Thread by @dw2

The root problem with surveillance capitalism, argues Cory @doctorow in a compelling book-length article, is neither surveillance, nor capitalism, nor technology. It's monopoly, and society's misguided unwillingness to challenge monopoly power onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy…

Among many other important points in this article is the insight that a big reason that threadbare conspiracy theories are on the rise, is because many people have been victims of actual conspiracies, also known as corruption, and that has increased their distrust of authority

"It’s trauma and not contagion — material conditions and not ideology — that is making the difference today and enabling a rise of repulsive misinformation in the face of easily observed facts" onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy…

"The trauma of living through real conspiracies... — conspiracies among wealthy people, their lobbyists, and lawmakers to bury inconvenient facts & evidence of wrongdoing (these conspiracies are commonly known as “corruption”) — is making people vulnerable to conspiracy theories"

For a related analysis of the drawbacks of monopolies, as they have waxed and waned over the last 100+ years, you'll find lots of surprising history in "Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy" by @matthewstoller goodreads.com/book/show/4053…

Two characters that loom large in the rich history told by Matt Stoller: Andrew Mellon (US Treasury Secretary) and Louis Brandeis (Supreme Court judge). Both have fallen out of public discourse in recent years, but both deserve much more attention, to help us learn from the past