Platform Prestige Replaces Institutional Gatekeepers

When a platform owner supplies status (e.g., the Twitter sale), that private prestige can substitute for academic or media prestige and instantly institutionalize a previously fragmented online movement. This substitution changes who legitimates ideas, who gains access to policymaking networks, and how quickly fringe cultural claims become governing policy. — If platforms can supply institutional prestige, this creates a new lever for political capture and a must‑track mechanism in tech, party strategy, and media regulation debates.