political protests. They are programmed to kill democratic discourse not to enable deliberation. Twitter has equipped all anarchists (left and right) to get rid of existing welfare states and democracies. Pre-digital guerilla tactics destroyed civilizations and/or brought down existing regimes. “Move fast and break things” – the motto of Mark Zuckerberg has proven to be true. The broken circle can be vetted in the left, in the opposition to Trump while all antidemocrats move faster than ever before.