Everything Is Content for the 'Clicktatorship'

"In President Donald Trump's second term, everything is content. Videos of immigration raids are shared widely on X by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), conspiracy theories dictate policy, and prominent right-wing podcasters and influencers have occupied high-level government roles. The second Trump administration is, to put it bluntly, very online."

"Trump and his supporters have long trafficked in-and benefited from- misinformation and conspiracy theories, leveraging them to build visibility on social media platforms and set the tone of national conversations. During his first term, Trump was famous for announcing the administration's positions and priorities via tweet. In the years since, social media platforms have become friendlier environments for conspiracy theories and those who promote them, helping them spread more widely. Trump's playbook has adjusted accordingly."

"Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, says that social media, particularly right-wing social media ecosystems, are no longer just a way for Trump to control conversations and public perception. The administration, he says, is now actively making decisions and shaping policy based primarily on how they'll be perceived online. Their priority is what right-wing communities care about-regardless of whether it's real."

Everything is content in President Donald Trump's second term, with videos of immigration raids shared widely on X by the Department of Homeland Security and conspiracy theories shaping policy. Prominent right-wing podcasters and influencers occupy high-level government roles and social media platforms have grown friendlier to conspiracy content and its promoters. Trump and supporters leverage misinformation and conspiracies to build visibility and set national conversation tone. The administration now makes decisions and shapes policy based primarily on online perception, prioritizing what right-wing communities care about regardless of factual accuracy. Don Moynihan labels this enmeshment of internet and politics a "clicktatorship."

Read at WIRED