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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Maren Wiederhold |
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INVISIBLE RULERS
The People Who Turn Lies into Reality
A brilliant and data-driven investigation into the radical shift of power as invisible rulers -previously known as influencers- create realities that are revolutionizing politics, culture, and society.
What we used to call influence has become something toxic. Anyone who wishes to destroy legitimate political and social power has a new weapon. It is the anarchist's dream, a force so shockingly effective that its destructive power seems limitless. Scientific proof is powerless in front of it; democratic validity is bulldozed by it; leaders are humiliated by it.
Renée DiResta offers a framework to explain how it now shapes public opinion through a virtual rumor mill of niche propagandists. While they position themselves as trustworthy "Davids", their reach, influence, and economics make them classic Goliaths, invisible rulers who create bespoke realities that control the destinies of millions of people, their work driven by a simple maxim: "if you make it trend, you make it true."
By revealing the machinery and the dynamics of the interplay between influencers, algorithms, and online crowds, DiResta vividly illustrates how society is deliberately undermined by small groups of influencers who move from selling products to chipping away at expertise.
DiResta defeated California's anti-vaxxers a decade ago. She uncovered the ways that China and Russia target the American public. As analyst, investigator, and participant, she provides unprecedented insight into the way influencers shape the opinion and behavior of massive crowds.
Renée DiResta is the Technical Research Manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory. She regularly writes and speaks about tech policy and is a regular contributor at The Atlantic and Wired. As a Presidential Leadership Scholar she worked with the Presidents Bush, Clinton, and the LBJ Foundations.
DiResta has 77k+ Twitter followers (@noUpside).
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Book
Published 2024-06-11 by PublicAffairs |