Data mining on Facebook was placed on the list of evils by anyone traumatized about the 2016 election. Since Trump’s campaign momentarily dabbled in it, it’s satanic, conveniently forgetting St. Obama did it in 2012. The difference between the two approaches is matter of degree, not kind.
I’m referring to the 2016 election in the title. If you happened to be a loser, the election drove you to madness. Some couldn’t get over the numbers and fled into escapism. For them, the whole thing was as legitimate as the finishes at a mob-run racetrack. In psychology, it’s called “denialism” – a rejection of reality.
For the psychologically marred, nearly everything is recruited to deny the victor his spoils. Regarding the 2016 result, it was Russia “stealing our election”, Comey’s testimony on Hillary’s awkwardly unlawful behavior, the rise of the “deplorables”, and now Facebook skulduggery.
Somehow, data mining on Facebook has joined the ranks of numbers running. Obama’s people did it in 2012 and they were called wunderkinds. Trump’s people do it and it becomes one of the dark arts. Yes, in 2012, people volunteered their friends’ lists while 2016 Cambridge Analytics bought their’s. In both cases, no friends were asked, and it was simply like ending up on a direct mail or phone list. It’s much-a-do about nothing.
Russia didn’t turn the election. They succeeded, though, in sowing the discord exhibited by Nancy Pelosi and company. As for Hillary’s Comey problem, that was self-inflicted. As for Facebook, Trump’s people found it wanting and used the better RNC data.
Don’t worry about Facebook, they will find way to monetize data mining.
Eventually, for all the enraged Dems out there, you’ll have to come around to accepting that a sizable chunk of the electorate in 2016 had enough of Obama’s revolution. Now, you’ll channel your rage for the midterms and vote to misgovern yourselves … and ourselves. And so it goes.
RogerG