We tend to link democratic platforms that enable free speech with the utopian ideal of making every voice heard: a belief that marginalised voices will have an equal platform. But it's clear that open platforms like Facebook & Whatsapp have, by showing us more what resonated with our views, deepened our bubbles.

We didn't count on the sophistication of bad actors to learn the tools of this trade and leverage them to their own advantage. Those who mastered these tools to brew hate, fear, [insert-other-strong-emotion-here] and harness it for their means found one common truth:

In order to shape beliefs, emotion is far more powerful than information

Inserting emotion into views drives them further from centre bringing us to an us-vs-them world. Driven by disinformation on Whatsapp, such emotion has led to the spate of kidnappings, murders etc highlighted in the news recently.

As this issue enters public debate, we must also consider where to draw the line between effective marketing and dangerous manipulation. Fake news is not simply created by bored people on the internet. Large organisations are systematically leveraging this strategy for their ends.

Here is some food for thought:

In the choices we make as consumers and private citizens, we have always traded some of our autonomy to gain other rewards[…] the bargain we’ve struck with the internet giants is a Faustian one

"The goal of everything we do is to change people’s actual behavior at scale"

🚨If you're going to read only one thing this week, read this:🚨

👨‍🎨The French burglar who pulled off his generations biggest art heist🥖🇫🇷
Entertaining on so many levels. Get under your blanket in the cold and enjoy this one.

Aztec moral philosophy didn't expect anyone to be a saint👼
Illuminating read. Highlights and give words to many similarities of enduring social norms in India.🇮🇳

A Primer on the Geopolitics of Oil🛢
Essential reading on a topic you probably don't know as much about as you should

🚀V-2 and Saturn V: A Tale of Two Rockets🚀
What does it mean that the same men who built a deadly rocket for the Nazis helped get America to the moon?

The Vice President’s Men
Under George Bush's direction, "a team of military operatives was set up that bypassed the national security establishment – including the CIA – and wasn’t answerable to congressional oversight"
Cloak-and-dagger story.🕵️‍♂️

A Primer on Strategy
If your CEO is pissing you off with non-stop strategy meetings, send them this.

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🙊"Don't get high on your own supply”
— Michelle Pfeiffer