[ergl]

Authority rests on information control. High status roles generally depend on access to and control over the dominant communication channels of the time.

[...]

Of all social roles, those of hierarchy are affected most by new patterns of information flow. The loss of information control undermines traditional authority figures. Further, because information control is an implicit rather than an explicit aspect of high status, the changes in hierarchy are surrounded by confusion and despair.

[...]

Many Americans are still hoping for the emergence of an old-style, dynamic "great leader." Yet electronic media of communication are making it almost impossible to find one. There is no lack of potential leaders, but rather an overabundance of information about them. The great leader image depends on mystification and careful management of public impressions. Through television, we see too much of our politicians, and they are losing control over their images and performances. As a result, our political leaders are being stripped of their aura and are being brought closer to the level of the average person.

– From Joshua Meyrowitz's No Sense of Place, 1989

[kmeisthax]

It's also important to note that many of the people responsible for the Internet as we know it had known left- or right-libertarian leanings. The Internet destroys people's faith in government because the people who created the Internet fought long and hard to ensure it would do so.

[classified]

That's very insightful. He practically predicted The Donald and his wrestling with social media over how much he can lie and spread hatred online unchallenged (although that latter part is very much explicit).

[war1025]

I would flip it the other way and say he predicted the mainstream media's need to discredit his use of social media since social media is threatening their position as the dominate communication channel with the masses.

Trump lies, but I have seen very little evidence that he lies more than any previous president.

The things he lies about are precisely the "Great Leader" style attempts to improve his image.

To me, that is much preferable to lying in order to push us into another Middle East war.

[NoSorryCannot]

Considering that there are many compilations of the evidence that Trump lies more than past presidents and that he lies about matters of national security, public health, climate science, and election security, I find your position absurd.