How Social Media Was Designed To Manipulate You | Renée DiResta

Renée DiResta is a leading researcher on social media, disinformation, and how digital platforms shape public opinion. She is the author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality.

In this conversation, we explore why it feels like we are living in completely different realities online, and how platform design, algorithms, and engagement incentives quietly pull us into polarized worlds.

We unpack how rumors, memes, and influencer dynamics can turn fringe ideas into mainstream political narratives, shaping elections, public policy, and how we see one another.

From the rise of rage-driven influencers to the collapse of shared facts, Renée breaks down how our attention and emotions are weaponized at scale.

You can grab her book here: a.co/d/1UsltPf

00:00 – Why Social Media Creates Parallel Realities
04:00 – How Algorithms Decide What You See
09:00 – The Crowd Effect and How Trends Actually Form
13:00 – Why Platforms Reward Outrage
18:00 – How Moral Language Drives Virality
22:00 – Factions, Identity, and Internet Tribalism
28:00 – The Majority Illusion: Why Everything Feels Extreme
33:00 – Why Experts Struggle Online
38:00 – The Rise of Political Influencers
44:00 – How Rumors Turn Into Propaganda
50:00 – When Virality Becomes “Truth”
56:00 – How Social Media Is Reshaping Politics
1:01:00 – The Politics of Rage
1:06:00 – Can Algorithms Be Designed for Connection?
1:12:00 – AI, Deepfakes, and the Collapse of Trust
1:18:00 – Entering the Post-Reality Era
1:23:00 – How Do We Rebuild Shared Reality?
1:28:00 – What Individuals Can Actually Do

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