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by elfismiles » Wed Dec 30, 2015 11:47 am
JackRiddler » 30 Dec 2015 02:52 wrote:Not sure how my thread about terra-terra-terra warnings during the Bush-Obama transition counts as ARG (military wargames, I 'spose). But here was the ARG thread from me I'd have expected:
ARG: Conspiracy For Good (Warning: Don't click this) - Tue Jun 07, 2011
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... 6&p=495560
by elfismiles » Wed Dec 21, 2016 7:28 pm
ETA: The whole Russian aspect to this game, hacking, and WikiLeaks ... veddy eentairesting in hindsight.
https://web-beta.archive.org/web/201407 ... ipher.html
Saturday, April 7, 2001
1:56 PM. Two queries about our involvement in the new Electronic Arts game Majestic from concerned Disinfonauts. Here are my replies:
Lori Goltl writes:
I was told you are a proud participant in the new game called Majestic. Is that true? If it is, I have lost total respect for you and your website. I will also be unsubscribing from your newsletter. I am sure, also, that I probably won't be hearing from you on this.
Lori
captbob@gpcom.net
Dear Lori,
Our "participation" is simply that Electronic Arts would like to link to some of our site's content and ongoing research. It's not something we're making money from, nor has EA asked us to alter our editorial voice or impose censorship in any way.
We get criticisms from people about the commercial aspects of our site all the time: when we launch a site redesign, when we became an Amazon affiliate because of finances etc etc. We've always been very upfront about this, and also reminded people that the site makes money, such as through our YABLT book and Disinfo Nation series, in order to survive.
Other mediums rely on advertising, Web sites cannot. And strategic alliances, if they are done with awareness, do not necessarily compromise content.
Your decision not to visit our site, and to unsubscribe from our newsletter, is regrettable, but understandable.
Sincerely,
Alex Burns
Dave Walsh sent me this email from Mr. S. Miles Lewis, posted on Blather.net. My reply quotes from part of Lewis's email.
Dear Mr. S. Miles Lewis,
As a courtesy, Mr. Dave Walsh forwarded to me your message to the blather-talk list and the link to your article Majestic Art of Electronic Disinformation.
I would appreciate it if Mr. Walsh would forward my message to blather-talk on my behalf. You write:
With "reality" television shows like Mtv's Fear and the Fox Family Channel's World's Most Haunted Places already pushing the envelope of ethical entertainment, the inherant dangers of such a paranoic "game" are quite apparent.
The dangers of a "virtual" or "immersive" media environment that exalts "subjective idealism" were predicted by the postmodern philosopher Jean Baudrillard. Similar "ethical dangers" were levelled at Dungeons & Dragons and heavy metal rock music in the 1980s. And at television in the 1950s, and at cinema during the Pre-Code period (1930-34), which led to the "Hayes Code" and the "Breen Office". Any "new" innovation is usually regarded with "fear and loathing" until people adjust to it, and then it is lauded as an "innovation" by those who once despised it.
The real danger is that many people who are fascinated by conspiracy theories lack any training in how to distinguish between information and disinformation. Unlike academic circles, there is no "peer-review process" for conspiracy research, beyond informal networks and friendships. And a lot of the conclusions derived from this research will fail the basic standards of journalism, sceptical thinking, and propositional logic.
If Majestic accelerates this lifecycle, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Careful and thorough research should stand up to public scrutiny; material that "propagandizes" for a particular viewpoint without critical analysis of others will be exposed for what it truly is.
Among the many ethical ambiguities implied by the very premise of the game is its use of real and fake web sites to promote real and hoax news stories. The game designers have gone so far as to create front companies for several of these web sites. They are actively urging fans of the game to create web sites to act as fronts for the game.
Many fans would do this anyway if Majestic became a phenomena: the company is using viral marketing techniques. See Seth Godin's book IdeaVirus and the work of Douglas Rushkoff for details. See also my Advertising Virus article.
Meanwhile, high quality parapolitical sites such as http://www.disinfo.com have officially announced their open participation in this new gaming experience.
Our "participation" is limited to EA linking to some of our site's content and ongoing research. We do not derive any income from this, nor have EA imposed any censorship or asked us to alter our editorial voice.
Of course, many will see this game as a part of the conspiracy itself; ie- the Majestic game is simply a pretext for the very type of data gathering / backdoor access to your privacy engendered in the original claims of Octopus conspiracy researchers and NSA Echelon devotees.
Similar fears were levelled at Chris Carter's X-Files series when it first launched. Because EA is a commercial entity, there would also be consumer legislation protecting the sharing of personal information. Several "Octopus conspiracy researchers and NSA Echelon devotees" have, ironically, expressed interest in also being involved in Majestic, to disseminate their research to a wider audience.
For more links to online resources and articles about Majestic please check here.
Sincerely,
Alex Burns
https://web-beta.archive.org/web/200308 ... index.html
by elfismiles » Sun May 06, 2018 9:09 am
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