Can body language help us spot the wolves in sheep's clothing?

Watching Mark Zuckerberg announce changes to the moderation policies on Facebook and Instagram this week, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was watching a hostage video.?

There was something unsettling about the way he spoke, his body language and the lack of conviction in his tone. It felt less like a CEO making an important policy shift and more like someone reading a script they had no real belief in.?

The complete reversal of priorities and values he conveyed, including the move of the company from California to Texas, told a story that went beyond words. It was as though Zuckerberg, a figure so closely associated with Silicon Valley and its ideals, was playing a part he had not truly prepared for.

But as I reflect on this, I can't help but question myself: Why do I feel less respect for him now? Don’t we all have the right to change our minds, even a multi-billionaire like Zuckerberg??

After all, the concept of the freedom?to change our minds is central to the modern world. We pride ourselves on being able to adapt, grow, and shift our perspectives when presented with new information or changing circumstances. So why does Zuckerberg’s apparent shift, in both policy and geography, feel so jarring?

Isaiah Berlin, a political philosopher, captured the essence of this quandary when he wrote, "Freedom for the wolves has often meant death to the sheep."?

In a world where the powerful and privileged can shift their allegiances and policies without consequence, it’s easy to forget that such freedoms often come at a cost to those without power. Zuckerberg’s decision to pivot his platform’s moderation policies may well be part of a broader strategy to maintain power in an increasingly polarised environment. But for the ordinary user, the ones whose voices may be silenced or manipulated by these changes, it’s hard to escape the feeling that these shifts are not made with their best interests in mind.

As we begin a new year, I find myself increasingly perplexed by the state of the world and the difference between people's words and actions.?

One of the strange things about modern life is how body language can reveal more than words ever could.?

Take, for example, the recent image of Elon Musk and Nigel Farage, standing side by side, chests puffed out with their arms weirdly folded. Anyone familiar with the nuances of body language could have predicted that the much-hyped ￡100 million donation to the Reform Party was unlikely to materialise. The awkwardness in the photo said it all — an uneasy alliance rather than genuine camaraderie.

But where Musk is concerned, my confusion doesn't stop there.?

How has Elon Musk, once seen as a disruptor and tech visionary, become a champion of both rape victims and, at the same time, an alleged rapist and people trafficker? And why are millions of people still online professing their trust of?Musk?

And what are we to make of his ongoing attempts to undermine democracy in the UK??

These?are bizarre contradictions that leave?me questioning not just the integrity of the man, but the broader forces at play in shaping our political and technological landscape.

In a world where the powerful can shift and change according to their whims, it's easy to feel disoriented, even powerless.

But perhaps it’s time we start paying closer attention to the signals beyond the words, to the body language that tells us what’s really going on.?

After all, the future may be written not just through policy changes but in the unspoken gestures of those who hold the reins of power.