Instances of censorship, he says,
“are rather marginal when compared to what is essentially an immense informational overload and an actual siege of attention, combined with the occupation of the sources of information by the head of the company.”
This is a quote from Berardi. He is saying that censorship is the least of our problems, when instead, we are facing a 24/7 onslaught of information and opinions.
As a form on control, instead of trying to hide or manipulate the truth, it is easier to just overwhelming someone with so many possible truths that they can’t make sense of the world anymore.
Connections
Truth is less important than trust
Link Explanation: The idea that trust is more important than truth is based on the concept that information received from a single or few sources will always be incomplete. Yet, on a societal level, it seems that a higher level of cooperation can be achieved on a few incomplete sources, rather than a more complete, but incongruent flood of information. This related to the Information Overload vs. Censorship idea above, because it moves the idea from an observation to an intentional method of social engineering and control.
Link Explanation: Soft despotism is the idea that as people become more focused on themselves, they will lose interest in political engagement. Their only requirement is to be soothed by the government, which opens room for a small number of people to grab power without resistance. This seems related to information overload vs. censorship because the soothing of the people appears partially connected to the onslaught of constant entertainment that people face. There is enough engaging content that one could reasonably spend their entire life consuming entertainment without needing to question the state of their life or society they live.
Reference
� How to Do Nothing