I'm seeing some dumb-ass takes about how "online isn't real" and how it's "a drop in the bucket." But seriously, how did you all become aware of leftist ideas? How does anyone in nations such as the US become politically literate? How many of you were former atheist edgelords or shitposters on reddit?
Seriously, online does matter. It wasn't Fox News that created the alt-right Charlottesville rally. It was the fucking Sargon/skeptic/manosphere pipeline, which was primarily a youtube phenomenon. Or how about the comrades that listened to Chapo, and were inspired to travel to Iowa to help Bernie win the Iowa caucus? For Christ's sake just look at how much of an influence Facebook has had on the CHUDs. To ignore that we live in a neoliberal hellscape where the vast majority of us only find some kind of solace or connection in the online world is to ironically ignore material conditions. Something can be "not real" but still have a HUGE affect on the "real world" (e.g. money, gender). Have the recent voices of trans comrades and POC comrades about their issues here not taught anyone anything? Doesn't take a genius to see this.
For those that scream "rEaD tHeOry" take a step back and think, what the hell were many those "classic Marxist texts?" A lot of them were political pamplets or, as others have pointed out before, literally debate-bro replies to others. How is that any different than online shit now? Honestly, if Marx et. al were alive today, wouldn't they use podcasts, tweets, and youtube vids to spread their messages?
TL;DR: online does matter. Seriously, how did any of you become politically aware, be honest.
This is my first comment on this forum. I got on Reddit in August 2010 because a girlfriend introduced me to it. I ignored it for about exactly a year. Then I got addicted. I had an internet timer extension at one point, and after 3 years it said I had an average daily time on Reddit of 5 hours. Since that point in 2011, I've consistently been on Reddit around that much. So if I'm sensible, we could say I was on Reddit around 365 x 9 x 4.5. What's that number come out to?
When it gets to the point that I write up several extensive and thoughtful paragraphs, hit send, then have to immediately check reveddit or some similar site just to see whether or not I hit some wrong "trigger" word that caused my comment to be shadow-removed instantly, no fucking notification to me, it starts to make me beyond bothered, particularly when all context in my comment was ignored and the more words I use the more likely it is that I'll trigger a wrong one.
I could go outside. I should go outside. But I'm also living in this world where technology has created an almost heroin-like addiction, where we've all gotten so normalized to everything that I've lived a million different lives in every movie, TV show, video game, and I can still look at my government and society and it feels about as logical as shooting myself in the foot to ignore it. We're so twisted and controlled by propaganda that we allow complete sociopaths to dominate us, owning their own private islands where they can use humans like objects.
Going outside is a temporary avoidance. It's necessary to remain sane, but I can't do anything really without still being trapped in thoughts of all this perpetual exploitation around me. People dying for absolutely no reason, or specifically so people can form new ways to profit in the future. Terrorist groups being funded so we can send people to die and kill perpetually.
Reality is just as much what we allow our government to get away with. We're letting that reality escape us, and it means our apathy is simultaneously hurting people, causing suffering and more struggle for people in the future, and giving endless power to the absolute worst kinds of people.