What can online communities and communities tell us about 2025

Inevitably, more of these situations will arise under the Trump administration, and I’m curious to see if any of Musk’s supporters will end up jumping ship.

Drop shippers

Drop shipping, where third-party sellers fill retail orders, exploded in popularity in the late 2010s and has become an essential part of online business culture. With the introduction of the TikTok StoreDropshipping has gone through a renaissance of sorts, with more and more people using the app to do just that Fast cash that can be expanded.

Imposing tough tariffs on Chinese imports was one of Trump’s biggest economic promises this election cycle. If TikTok is not banned next month, Chinese tariffs could destroy the app’s profitability through reduced shipping, since the majority of product manufacturing takes place abroad. What happens to shippers? Where do they go next?

Drone Hunters in New Jersey

Without much guidance or information from the government, Conspiracy theories surrounding Mysterious drones The one supposedly hovering over the East Coast has gotten out of control. Just this week, Real Housewives Star Bethenny Frankel posted a Instagram video series She claims to have a confidential source in the Pentagon who told her that the drones were searching for nuclear materials.

Now, I don’t claim to know the truth about drones, but I can see what they do to people online. For the past few weeks, I’ve been monitoring one of the largest Facebook pages dedicated to solving the mystery, and what started as a place for people to share their bizarre sightings has turned into hysteria. He accuses members working for the Fed of hiding “the truth” (whatever it may be) and encouraging others to invest in iodine pills, gas masks, and, of course, toilet paper.

It’s too early to tell, but I bet these groups are introducing already emotional and disturbed people to theories they wouldn’t have otherwise believed. Is this what the alien and UAP communities have been waiting for? maybe! However, don’t expect believers to believe anything the government says unless someone puts an alien corpse in front of the paparazzi.

Chat room

For last week’s podcast, we made some predictions for what the new year will bring. What do you think will happen next year regarding technology and its impact on politics? Send your ideas to [email protected].

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What else are we reading?

🔗 FTC issues rules requiring hotels, ticket sellers to disclose ‘unsolicited fees’: There’s at least one political win we can all celebrate this holiday season. The Federal Trade Commission this week instituted new rules prohibiting hotels and ticket services from hiding surcharges or “unsolicited fees.” (Washington Post)

🔗 ‘It’s going to be brutal’: Inside Trump’s planned war on leakers and the press: The Trump administration is reportedly making new plans to go after the media, including more lawsuits and subpoena threats. (Rolling Stone)

🔗 Elon Musk and SpaceX face federal audits after violating security reporting rules: The US government is reviewing whether Elon Musk and SpaceX repeatedly ignored disclosure protocols that protect state secrets, such as withholding information about meetings with foreign leaders. (New York Times)

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