Donald Trump’s triumphant return to the White House and Elon Musk’s domination of headlines – literally and figuratively trolling the global political stage with his actions and statements – mark our current moment.
Fidias Panayiotou, the Cypriot MEP who consistently manages to make headlines both in Cyprus and abroad, has called for the American tycoon and orchestrator of the new American administration, along with Mark Zuckerberg, to be summoned to the European Parliament to give lessons on democracy and freedom of speech.
This follows a recent letter circulating in the European Parliament from Roberta Metsola inviting Elon Musk.
Meanwhile, Geadis Geadi posted a photo from Washington, claiming he had the honour of attending the presidential inauguration representing ELAM (though he was actually part of the ECR group delegation, the European Parliament’s Conservative group, rather than an ELAM representative).
But these are merely symptoms of a broader shift: we’re witnessing the emergence of a world increasingly driven by impressions, imagery, and the demonstrable influence of social media.
We’re living in an age of deregulation. This isn’t alarmist speculation or conspiracy theory – it’s an observation becoming increasingly clear and one that will soon impact daily life across the globe.
While no one can safely predict the outcome, we’re witnessing the decomposition of the global political system and the fundamental principles that underpinned it during the post-modern era and the onset of globalisation, for better or worse.
We’re likely experiencing the consequences of an ongoing crisis that began as economic but has impacted all structures of the global political system.
The recent global health crisis marked a pivotal moment, with its restrictive measures, societal divisions, and apparent consequences.
The equation includes the struggle for political and economic dominance on the world stage, involving hybrid warfare tactics and impression management through even the spread of false information.
These tactics thrive in a social media-dominated world where people, feeling increasingly desperate and disillusioned, grasp at any available lifeline.
There’s now a broader questioning of established political actions and norms that had been accepted as logical progression or political correctness. This questioning manifests as either a conservative turn or a step backwards. Yet some view this questioning as revolutionary. But how revolutionary is it really?
There can’t be a single answer, as this behaviour from a large segment of society and its turn toward more “unconventional” choices stems from the global political system’s failure to provide solutions to citizens’ deadlocks.
Substance has often been sacrificed for the sake of appearances – this is crucial to understand.
Why is there such strong resistance from parts of the Western world against migration policies and the woke agenda? Have we perhaps lost the plot somewhere?
We rightly discuss green transition policies and emissions reduction, but simultaneously, governments lack answers to the resulting economic burdens on citizens.
Let’s not forget traditional political parties’ inability to convince people of their competence. There’s also widespread disillusionment over scandals and corruption.
But there’s something else: daily life in Western societies has gradually transformed citizens into politically apathetic spectators of images, ushering in the era of “political influencers” without political substance.
Therefore, the issue isn’t simply demonising situations but understanding the causes driving an increasing portion of citizens toward more extreme or conservative policies, or however else they might be characterised.
