One phenomenon that has emerged over the course of recent events is that of censorship. This is especially true in the case of various social media platforms. While the censoring of specific posts, videos, tweets, and the like is nothing new, the practice is taking on a different tone, no longer being restricted to instances of hate speech or the inciting of violence. Instead, the brush of censorship is being used with broader and broader strokes, affecting ever-growing numbers of people in ways unimaginable in the not-so-distant past. But just what is the root cause of such a sinister phenomenon?
Those who advocate censoring social media are usually quick to play the ‘for the sake of national security’ card. According to them, the people being censored are trying to spread lies, often referred to as ‘misinformation’, ‘disinformation’, or even ‘malinformation’. At first glance, this may seem a reasonable explanation, after all, it suggests that censorship is being used for the good of the people. However, when you dig deeper another explanation presents itself, and it paints a very different picture. Simply put, the real reason behind the current trend of censorship is control.
The simple truth is that censorship is being used to control the narrative of events. Any opinions that deviate from the chosen narrative are quickly and effectively silenced, with people being suspended, demonetized, or even deplatformed depending on the severity of their dissent. Those who remain unscathed are forced to self-censor their words in an attempt to convey their thoughts and opinions without facing the consequences for thinking outside the narrative. While this seems to be symptomatic of the dystopian age the world appears to be heading toward, there is another, more promising perspective to consider.
In short, just as a dying animal tends to increase its energy in an attempt to hang on to life, so too, the Old Paradigm is trying to consolidate power in its final hours. Few things embody control-driven values more than the practice of censorship, and so the rise of censorship is merely an attempt to stave off the transition currently taking shape, one that is leading away from control-driven values and is bringing in an age where compassion is the New cultural commodity.
In the end, this dark trend should cause us to take faith rather than lose it. We need to see this as a desperate attempt by the Old to escape the inevitable change that is underway. The more desperate the Old Paradigm becomes, the closer its end is. Even though it may make life difficult now, it cannot prevent the change that is on the horizon. The New Paradigm is on its way, with more and more people awakening to its call. And it is this shift in consciousness that will take us from these darkest of times into the New day.