I'm convinced at this point that everyone — absolutely everyone — is vulnerable to audience capture. There are so many examples online, so many people I used to follow, even looked up to, who, once they got a good flow of Benjamins, abandoned who they really were.
Some people call this phenomenon the grift, but I feel like that doesn't quite explain it — not effectively. Yes, it accurately describes how most talking heads know exactly how their followers like their steak, but it doesn't capture the slow progression toward their self-imposed cages.
A case study — and one I'm sure most people know about — has to be Jimmy Dore. Once a loud voice for progressive values, a frequent contributor to TYT, and a strong supporter of Bernie Sanders.
When he threw his hat into the political opinion ring back in 2016, he quickly found himself amassing a big following. Witty, hilarious, and filter-less, Jimmy was easy to like in those days.
But the wind direction began to change for Jimmy Dore, and he found himself politically homeless rather quickly.
To say his breakup with TYT was ugly is putting it too lightly. His criticism of the Democratic Party and their failure to defeat Trump became his main focus when he hosted. I'm sure this is what led to his fights with Cenk and Ana, and eventually to his excommunication from the network altogether.
By 2019, with one more year of Trump's presidency still to play out, he opened his own YouTube channel. I would say he grew quickly, because a lot of the politically homeless followed. In his attempt to outdo TYT and their progressive message, he began shifting into a critic of the left for not being pure enough, more than a critic of the right wing.
It didn't happen in one go — of course not. It was akin to the frog being boiled slowly, if we are to be accurate. But as you can imagine, this slow swing to the other side began attracting a different kind of audience.
We must admit, a comic's ability to dunk on stupidity is a type of superpower, and Jimmy did master his dunks — especially on TYT and their ridiculously ineffective race-baiting messaging.
For a while, I lost interest in listening to Jimmy, I must admit. The act, although fine-tuned, began to feel like the same song being covered over and over. By the time elections came around, however, Jimmy was completely unrecognizable to me.
I think Jimmy's transformation was complete when he found it fitting to host a member of a far-right movement on his show. You know, to keep things "balanced and fair," I suppose.
His guest, Magnus Panvidya, presented the Boogaloo Boys as anti-racist, pro-LGBTQ, pro-BLM, anti-police brutality, anti-war, anti-corporate, and anti-ICE. In other words, he told Jimmy exactly what he wanted to hear — while at the same time downplaying the violent far-right elements within its ranks. The literal Nazis who post on 4chan to this very day.
Whatever leftie support Jimmy still held onto left that faithful day — January 24, 2021. I guess Jimmy must know this very well too. He got a lot of pushback, a lot of flack for being "so open-minded." But alas, the embers were still hot, and the cooking had to continue.
By the time COVID hit, Jimmy had latched onto the grift tit with both hands and wasn't going to let go. He began outflanking even right-wing voices, surprising absolutely everyone — including his old enemies. This, of course, led to a recalibration of sorts. The people who once saw Jimmy as part of the rogues' gallery of villains of the left began inviting him to their podcasts and shows. Converting a leftie was being sold as the ultimate proof of the right-wingers' grip on truth and virtue.
But here's the kicker, as they say: if you sat in front of Jimmy Dore today and asked him about his political alignment, he would tell you with a straight face that he's on the left. He will tell you that he never supported Trump — although the receipts can be produced if need be. One doesn't have to say "I love Trump" to direct followers toward voting in a particular direction.
I do wonder, however, if he's truly happy. It's curiosity, really — nothing more. I'm of the belief (and maybe I'm naive for saying this) that if one strays too far away from core convictions, we're likely to invite chaos and misery into our lives. But then again, I only think I know his real convictions. I don't really know them.
All this to say: I'm sure there's someone out there right now breaking all this down, turning it into a science. Audience capture may not be entirely new, but I submit to you that it's never been this powerful, this real.
Imagine the thought: all those voices, all those opinions out there, acting in front of cameras all day long. Pretending to be outraged, to hate, or to support. Not because they feel the words they're saying, or because they believe they're doing right for the country, for the people — but simply because they have no clue how to escape the cage.
Remember: a caged animal still has to eat.
MenO