The dynamic between influencers, algorithms, and online crowds (ft. Renee DiResta)

I sat down with former Stanford Internet Observatory researcher, Renee Diresta, to discuss her new book ‘Invisible Rulers’ which dives deep into the dynamic between influencers, algorithms, and online crowds. Much of her work focuses on rumors, propaganda, and understanding how narratives spread across social media networks. 

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

0:55 - Social media user vs influencer

2:50 - Definition of ‘invisible rulers’

4:39 - Definition of ‘propaganda’

5:26 - Is propaganda always negative?

7:20 - Definition the ‘the rumor mill’

9:34 - A rumor vs misinformation vs disinformation

12:30 - Definition of ‘bespoke realities’

14:03 - How the understanding of propaganda has evolved

19:47 - Independent media vs legacy media 

24:08 - Community Notes on X/Twitter

26:16 - The weirdness of “For You” feeds

29:39 - The characterization of women online

31:14 - Influencers being pressured to speak on heavy topics

35:30 - Why “the right” can often be more social media-savvy

37:51 - Social media is part of most jobs today

42:01 - Cancel culture is a thing and employers are ill-prepared

46:17 - Some design solutions to think about 

50:27 - Outro

You can find Renee on

https://www.threads.net/@renee.diresta?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/renee.diresta/

https://x.com/noUpside

Read “Invisible Rulers”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1541703375?linkCode=spc&tag=onamzjulester-20&creativeASIN=1541703375&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.1HHHY9CZRN3MJ&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d_asin

You can find "Fishbowl with Jules Terpak" on

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https://www.instagram.com/fishbowlpod

https://www.tiktok.com/@fishbowlpod

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Intro animation by Chad Lynn: https://www.chadlynn.com/

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