ATS... Future Predictions.

Taking into account the rate at which ATS seems to be growing, both in size and popularity, and with new facets being added to it all the time, I thought it might be interesting to try and predict some of the things that might happen in ATS's future.

I should make clear... I'm not talking about ATS as a business, or business model, or anything like that... I mean stuff like how ATS might influence the general public's thinking in the future... or how governments and other bodies might view that growth

For example, as it grows in size and popularity it is bound to attract more and more attention from the mainstream media, who will no doubt perceive it as a threat to both their business and their popularity.

I'm sure it's already doing so to some extent, but I can imagine a time when ATS might REALLY start to worry governments, and government agencies. Governments tend to rely more and more on using the mainstream media to influence how their citizens view their policies and the world, thus applying a measure of control over public thinking and attitudes. An 'anarchic' outfit like ATS, especially if it starts to become a mainstream phenomenom, could most certainly be viewed as a very real threat and something that needs to be discredited in the eyes of the general public.

So... lets see... How would a government or mainstream media outfit go about discrediting ATS in the eyes of the public?

ATS already covers a load of 'out there' subjects, and it's continuous increase in popularity is due to precisely THAT, so it would have to be something other than the usual 'They are a bunch of UFO-believing idiots.

So how about something like this?

Imagine, if you will, some sort of tragic death occurs. Some teenage youngster either gets killed, or commits suicide. During the investigation it's 'discovered' by the authorities that the youngster was a member of ATS, read something frightening in one of the forums, obsessed about it till he took his own life.... OR .... It's claimed that some other individual (or individuals) read a thread about aliens or reptilians and decided to kill the youngster, believing him to be one.

I'm sure if both a government and mainstream media outlet had their chance they would JUMP at the chance to tarnish ATS' reputation, if they perceived it as a threat to their business and/or control.

Anyway, that's one example. Why speculate?.... Well, forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes... and you never know, speculation might actually lead to some idea that the founders might be able to use to further the ATS cause.

As always I'm thinking aloud here, so I'm chucking this post into Skunkworks.

Over to you guys... ideas, thoughts?

We are already well recognized in the media and i beleive, although i may be wrong, its already happened where someone who frequented this one and other sites like it was involved in a shooting.

What you have to realize is that we dont encourage any of those activities. We have alternative news, controversial, ec.
The boys here keep it nice and clean for that very reason...see?

Now if you feel like leaping from the tallest building, a) you're already unstable b) your shrink already has a mile long file on you c) it isnt ATS's fault because no one here said you should jump.

Humanity is a little nutty, as you know, and i do expect, as in past times hundreds of years ago, there might be a few individuals who might do themselves in before 2012.
I think they should wait until 2029.~

Mainstream Media will see us all as "Ufo Nuts" who have to be ridden outta town if any "serious" media attention is turned towards us. One thing they do not want is their "trust worthyness" asked about.
So the logical thing, in their eyes, is to throw us all in to the nutcase files.

Originally posted by dgtempe
We are already well recognized in the media and i beleive, although i may be wrong, its already happened where someone who frequented this one and other sites like it was involved in a shooting.

Well, there's different levels of recognition... I think if/when ATS gets to the same level of recognition as Yahoo, Ebay, Google, U-Tube, etc, it could start attracting some major flack from MSM... and government propaganda machines everywhere are going to view it as a real threat.

At the moment membership, whilst large, is still only 100,000+ and maybe several times as much in non-members having the occasional browse... If the membership started to get into the millions things could start to get very interesting

What you have to realize is that we dont encourage any of those activities. We have alternative news, controversial, ec.
The boys here keep it nice and clean for that very reason...see?

Now if you feel like leaping from the tallest building, a) you're already unstable b) your shrink already has a mile long file on you c) it isnt ATS's fault because no one here said you should jump.

I see, and appreciate, the very hard work that goes into this site to keep it nice and clean, but the media (at least here in the UK) do not let the facts get in the way of a good story. If they want to savage an individual or organisation they will, regardless of what the real facts are

Humanity is a little nutty, as you know, and i do expect, as in past times hundreds of years ago, there might be a few individuals who might do themselves in before 2012.
I think they should wait until 2029.~

Not much to say to that, except

Originally posted by Lyrian
Mainstream Media will see us all as "Ufo Nuts" who have to be ridden outta town if any "serious" media attention is turned towards us. One thing they do not want is their "trust worthyness" asked about.
So the logical thing, in their eyes, is to throw us all in to the nutcase files.

Probably true... but imagine if ATS membership starts to get into the millions worldwide, it's going to get very hard to sustain the 'a few lone nuts' label