Just prior to the UK’s Dec. 12 General Election, BBC News turned to tech-savvy author G. Craig Vachon, for its look at how voters are being targeted via social media. They picked the right guy. The use of tech to influence, even control, the actions of others is a core concern of Vachon’s debut novel, “The Knucklehead of Silicon Valley.”
The Internet, Vachon observes, “has gotten so elegant in how it goes about understanding who you are—and that’s a really important thing when you think about elections. Because rather than showing you alternative views, often social media will just re-enforce and amplify views that you already have. “
CLICK HERE to watch Gem O’Reilly’s video report (runtime, 02:30).
