BACCIOCCO: Social media companies and not Russia are the real culprits of collusion in America

The censorship of conservatives has become increasingly prevalent in recent years among big social media tech companies. Earlier in September, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg even testified before Congress regarding this alleged censorship. In a recent interview with Recode Media, Dorsey admitted the company’s left-leaning bias and that conservatives working for Twitter "don't feel safe to express their opinions at the company."

PragerU censored as inappropriate for a younger audience

PragerU, a nonprofit right-leaning organization that produces educational videos, is all too familiar with the aforementioned censorship. According to their video “Who Will Google Silence Next?”, much of their content has been restricted by YouTube due to them not being “appropriate for a younger audience”. However PragerU is intended for this exact audience demographic. In the video, founder Dennis Prager, says this restriction disables certain videos from being viewed in schools, libraries, "or any home that filters pornography, for example." What parameters are used to determine what is not appropriate? It is no longer obvious, but companies certainly tend to favor one ideology over another, specifically, the censoring of right-wing creators because of their immense influence. PragerU claims on their website that 70% of viewers have changed their minds on certain topics after watching one of their videos. Buzzfeed News describes the organization as "one of the biggest, most influential and yet least understood forces in online media." Perhaps this is what is actually unacceptable, not necessarily the content?

Most Americans consume news through social media

These elite tech giants have a clear agenda. They don’t want the masses to have a well-defined understanding of conservative ideology so they suppress their most influential voices, PragerU included. Social media is without a doubt extremely significant in an American's day-to-day life. According to a survey from Pew Research Center in 2017, 78% of Americans under 50 say they "consume news on social media platforms." Controlling what people see on social media is the most effective way of preventing the infusion of alternate perspectives and limits awareness to valid counterarguments. These efforts mean that people's beliefs become shaped solely by the echo chamber of “approved doctrine”. Seeing the huge role that social media plays on its consumers, especially the younger generation, it is highly probable that these left-leaning tech companies silence their influence. They do this as a means to leave a certain impression on their credulous audience that they can take with them to the polls. This is the real collusion and election meddling in this country and it is happening from within.

Leaked Google conference exposes efforts to influence voters

Recently, Breitbart published a leaked video taken shortly after the 2016 election in which high-ranking Google employees, including co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, are seen in utter dismay in response to the election results. In the hour long meeting, Brin opened by stating that he was offended by the election of Trump and later suggested that those who voted for the candidate were most likely motivated by boredom, even likening them to extremists at one point. In addition, Google CEO Sundar Pichai discussed how the company would make sure their “educational products” reach parts of the country they are currently not reaching as a means to educate voters. He ended by saying, “I am absolutely confident we can do more as we go into 2017.” Throughout the duration of the video, anti-Trump rhetoric and measures Google can take to “educate” masses in their decision-making are frequently mentioned and discussed. What does an educated voter look like to Google? One that can be manipulated into voting like them? Censorship is no longer just a buffer to protect from hate speech. It is a threat to the very constitution that our nation was founded on, the freedom of our society to think and speak, as well as the integrity of our republic. The big tech company agenda is no longer a secret. The left suffered a big loss in 2016, and it seems they are nowhere near over it, deciding to double down and take back power by any means necessary. In the words of PragerU CEO Marissa Streit, “Is Google the one who gets to decide what everybody gets to watch?” You decide.