The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper-Persuasion
[Lemov] invites us to consider a twenty-first-century parallel: the scorn directed at people who lose their savings to a cryptocurrency cult. Lemov thinks that this perception shifts once we acknowledge the role of trauma in brainwashing ... Lemov’s emphasis on trauma suggests that the concept of brainwashing may not be all that helpful in understanding whatever it is that social media does to its users.
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Engaging if imperfect ... Though she offers vivid snapshots of individual cases and often interjects her own experiences in chatty, personable ways, Lemov’s detailed analyses can read as somewhat weedy and dense for a layperson.
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Unnerving ... A superbly crafted analysis of a universally deplored but seemingly irresistible technique.
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