Leaked docs detail Big Oil and Big PR's plans for a opinion-manipulation platform

Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2014/11/20/leaked-docs-detail-big-oil-and.html

Every day, in every way, the world becomes a little more, “Interface”…

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That’s pretty much what every political party wishes they could do. I think this is really just another way to charge megacompanies, megamoney for megaBS. It’s just like Nielsen monopolizing the rating system.

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“…and we will call it Fox News!”

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This is what every company hopes to do to win people over to their products. There are digital strategies that seek to recruit, engage, mobilize customers to be advocates for their products because recommendations from regular people like us are a more authentic way to get people to buy products than good old advertising. The BoingBoing community should realize this - how many companies would give their eyeteeth to get an “honest”, “unsolicited” recommendation from BoingBoing and a crack at whatever juicy demographic we all represent.

Is it creepier because it is an oil company trying to change public opinion and sway politics? I don’t think I like it and it’s nice to be aware that it does happen. Just keep your internet suspicious radar always working and suggest that others who would listen do so also…or have I been recruited, engaged and mobilized to provide that comment?

I’ve found that living in Alberta is sufficient to get bombarded with oil industry advertisements before every video and on every website. They even put them in front of movies at the theatre. So I’m not surprised by something like this, considering how much resources the industry spends on influencing Alberta public opinion. Mostly it’s done to impede any sort of political discussion about environmental regulation, wealth inquality, or raising royalty payments on extraction.

While unsurprising, it’s quite damaging to Alberta’s democracy. The two largest political parties are right wing and in the pocket of industry, and one of them, the Progressive Conservatives, have run the province uninterrupted since 1971. It’s single party rule here.

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It is something like single party rule in relation to some stuff for sure, but just do us all a favour & don’t let the Wildrose freakazoids into office kthx!

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I’ve been working on preventing that since I moved here a few years ago. Been active with the Alberta NDP, and the party has seen significant growth since 2012, in votes, members, and fundraising. None of that is because of me, I just joined at a good time. But the NDP are the only left of centre party going anywhere in Alberta.

It’s important to clarify that the Wildrose aren’t actually that much further right than the Tories. This isn’t because they’re more moderate than they’re are painted, but because the they are all ex Tories. It’s a bit rich to here them go on about very real Tory entitlement, when they were all members up till 2012.

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Those Lizard bastards aren’t half getting tricky. The fact that the same wangdoodles who blather on about ‘Cultural Marxism’ are the target market for something that is actually an insidious plot is grimly amusing, I suppose, but fuck’s sake. If we’re doing purges after the Revolution, can I do the marketing and PR people please?

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