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An “essential and riveting” (Jonathan Haidt) analysis of the radical shift in the dynamics of power and influence, revealing how the machinery that powered the Big Lie works to create bespoke realities revolutionizing politics, culture, and society.
Renée DiResta’s powerful, original investigation into the way power and influence have been profoundly transformed reveals how a virtual rumor mill of niche propagandists increasingly shapes public opinion. While propagandists position themselves as trustworthy Davids, their reach, influence, and economics make them classic Goliaths—invisible rulers who create bespoke realities to revolutionize politics, culture, and society. Their work is driven by a simple maxim: if you make it trend, you make it true.
By revealing the machinery and dynamics of the interplay between influencers, algorithms, and online crowds, DiResta vividly illustrates the way propagandists deliberately undermine belief in the fundamental legitimacy of institutions that make society work. This alternate system for shaping public opinion, unexamined until now, is rewriting the relationship between the people and their government in profound ways. It has become 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. But they need not be.
With its deep insight into the power of propagandists to drive online crowds into battle—while bearing no responsibility for the consequences—Invisible Rulers not only predicts those consequences but offers ways for leaders to rapidly adapt and fight back.
“Renée DiResta is a superhero protecting reality from insanity. Her work and voice are indispensable. If humanity doesn’t ruin its future through idiocy, DiResta will be one of the reasons why.”
“I am in awe of DiResta’s ability to see through the digital haze and identify many of the most important threats coming at the United States and humanity more broadly…. Invisible Rulers is essential and riveting reading.”
“[A] unique and unusual work of observation and scholarship… DiResta shows how domestic trolls and foreign oligarchs now wield influence on a global scale, turning online trends into truth, and shaping our understand of reality itself.”
“[C]ompelling and beautifully written… If you care about securing a better future for generations to come, read this book, and work with others to implement DiResta’s thoughtful recommendations.”
“No analyst of the online world exposes its lies and perversities with greater courage, insight, and devotion to democratic values than DiResta. [A] gripping and trenchant work.”
— Larry Diamond, senior fellow, Hoover Institute
“[A] fiery debut… a well-informed take on what ails social media, and a vigorous riposte to conservative narratives of persecution by Big Tech.”
— Publishers Weekly
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