Item — HN Reader

I was wondering about that too. For those claiming that Trump is mad at TikTok[1] because kpop fans on the site sabotaged the Tulsa campaign rally by signing up for (free) tickets,

a) How do you know that said sabotage was 100% organic and not something TikTok manipulated its algorithms to encourage?

b) Even if said sabotage were 100% organic, does the fact that this was done on a Chinese platform cause concern?

c) How do your answers change if a Biden campaign were the target?

[1] Don't be too sure about TikTok's user base being anti-Trump. `#Trump2020` has received 7 billion hits, compared to 900,000 for `#Biden2020`. https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-aims-for-a-deal-to-bu...

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d) Do you ask the same questions of American social media and its effects on other countries' politics?

The volume has been rising on that ever since Trump got elected and Brexit happened. It will keep rising. Have no doubt.

Its a matter of time before Zuckerberg faces the music. The Tech firms arent the only power centers in the US. And the other power centers aren't waiting around to bow and bend to them. Which is how you get a Rockerfeller or a Gates or a Ma Bell to bend. That track record exists.

I think the issue is still about what we want social media to be. What changes do we want to see etc. These things aren't fully clear for all sides to get behind. When that happens Zuckerberg will go the way Gates went.

I still trust the US to do this much more than I trust the govts of Russia/China/India etc to. They dont have a track record of doing anything about monopolies other than sharing in the profits. The EU has tried but really doesn't have the teeth. So its really upto the US to reign it in.

Does any of this matter?

It's up to the trump campaign to accept or deny the ticket sales

Wow that's a sobering statistic. If true it means Biden is DOA. Social media wins elections.

>Wow that's a sobering statistic. If true it means Biden is DOA. Social media wins elections.

Trump lost MN in 2016 by 1.5%; the Floyd riots and looting might give the state to him this year (suburban voters generally do not like the idea of half of city they work in being torched, and the police force of said city being disbanded). In 2016 Trump won MN 18-24 year olds by five points (http://www.cnn.com/election/results/exit-polls/minnesota/pre...). By contrast, Obama won the same age group in the state by 34 points (http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/state/MN/president/) over Romney! For 18-29 year olds, Clinton won the age group by three points while Obama won by 30 points!

WI and PA saw similar trends. If Trump wins every other state he won in 2016, he only needs to win one of MN, WI, PA, or MI for reelection.