INVISIBLE RULERS

A well-informed, bleak analysis of social media’s malign influence.

DiResta, technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory, begins in 2014 when a measles epidemic began in Disneyland and spread rapidly. Because many victims weren’t vaccinated, a pediatrician in the California legislature introduced a bill “to eliminate the personal-​belief exemption.” Those involved were stunned at the avalanche of abuse that arrived from across the country, mostly from the anti-vaccine community. After a long battle, the bill passed, but it wouldn’t pass today. Digging into her research, DiResta discovered that “there is an asymmetry of passion on social media.” While most Americans immunize their children, small numbers of true believers spout anti-vaccine propaganda loudly and frequently. As the author continued her investigation, “YouTube’s recommendation engines began to suggest I might also be interested in chemtrails, flat Earth, and 9/11 conspiracy theories.” The capacity to shape public opinion—most outraged opinion—has skyrocketed through internet “influencers,” who are masters of attracting attention. Social media rewards content that generates strong reactions, and nothing is as strong as a shared enemy. As philosopher Eric Hoffer wrote, “mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without a belief in a devil.” Good reasons for hatred are irrelevant because a lie, constantly repeated, becomes the truth. In 2020, few Republicans believed that an immense conspiracy defeated Trump; today, most believe in “the Steal.” DiResta recounts the dispiriting story that began two months before the election, following with a longer, perhaps more depressing account of the craziness surrounding Covid-19, which only intensified the “rage, conspiracism, and mob pursuit of retribution” that dominate our national discourse. Readers hoping for the traditional conclusion describing how to fix matters will not find one.

More detailed and insightful than most books in a crowded field, which makes it that much more disheartening.