Invisible Rulers

With her book Invisible Rulers, Renee DiResta has effectively compiled much of what's wrong with society today in digestible form. The chief problem is the internet—particularly social media—which has run roughshod over reason, expertise, and the institutions that uphold them thanks to mobs of grassroots users and the influencers who steer them. Innuendos, rumors, urban legends, and wishful thinking can spread in a matter of minutes on social media. Fact-checked reality lags behind, as it requires some standard of rigor and mental effort. In sum, lies have a quick first step when pitted against fact. These lies, DiResta argues, culminate in “bespoke realities,” which have obliterated the “consensus reality” of the past—that is, the agreed-upon intersubjectivity that has allowed society to function in the pre-social media era. The concept of “bespoke realities” should be indispensable for popular discussions of social media going forward. DiResta also notes how phrases like “just asking questions” and “big if true,” often wielded by right-wingers and anti-vaxxers, can push complete nonsense into the mainstream. By the end of the book, DiResta is referring to the bespoke reality of the right wing as its “cinematic universe,” an eminently useful characterization of the constellation of untruths within which many American conservatives live. To her credit, DiResta keeps the discussion relatively apolitical, though she has no choice but to admit that the right indulges in far more instances of pushing non-factual narratives than does the left, especially when violence and intimidation is involved. Sadly, some of this violence and intimidation has been directed at DiResta herself on account of her studies of the internet, and she details these in the book's penultimate chapter.

Epochal though Invisible Rulers is, it still has some shortcomings. There are only a few mentions of epistemology over the course of the book, even though epistemic negligence is one of the major issues driving internet misinformation. Truth be told, the most toxic influencers are prone to religious-styled epistemologies, even if they are not expressly religious themselves. Influencers often deliver solutions that are all-consuming and spiritual in tone, and their devoted audience is seeking nothing less than deliverance. Being a part of this tide of likes and follows and reshares can shape reality, devotees believe, leading to material, moral, and spiritual rewards. It's lunacy. Relatedly, DiResta doesn't talk about the pervasiveness of rationalization among influencers and internet users, which provides a perpetual off-ramp for their irrational and uninformed behavior. 

And above and beyond all that, DiResta neglects to address the overall garbage culture of the USA. Yes, Americans spend too much time on the internet, but large sectors of the citizenry also spurn education on principle. Anti-intellectualism is on the rise. Intellectual indolence is the norm, and perhaps even a point of pride for some. Attention spans are infinitesimal. When people have no urge to read full paragraphs, how do we expect them not to venerate a platform such as X? Just as awful is the American hobbyhorse of distrusting authority seemingly by default. Uncovering esoteric knowledge (i.e. “what they're not telling you” in conspiracy-theory speak) is not only a preoccupation but a consumable product in itself. All told, Americans feel they have a right to live in total, irresponsible fantasy—that is, a bespoke reality. While DiResta applies terminology to this, she might have considered why this kind of reality-sculpting is prevalent in America, rather than just attributing it to human nature.

Regardless of its reticence to dig deeper into epistemology and the decline of American culture, I give Invisible Rulers my highest recommendation. It's rare that even the thickest tome satisfactorily capsulizes a zeitgeist, but this one comes close to doing just that in a mere 400 pages. Thus, it's a must read for anyone who still cares about rationality, evidence, and sober analysis.