Throughout history, new technologies have repeatedly enabled political movements to seize power by bypassing traditional gatekeepers of information. Populist leaders use these tools to rally the masses, identify an enemy, and consolidate control. But once in power, they rarely relinquish it—instead, they use the very technology that brought them to prominence to maintain their rule.
Today, Big Tech and social media platforms have become the dominant technological force shaping discourse. Governments and corporations collude to manage online speech, just as past rulers controlled radio, television, and print media. We need a decentralized alternative, a Bitcoin for free speech, to break this cycle before it’s too late.
The Populist Playbook: Find an Enemy, Seize the Apparatus, Control the Narrative
- Identify an Enemy – Populist leaders galvanize support by directing public frustration toward a nebulous enemy:
- Communists targeted the tsarist bourgeoisie and rich landowners as symbols of oppression.
- Nazis blamed communists, Jews, and international capitalists for Germany’s decline.
- FDR and the New Deal took on industrialists and Wall Street moguls, using anti-monopoly rhetoric to push major reforms.
- MAGA and modern right-wing populists blame “wokeness,” globalists, and government elites for economic and cultural shifts.
- Use New Technology to Bypass Existing Media Gatekeepers
- Mussolini yelled from balconies—an old, traditional method of mass persuasion.
- Hitler used microphones, radio, and mass rallies to create a hypnotic, frenzied following. It was the first time a political figure amplified his voice in such an electrifying way—like the first rock concerts.
- FDR used radio to speak directly to the public, bypassing print media and enacting sweeping reforms with widespread support.
- Today’s populists use social media—Trump’s Twitter (now X) presence shaped political discourse without relying on mainstream networks.
- Seize the Government Apparatus
- Once populists gain power, they institutionalize their control:
- Communists nationalized industries, controlled newspapers, and purged dissenters.
- Nazis created propaganda ministries, took control of radio, and silenced opposition.
- FDR expanded executive power massively, reshaping the federal government’s role.
- Modern tech corporations align with governments to set online speech policies.
- Retain Power by Controlling the Narrative
- The technology that helped them win power now helps them keep it.
- State media and corporate collaboration ensure only approved messages are amplified.
- Censorship and AI-driven content moderation create an illusion of consensus while suppressing alternative perspectives.
- Decentralized opposition is deplatformed, labeled misinformation, or algorithmically buried.
How Big Tech Repeats This Cycle Today
Today, social media platforms serve the same function as radio did for FDR or microphones for Hitler—they are the tools that determine who gets heard. But unlike radio, which was at least somewhat open, social media is centrally controlled by a handful of corporations aligned with governments.
Governments don’t need to own these platforms outright—they just need to pressure them into compliance. And they do this through:
- Algorithmic manipulation – The ability to amplify favored narratives and bury dissenting ones.
- AI-driven reputation scoring – Automatically de-ranking “undesirable” speech while boosting compliant voices.
- Deplatforming and content removal – Ensuring the digital public square remains curated.
- Surveillance and data collection – Tracking and analyzing individuals who challenge the status quo.
This is why a decentralized, permissionless alternative to Big Tech is crucial. Just as Bitcoin removed the financial chokehold of banks and governments, we need a decentralized platform for free speech that no entity can control or manipulate.
Qbix: The Bitcoin of Free Speech
Bitcoin proved that money doesn’t need central authorities. Qbix aims to prove that speech doesn’t need corporate gatekeepers. Like Bitcoin, Qbix is:
- Decentralized – No single company controls it.
- Open-source – Anyone can contribute, verify, and run their own instance.
- Resistant to censorship – Governments and corporations can’t shut it down the way they can deplatform users on X, Facebook, or YouTube.
Governments Will Fight It—Then They’ll Adopt It
Just as governments initially fought Bitcoin, they will resist decentralized social networks. But as the need for unfiltered communication grows, they will have no choice but to use them. When Big Tech loses its stranglehold on discourse, leaders will have to engage in open digital spaces, just as governments now hold Bitcoin reserves despite early resistance.
The Future: Breaking the Cycle
Every time a new communication technology emerges, it’s initially used to empower the people—but over time, those in power find ways to control and manipulate it. Social media is no different. The question is: Will we allow history to repeat itself, or will we build a system that remains truly free?
We had Bitcoin for money. Now, we need Bitcoin for speech. We need a system where no government, no corporation, and no algorithm determines what we can say and hear. That system must be decentralized, open-source, and beyond the reach of power-hungry institutions.
That system is Qbix.