WEB2 social media is like a house of cards. On one hand, any individual has a chance to go viral with all sorts of content in a relatively short time, but on the other hand, the fall can be as rapid and painful as the rise was. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are just three of the many social media apps where I've seen numerous so-called celebrities amass their fortunes over the years.
It's no walk in the park to reach a million followers on YouTube, or more, but achieving that milestone and taking your work seriously can translate into a significant income stream from ad revenues distributed by the platform to its content creators. There's a recent case that's been making headlines— the Russell Brand case.
So, the comedian, who currently boasts over 6 million followers on YouTube, is facing allegations of sexual assault. On top of these serious, albeit unproven, accusations, he has also received notice from YouTube that he's been demonetized. Essentially, the platform where he likely began his vlogs/podcasts is now denying him the right to monetize his content.
But based on what? So far, all this is supported by nothing more than allegations. Is Russell Brand innocent? I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. I'm not a fan; I've watched only a few minutes of his content in my entire experience as a consumer of video content. That doesn't make me a hater or a fan.
Is Russell Brand's life ruined now? Definitely not. There are people dealing with far more painful issues who aren't complaining. Moreover, I bet X (formerly Twitter), the platform that evolved from a microblogging app into an all-encompassing platform, would happily "host and monetize him" as part of its marketing strategy for what it aims to become.
Other streaming platforms have also announced that they won't demonetize him, regardless of the pressure exerted by certain UK regulatory bodies. It's rather astonishing how swiftly one's identity and revenue streams can be washed away in such a short time on YouTube. YouTube is a product of Google, and we all know how friendly Google is towards freedom of speech, fundamental rights, and morals.
Google is a company of the establishment, and there's little we can do about it. Now, while the oppression against outspoken individuals like Brand, who have called out the pandemic as a hoax, the Ukraine war for what it is, and other political bubbles that are about to burst, is crystal clear (see Tucker Carlson's case), it's still unclear whether the US "has the right" to issue CBDCs in the future.
US Congressman Tom Emmer introduced the new bill to ban the Federal Reserve from creating a CBDC in the future. The bill bans any CBDC pilot programs before they’re proposed. In addition, it prohibits the Fed from introducing a retail digital currency that could be used for citizen surveillance. Emmer spoke strongly about the CBDC being an issue of “privacy, individual sovereignty, and free market competitiveness.”
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You already know my stance on CBDCs. This rat-poison-like money doesn't need to exist. Despite what the masses may think, these are, in fact, a form of programmable currency. Several countries worldwide are already pilot-testing such digital currencies, and the primary concerns with these forms of money are the lack of privacy they offer users and the fact that they won't be equal in attributes for everyone.
For instance, someone like Russell Brand, who's a thorn in the establishment's side due to the opinions he shares on the internet, might face certain restrictions on the usage of his so-called CBDCs in his wallet based on what the algorithm permits him to do in the world. Consequently, politicians in the US who espouse totalitarian thinking are against a bill that aims to prohibit the FED from ever issuing a CBDC.
“The bill will keep the United States behind other countries, including China, as a race forward to develop a global standard for central bank digital currencies and would stifle that research and prevent us from moving forward, even if it means that the dollar loses its status as the world’s reserve currency and even if it means that U.S. citizens lose out on faster, cheaper and simpler payments.”
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In all of this turmoil, though, Hive is once again shining as an undiscovered gem. Whether personalities like Brand like it or not, at some point they'll have to "go immutable" and get blockchained with Hive. WEB2 is a house of cards, Hive is a fortress...
Thanks for your attention,
Adrian