books

Network Propaganda book cover

Is social media wrecking democracy? Are Russian propaganda campaigns or click-hungry “fake news” businesses on Facebook tearing apart our shared reality? Network Propaganda, by scholars Yochai Benkler, Robert Faris, and Hal Roberts, dives deep into these topics that swelled to prominence around the 2016 election.

Since Donald Trump’s election in 2016, a lot of people believe that new technologies—and how foreign actors manipulate them—played a big role in his win and are fueling our “post-truth” world, where disinformation and propaganda seem to thrive.

Network Propaganda flips that idea on its head. The book dives into an incredibly detailed study of American media coverage from the start of the 2016 election in April 2015 to Trump’s first year in office. By analyzing millions of news stories, social media shares on Facebook and Twitter, TV broadcasts, and YouTube content, it paints a full picture of how political communication in the U.S. really works. The authors dig into big topics like immigration, Clinton-related scandals, and the Trump-Russia investigation and reveal that right-wing media doesn’t play by the same rules as other outlets.

Their big takeaway? The conservative media ecosystem functions in a totally unique way, shaped by decades of political, cultural, and institutional shifts since the 1970s. This has created a kind of propaganda loop that’s pushed center-right media to the sidelines, radicalized the right, and made it more vulnerable to both domestic and foreign propaganda. Thus Russia’s involvement was more like pouring gasoline onto an existing fire — a conflagration which was raging prior to Putin’s arrival on the scene.

For readers both inside and outside the U.S., Network Propaganda offers fresh insights and practical ways to understand—and maybe even fix—the broader democratic challenges we’re seeing around the world.

Network Propaganda podcast book summary

I have been getting a kick out of NotebookLM‘s renditions of podcasts about the source materials uploaded to the Notebook. They are really quite good, and I can see them being useful for a number of purposes. Here’s an AI-generated discussion about Network Propaganda, taken from a PDF of the book as the source of the Notebook.

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Mind control is a type of “psychological technology” used by con artists, cult leaders, and influence peddlers of all stripes to try and modify human behavior, to twist it to one’s own nefarious and usually opaque ends. Books about cults and how they use forms of mind control to capture victims can help us understand this otherwise inexplicable phenomenon.

Also referred to as undue influence techniques, brainwashing, emotional abuse, or thought reform, mind control is a set of techniques designed to hack in to the brain’s cognitive quirks, biases, and numerous psychobiological “opportunities to circumvent rational and critical thought.”

Cults are a specific structure of social organization formed through the application of mind control. There are at least 2 “layers” and often many interstitial rings that draw members ever closer to a hidden agenda lurking at the center — the true purpose of the organization that most of the footsoldiers know nothing about, because they work for one of the many “friendly PR faces” tacked on to the outside of the group to disguise the malignancy within.

a cult leader illustrating the appeal of books about cults

Here’s the cult leader playbook:

  1. Position himself (and the group — his extension) as the only safe haven to turn to when afraid: “I alone can fix it!”
  2. Isolate followers from other sources of information — i.e. keep them in the Fox News/OANN/Newsmax ecosystem
  3. Arouse fear in the follower — invent invisible boogeymen everywhere! Huge caravans at the border that mysteriously disappear after elections! Evil liberals trying to do their jobs in schools and educate our youth about our history! INFLATION looms as a large spectre every time the left manages to eke out a few pennies from the cold unfeeling hands of the aristocrats!

Rinse; repeat. Stoking fear is “EZ Mode” — it means one of the parties in our two-party system can “de facto secede” from governance by just sitting on the sidelines and heckling all day, waiting for the problems and frustration to boil over so they can harness the abject anger of poor manipulated people into political weaponry, to break their lives on the wheels of history carelessly and for no higher purpose than personal greed and addiction to power, wealth, and status.

Books about cults

In the shadowy corners of society, cults have long thrived, weaving their intricate webs of influence, control, and mystique. From charismatic leaders to the vulnerable souls they ensnare, the study of cults offers a chilling glimpse into the extremes of human behavior. As we navigate an era where misinformation and manipulation are more pervasive than ever, understanding the mechanisms that drive these insular communities is not just fascinating—it’s increasingly essential. The following list of books delves into the psychology, history, and dark allure of cults, providing critical insights into the forces that can both unite and destroy.

Qualities of a cult leader

  • Narcissistic — highly self-absorbed, they demand excessive admiration and slavish devotion to their whims.
  • Charismatic — they have a way of grabbing attention, whether positive or negative.
  • Unpredictable — erratic behavior keeps enemies on their toes and fans “on edge” with desire to please Dear Leader.
  • Insatiable drive — it could be status, money, sex, power, or all of the above, but they feel they deserve it more than anyone else on the planet.
  • Lack of conscience — they have no shame and will demand things a decent human being would not.

…remind you of anyone in particular?!

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narcissist in a library

Narcissists think of themselves as special; chosen; beyond the fray — rules do not generally apply to them, but oh do they ever to you. They tend to see the world in black and white terms, as a Manichaean struggle of hierarchy vs. fairness, with strict social status to abide by and perpetuate — a world of dominance and submission, with themselves at the top. This narcissism books list will arm you with the most important information you need to know about dealing with this infuriating type of personality disorder.

The higher on the Cluster B scale you go (with psychopathy at the top of the ruthless scale), the less empathy these fundamentally narcissistic individuals possess. Without empathy, there is no basis for forming a conscience. One could say the classic defining hallmark of this group of personality disorders is that the people exhibiting narcissism have little to no conscience.

Part of the dark triad along with psychopathy and Machiavellianism, narcissism is characterized by manipulative behavior towards others and a malevolent, often exploitational approach to interpersonal relationships. There are many aspects to narcissism, and the following book assortment covers a wide range of core and intersecting topics.

Narcissism books list

About narcissists

Practical advice for dealing with a narcissist

Narcissistic parenting

Narcissism and politics

narcissist in a library

You could say that narcissists are those who never manage to find enough escape velocity to get outside themselves. They stay stuck forever in an infantile loop of getting what they want, using people along the way to achieve their goals. Narcissists think transactionally, and are always seeking to maximize benefit to themselves, at the expense of others if necessary or possible.

Their world is a zero-sum game where every interaction is a potential transaction to be exploited. Empathy is a foreign concept, often feigned but never felt, as genuine concern for others would undermine their self-centered agenda. Narcissists operate with a relentless focus on self-preservation and self-advancement, their actions governed by an insatiable need for validation. This leads them to view relationships not as mutual partnerships, but as opportunities to extract value—be it in the form of admiration, status, or resources. The people around them become mere tools, reduced to their utility in satisfying the narcissist’s desires.

See also: word salad, flying monkeys, grandiosity, projection, dark triad, black and white thinking, scapegoating, motivated reasoning, love bombing, magical thinking, narcissistic rage, emotional blackmail, influence techniques, splitting, dissociation

Read about narcissism without giving Jeff Bezos money

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banned books burning books

Expecting this banned books list will be ongoing, unfortunately…

Book bans represent a significant threat to the First Amendment by restricting access to diverse ideas and viewpoints, which are essential to a free and democratic society. These bans orchestrated by right wing groups often target literature that addresses complex and sometimes controversial themes such as race, sexuality, and political ideologies, under the guise of protecting young readers.

However, this form of censorship undermines intellectual freedom and the right to read, leading to a homogenized culture that stifles critical thinking and open dialogue. The American Library Association (ALA) and PEN America have documented thousands of instances where books have been removed from school and public libraries, reflecting a concerted effort by certain groups to impose their moral or political standards on the wider community, thus eroding the foundational principles of free expression enshrined in the First Amendment​.

Most Banned Books (2023-2024)

  1. “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe
  2. “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson
  3. “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
  4. “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Pérez
  5. “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
  6. “Beyond Magenta” by Susan Kuklin
  7. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie
  8. “Melissa” (previously published as “George”) by Alex Gino
  9. “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
  10. “Drama” by Raina Telgemeier
Continue reading Banned Books List: What the right-wing considers dangerous literature
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