[ixtli]

people have been saying this since we first migrated away from listserv. look, the corporate influence on the internet has absolutely made it worse and continues to make it less accessible to humans but the authors overarching world view is leaking in here. its not the "woke mind virus" its profit motive pure and simple. the dead internet theory is often best viewed through platforms owned and operated by people who believe the same underlying things as the author.

[spacemadness]

The author also completely lost me with their anti-woke fixation:

“Transfixed, I sat watching the almost hypnotic rumblings of a transgender alt-right, conservative, Republican who was anti-trans rights. It was immaterial whether I agreed with them or not—the simple fact of knowing such outright interesting, transgressive voices even existed”

Outright interesting, transgressive voices. Lol. So outright interesting being yet another alt-right reactionary on the internet. Give me a break. I find this viewpoint forced on me on Youtube by watching gaming videos. I have no idea what they find so refreshing about it.

[ixtli]

I absolutely agree with you on this. I definitely feel like the viewpoint is forced on me on all social media and all media with a social component (like youtube!)

To digress a bit about your last sentence: my opinion, though, is that they don't find it refreshing.

I think this is an example of the subtle manipulations of language people who are knowingly reactionary do all the time. Like many, they have an Agenda and they want to get it done, but since they know that they often can not openly discuss what they want the world around them to look like in plain terms they start to adopt the cover of things like "free speech" and "transgressive voices."

[opala]

It sounds like he stumbled across Blaire White, whose views really do stand out as an oddity amongst both the conservatives and the trans-identifying. I can see why the author found this interesting.