Social Media As State Sponsored Media - Has it Happened Yet?

One group that solicits displeasure, hate and/or mistrust all along the political spectrum, is that group we refer to as "the media", also known as "main stream media" or MSM in text or twitter talk. I am not an innocent bystander in this kind of discussion. I've piled on with the best of them. Maybe its the sports page that annoys you, or perhaps its the local coverage of community news. Perhaps its the financial page or a Sunday pundit that you just can't stand. Most commonly though, at least at this point in time, its the political coverage that gets your and my goat.

Having gotten that out of the way, the history and importance of a free press is known and supported by many. The role of the press, unbridled by government control is protected by our constitution and a hallmark of this and other democracies. Repressive governments on the other hand tend to almost always have a very strong state operated or state sponsored media.

So.....what happens when and if social media is state operated or state controlled? Sounds ominous. Sounds a bit propsterous. Sounds like something we in the US would never allow or something we wouldn't put up with. We of course, are above that kind of control or practice. The problem is, that's something we may have believed before the election a few weeks ago of Donald Trump.

Over the past few days, we've watched as Mr. Trump has returned to his practice of tweeting his beliefs and his positions. That of course is his right, at this point, and I say at this point cautiously. He has attacked purported enemies, the media, people who don't agree, etc. He also spreads lies and these lies can be proven with facts. Its not hard to fact check things like who won the popular vote. We've also found out recently that he even edits other people's tweets to prove one of his points about reporters. He does all of this understanding that he has many millions of followers on Twitter. He eggs people on about voter fraud, immigrants and more, much more. If he can't get his positions or stories covered in the media, he knows that he has an alternative by using social media, currently through Twitter, and he knows how to do it effectively. He has even stated that this approach is his alternative to the main stream media. His tweets, in his view, have become his New York Times.

But, and here's where it gets serious, something will change when President-Elect Trump becomes President Trump in late January. As President, he will become the symbol and spokesperson for the US Government. If he continues his use of Twitter to promote his positions, policies and propaganda, his tweets reach a whole different level. First, there are legal consequences. All of his documents become government property and they're open to new consequences and legal challenges. That means his Twitter account and tweets and any other social media items get included as presidential documents. Second, and this is really my main focus here, his tweets potentially become state sponsored media. The first time in our history. They promote what he's doing or proposing in a favorable light. They vilify opponents and use smear campaigns against them. They advocate his ideology. In this scenario Mr. Trump becomes the spokesperson and the reporter. We should be worried, very worried if that happens.