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How influencers and algorithms mobilize propaganda — and distort reality

The engagement-fuelled logic of social media has bequeathed us a world in which what’s trending is a yardstick for what’s true.
  1. Sander van der Linden

    1. Sander van der Linden is a social psychologist at the University of Cambridge, UK, and the author of Foolproof: Why We Fall for Misinformation and How to Build Immunity.

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A Donald Trump supporter with a red cap holds a Stop the Steal sign while gathering on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol to protest the election.

The ‘stop the steal’ campaign, which questioned the validity of the 2020 US presidential election, was fuelled partially by social-media users. Credit: Michael Ciaglo/Getty

Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality Renée DiResta Public Affairs (2024)

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Nature 633, 275-277 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02917-1

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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