In the post-truth society we are gradually transitioning into, following the cessation of fact-checking initiatives by major social media platforms and the absence of viable crowdsourced or open-source alternatives, the world appears to have surrendered its grasp on truth to the collective opinion of the masses. As Elias Canetti reflected in Crowd and Power (1960), when individuals enter a crowd, their personal identities begin to dissolve, merging into a collective identity that transcends individual characteristics. This dynamic seems to apply not only to physical crowds but also to "digital crowds" or online communities. When we move from commenting to merely liking what we are presented with, we are fundamentally changed. A "like" is binary; it offers no nuance, no depth, revealing only sheer presence but nothing of the thoughts or intentions behind it. Yet, this presence becomes a new form of power — one that is extensively harnessed by those in power.
