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DL 273

Shocked, But Not Surprised

Published: January 9, 2021 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to Digitally Literate, issue 273. Your go-to source for insightful content on education, technology, and the digital landscape.

🔖 Key Takeaways

A lot has happened in the world of technology and education since our last issue. Sadly, the events of January 6th, 2021 require our full examination. As regular readers of this newsletter, we are shocked—but not surprised at what occurred.

This week I worked on the following:

📺 Watch

President Trump gave a speech to his supporters on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. The audio of that speech was synced with images of the events that directly followed it. This video illustrates how his words helped incite the violence that ensued.

📚 Read

The Capitol Insurrection Was Planned Online

On Wednesday, thousands of Trump supporters flocked to Washington to protest and overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss indicates that supporters listened to their president say he would never concede. Then he implored his audience to march on the Capitol building.

Much of the planning for this event has been plotted for weeks in the bowels of Reddit, Twitter, Parler, Telegram, and other corners of the far-right Internet.

Insurgent forces and the MAGA Right were welded together on the streets of Washington D.C.

The Pro-Trump Mob Was Doing It For The 'Gram

The mob that rampaged the halls of Congress included infamous white supremacists and conspiracy theorists.

Thousands invaded the highest centers of power, and the first thing they did was take selfies and videos. They were making content as spoils to take back to the digital empires where they dwell.

Members of the mob also used Dlive to livestream while they rampaged.

A coup with no plot, no end to achieve, no plan but to pose.

Platforms Must Pay for Their Role in the Insurrection

As the world came to terms with the insurrection, many highlighted the role that internet platforms have played in fomenting and facilitating these events.

Facebook indicated they would block Trump until the end of his term. Twitter permanently suspended him citing the risk of further violence.

Although we would like to believe platforms acted out of concern for society, it's far more likely they're concerned about incoming policymakers and calls for regulation.

This is not just about Trump's account—it's the ecosystem built up around his messaging.

Trump's removal from Twitter created a vacuum for Parler and Gab.

Gab was one of the first platforms to brand itself as "free speech" and has been a haven for right-wing terrorists. Parler has been identified as a major network for sharing talk of guns, violence, and misinformation.

As Marc-André Argentino indicates, if you are interested in QAnon, QAnonCasualties is a must-read subreddit.

The heartbreaking thread documents one individual able to escape the cult's grip.

🔨 Do

As the world seems crazy, carve out time for yourself:

🤔 Consider

Plot, plan, strategize, organize, and mobilize.

Killer Mike

Killer Mike's words from 2020 protests take on new meaning after January 6th. The insurrectionists followed this playbook—plotting online, planning for weeks, organizing on platforms that accommodated them. We must learn from how they mobilized to understand how to prevent future violence. Rest in Peace MF DOOM.

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