I’m not a fan of Disney parks. And not because of increasing woke messaging. I didn’t care for them back when they really were family friendly. The message was fine. The method was not. That is, what I don’t like about the parks is the deep manipulation I feel when I am there. These people are masters at herding cats. I want to be free.
When you visit a park you can pick up a free pamphlet. It contains a map of the park letting you know where to find various attractions. The pamphlet also provides “tips” to help you maximize your time. It notes, for instance, that a strong majority goes through the park left to right. Go right to left and you’ll find shorter lines. Nothing wrong there. What creeps me out is they know if they put that type on the top left of the page, too few people will read it. If they print it in bold, too many people will read it, and the left to right people will find longer lines.
Social scientists, or civil human engineers, know just where to put this information to achieve balance. This is not a huge deal. It is simply an illustration of a big deal. The entire experience is planned down to that level. Distant and unknown people thought through very spot in the park, every moment of the day. All to get me to do what they wish.
Which is true not just of various Disney parks dotting the globe, but is true as well of the world wide web. Cyberspace, or at least vast swaths of it, operates through various algorithms and other AI chicanery to move us like cattle to the abattoir. Don’t believe me? Just start watching The Social Dilemma. I don’t have to coax you to finish it. Start it, and you will want to finish it. It peeks behind the curtain, talking to those who once pulled the levers.
We pay visits to Disney parks infrequently. Most of us enter cyberspace every day. Unlike Disney Parks, entrance to the world wide web is free. Which ought to be a clue to us. On the web we’re not the customers. We’re the attraction. We are gathered and kept there at the behest of the advertisers there, for the sake of data miners. As long as we keep coming back, our masters continue to get paid.
Am I a hypocrite? I post this piece on the web and share links to it on social media. My hope is that you will stick around, read to the end, and be changed. The difference is, I’m not doing an end-run around your consciousness. I’m actually trying to persuade you. Nothing hidden, no tricks. Just an ask that you think through these things. I don’t want your data. My desire is to change your mind.
Again, let me ask you to check out the movie. Let me, however, make one more suggestion. Go to your calendar and schedule a time to watch it again, maybe three to six months from now. That might help you to remember what they want you to forget.