The Information State

Modern governments, working with mainstream media and big tech, can form a distinct regime that governs by shaping and fractionally nudging public attention and experience online rather than by open persuasion or overt force. This operates through platform design choices, coordinated messaging, and censorship/privileging that make certain political outcomes seem inevitable. — If true, this reframes democratic legitimacy problems and makes regulation of platforms, transparency in government messaging, and attention‑economy governance urgent public issues.