The oligarchs have bought the traditional media and the politicians : they own their messages now, diluting parliamentary and TV democracy down to being a wimpering sycophant to the inevitability that the poor will become poorer, value creation is the concentration of wealth to the few, the planet does not need any care taking, and that we should all work longer hours to buy stuff instead of spending more time with our families.
The Church of Stop Shopping was a welcome breath of counter-culture fresh air, spread by daring quirky journalists and on the internet. It was derailed by going down a different route, but it was just the tip of the iceberg.
Oligarchs like Putin and the Republicans may own the traditional media but do not yet own the message on the internet. I remember James Burke nattaring on about how the silicon chip would change our lives dramatically in a networked democracy. I frankly did not believe him: I saw data machines as individualistic. This did not change a lot: the internet was a novelty and brochure-ad site for many in the 90s, but its very roots lie in social networks.
The genie is out of the bottle. They cannot own the message here without being obviously oligarchic and basically fascist. Then the vaneer of democracy that they nurture will collapse, as it is in Europe now anyway for other reasons.
The whole de-growth and local LETS/ pico currency/ barter counter global capatilist is breathing and growing exponentially on social media.
Already however, we are seeing that Facebook is making it more obtuse to block out messages and is allowing more spam space as "things you may like". It is getting us ready for full push media and ownership of the most prominent messages by this. However it will still remain a base for the spreading of democratic thought freed from "free" market dogma and a meeting place for the sharing of ideas about alternative life view points, micro economics and life-styles.
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