America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

Sean put down his overheated phone and quickly sorted through the rules of social media in this world.

If you want to bypass traditional media networks controlled by big capital to make your voice heard, the only way is through that damned internet.

He first opened YouTube, the world's largest video website.

The core of YouTube's streaming success lies in retention rate and click-through rate.

The platform doesn't care whether a video's content is noble or base; it only cares whether users are willing to stay on the page and watch GG.

His current identity is itself a poison that attracts attention, so he must handle the account creation issue with extreme care.

According to YouTube's Community Guidelines, the platform has the right to ban an account if it is determined to be "used to promote illegal activities" or "operated by a convicted serious offender for profit".

Although Sean has not yet been formally convicted, due to the FBI's involvement, his name may already be on the platform's sensitive word list.

If he directly registers an account similar to "[Sean Pan's Adventures]", he will most likely be flagged as a "yellow label" or even permanently banned within ten minutes of posting his first video.

Being labeled with a yellow tag not only results in losing Google revenue sharing, but more importantly, the algorithm will stop recommending the content to non-subscribers.

However, he doesn't need that pitiful GG fee right now; what he needs is viral spread. He's more afraid of account bans and traffic restrictions than yellow badges.

Therefore, he registered a new account and entered a name that seemed highly provocative:

The Avalon Survivor

Now we need to think about what content to create.

If those on the list realize that Sean Penn is using the internet to build his own defenses and that his content poses a threat to them, they only need to make a call to Google executives, and Sean's videos will be thrown into the algorithmic trash can.

No matter how well he does, his viewership will always remain in the single digits.

It's also possible that the opposite is true; Google's top management might actually be happy about it and be thinking of capitalizing on populist sentiment to grab attention.

But in either case, sitting idly by and waiting for death is certainly not the best solution.

So he started adjusting the lighting in front of the computer webcam.

At the same time, he drew back a corner of the curtains, letting natural light fall obliquely on his face, so that the audience could see a somewhat haggard Sean Penn, worn down by life and the law.

"My name is Sean Penn," he began, unprepared, without a microphone or a good sound card. "I'm the cursed child star you see in the news, the bastard accused of swindling your pensions, your money."

"I know what you're all thinking. You want me to die, you want me to rot in prison. To be honest, just six hours ago, that's what I was thinking too."

Then, Sean began to tell his story.

He neither denied his stupidity nor his indulgence. He described himself as a half-finished product corrupted by the Hollywood industrial system, a beautiful puppet manipulated by the big shots.

Then, he dropped the real bomb.

"But I stand here today not to ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness is God's business, and I am a sinner. I stand here to tell you that the money in the Avalon Fund has not disappeared."

"They didn't become marijuana leaves on my desk, nor did they become Ferraris in my garage. They flowed to places with more power."

He showed the camera the transfer records on his phone and waved them around, but didn't give a clear close-up.

This is also a strategy. If he directly presented the evidence, the video would be taken down due to privacy breaches or legal risks. He needs to maintain this ambiguity, guiding voters to speculate.

It's like Epstein's guest list; once it gets going, it's out of control.

If anyone questions why he hasn't released it yet, he can just say it's due to suppression from powerful figures.

"I used to think that as long as I cooperated with the investigation, the truth would come out. But I was wrong. In this country, the truth has a price tag, and I can't afford it. So, I've decided to repay my debt to you in another way."

"I want to run for president."

"This is no joke. I don't have money to hire a campaign manager, I don't have money to buy a TV GG, I don't even know where my next meal will come from. But I have something you don't: I've seen the true face of those monsters."

"If you vote for me, I guarantee I will not only get back the money I owe you, but I will also completely dismantle the boiler that uses us all as fuel."

"My campaign slogan for the first phase was simple: Make those bastards pay!"

Recording complete.

Sean watched the three-minute video without any editing. He named it "My Confession," used one of his most well-known stills as the cover image, and then clicked upload.

While waiting for the progress bar to tick, he began to analyze the possible consequences.

First, the bigwigs behind the Avalon Foundation will be informed immediately. They will use their public relations resources to file complaints across the entire internet, attempting to remove the videos on grounds of "invasion of privacy" or "defamation."

Secondly, the FBI will also feel tremendous pressure.

The next hour is crucial. If the reviewer or automated review process determines that the content violates regulations, his account will be immediately banned.

He stared at the screen, refreshing the backend page.

Views: 0.

Views: 1.

Views: 12.

The numbers began to grow slowly.

Due to the time difference, it's currently the time when people on the East Coast are waking up and getting ready for work. They'll be on the subway, at their breakfast table, opening their phones to see this former national idol's outrageous declaration.

Then, Sean opened X. He couldn't put all his eggs in one basket, and to get off the ground on YouTube, he had to rely on retweets from the X platform.

He wrote a tweet with only a link to the video and a sentence:

"They wanted me to shut up, but I decided to speak up. And I will never allow them to do that to you. #SeanPenn2024 #AvalonScandal"

Meanwhile, on YouTube, the number of views suddenly jumped.

1，420……5，890……12，000……

The comment section began to flood with messages.

"What is this? An April Fool's joke?"

"I'm sorry to hear this on Jesus' birthday, Mr. Sean Penn..."

"How come this bastard isn't in jail yet?"

"Wait, didn't he just mention a senator? Did someone screen record this? That's incredibly bold! I bet this video will be deleted within ten minutes."

"Even though he's trash, those transfer records made me believe him."

"Trust the Federation!"

Whether it's insults or questioning, these behaviors are all considered activity levels in the eyes of the algorithm!

If someone argues in the comments section, the system will consider the video to have high discussion value, thus pushing it into a larger traffic pool.

But that's not enough. Sean needs a bigger push, a catalyst that can elevate this from an entertainment scandal to a political event.

He opened his phone's contact list and searched through numbers he hadn't contacted in a long time until he finally found a suitable name.

Rachel Jones.

This is an investigative journalist who works at the Los Angeles Times and is constantly trying to uncover big stories but has been marginalized.

She had pursued the original owner of the body unsuccessfully, and was even publicly humiliated by the original owner at a party, so her affection for the original owner should be negative.

Logically, he shouldn't have contacted her, but she was the only person in his contacts who worked in the news industry, and in his impression, she was a relatively conscientious and righteous person.

So he dialed the number.

The call was quickly connected.

"If you're here to apologize, Sean, save your breath. Hopefully, your YouTube subscriptions will help you pay off your debts." Rachel's voice was full of disgust. "I'm writing a story about how you swindled donations from the orphanage."

"Looks like you know what I'm talking about, Rachel."

"Yes."

"Okay, it was all my fault before. Rachel, do you want to be the first person to interview the future president of the United States?" Sean said. "Or, do you want to be the first person to get the list of the real beneficiaries behind the Avalon Fund?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

He could feel the other person's breathing becoming somewhat rapid. For an ambitious journalist, this temptation was fatal.

"Where are you?" Rachel asked.

"It's in my house. But you'd better hurry, because my landlord might already be on his way to take the house back, and those who want me dead might be knocking on my door any second now."