really been enjoying your articles since I'm in the same age group and in the same industry.
personally I was on the other end of the gamer gate side, I would call it the spawning ground for the generation of online politics. It's definitely correct to say the right side is the closest to manifesting online memetics into actual political power.
But you also see the same division lines over the continued support for Israel and the constant give aways to corporate and boomer interest as areas where the online right still doesn't pull the actual levers of power.
I do have to wonder how quickly things may change when the boomer dam breaks and we no longer have a gerontocratic political class.
The problem is that there isn’t a deep well of talent in the pipeline—speaking from personal experience, the boomers were not interested in teaching skills at scale. So we’ll likely see a lot more chaos before the new Millennial/Zoomer cohort learn how to govern. If anything, the likes of DOGE are going to guide the future…at least the likes of Big Balls are learning the hard lessons before everyone else.
I was on 4chan for almost a decade and now I think Pete Buttigieg is pretty cool. I have a good friend who could give you an extemporaneous minute-by-minute account of the USS Liberty incident from his pol days and he voted for Elizabeth Warren in 2024. MattY started Vox but now he talks about how fracking is good.
Without denying Trumps electoral success, I posit a large (preponderant?) group of people who grew up on radical internet politics and then just moderated when they got older.
100%, I’m absolutely a washed-up leftist, as are many of my friends. But the emotional core of GamerGate remains, even as its initial combatants age, marry, and have children.
I’m curious whether you’ve read Black Pill by Elle Reeve and if it rings true to you. I’m a little older than your cohort and was aware of Gamer Gate only peripherally, but noted how its language and tactics spread. At a certain point I remember thinking, Did Gamergate and Sad Puppies just take over the Republican Party? How the heck did that happen?
Reeve’s book and your piece really help connect the dots. Thank you.
really been enjoying your articles since I'm in the same age group and in the same industry.
personally I was on the other end of the gamer gate side, I would call it the spawning ground for the generation of online politics. It's definitely correct to say the right side is the closest to manifesting online memetics into actual political power.
But you also see the same division lines over the continued support for Israel and the constant give aways to corporate and boomer interest as areas where the online right still doesn't pull the actual levers of power.
I do have to wonder how quickly things may change when the boomer dam breaks and we no longer have a gerontocratic political class.
My sense is 2028-2030 will be the tipping point.
The problem is that there isn’t a deep well of talent in the pipeline—speaking from personal experience, the boomers were not interested in teaching skills at scale. So we’ll likely see a lot more chaos before the new Millennial/Zoomer cohort learn how to govern. If anything, the likes of DOGE are going to guide the future…at least the likes of Big Balls are learning the hard lessons before everyone else.
I was on 4chan for almost a decade and now I think Pete Buttigieg is pretty cool. I have a good friend who could give you an extemporaneous minute-by-minute account of the USS Liberty incident from his pol days and he voted for Elizabeth Warren in 2024. MattY started Vox but now he talks about how fracking is good.
Without denying Trumps electoral success, I posit a large (preponderant?) group of people who grew up on radical internet politics and then just moderated when they got older.
100%, I’m absolutely a washed-up leftist, as are many of my friends. But the emotional core of GamerGate remains, even as its initial combatants age, marry, and have children.
Sneeds feed and seed or whatever. Cool article!
I’m curious whether you’ve read Black Pill by Elle Reeve and if it rings true to you. I’m a little older than your cohort and was aware of Gamer Gate only peripherally, but noted how its language and tactics spread. At a certain point I remember thinking, Did Gamergate and Sad Puppies just take over the Republican Party? How the heck did that happen?
Reeve’s book and your piece really help connect the dots. Thank you.
Sad Puppies woke some ancient memories in me…
I haven’t read Blackpill! I’ll add it to the list.