Recap:
In episode 1 Uncle Sam and his nephew noticed something strange different platforms, different people… same talking points. Today, the kid wants names.
Teen:
“Alright, I’ve been thinking about what you said.”
Uncle Sam:
“That’s already more effort than most.”
Teen:
“You said this wasn’t new.
Like it actually has names.”
Teen:
“And please don’t say some TikToker with a ring light.”
Uncle Sam (laughs):
“No. Way before that.”
Uncle Sam
“Walter Lippmann. 1920s.
He warned public opinion could be manufactured.”
Teen:
“1920s? People were still using pocket watches.”
Uncle Sam:
“And yet they figured out repetition beats reason.”
Teen:
“So… early algorithms.
Just slower.”
Uncle Sam:
“Exactly.”
Uncle Sam:
“Then Edward Bernays. Freud’s nephew.”
Teen:
“That already sounds illegal.”
Uncle Sam:
“He wrote Propaganda. As a manual.”
Teen:
“So if you want compliance”
Uncle Sam:
“you don’t debate. You repeat.”
Teen: “So you don’t have to be wrong… just inconvenient.”
Uncle Sam:
“Bingo.”
But here’s the thing…
who decides what gets repeated today?
Next episode: platforms, incentives, and why silence works better than bans.
➡️ Episode 3 coming.