Hubris, Delusion and Manipulation

Mark Zuckerberg's true nature revealed by this quote from 2004,

 "I have over 4,000 emails, pictures, addresses...
 They trust me... dumb fucks".

He's tried to bury it but I remember it well. The allegations about Facebook and Cambridge Analytica aren't a surprise, I predicted a similar event in my DEFCON presentations.

Cambridge Analytica isn't the first to manipulate internet media but un-manipulated examples make fraud easier to spot. An organic ("natural") meme grows at an accelerating rate, reaches an inflection point (saturation) and then declines. This MGTOW meme ("Men Going Their Own Way") grew organically for ten years in spite of heavy censorship.

The "Supernatural" television show is another natural meme. If you look closely, you can see each of the 13 seasons.

Now look at a manipulated meme, a simultaneous broadcast to many outlets to create a "spontaneous" meme, but it often leaves a **sawtooth pattern** as the meme is repeatedly pushed but fails to gain traction.

Check out the "#MeToo" meme (sexual harassment). Can you see the manipulation? There's no growth phase, it's everywhere instantly in media but not gaining traction.

The women's march meme attempts to piggyback onto an existing meme but again there's no grassroots traction and the meme fades out.

Updated and confirmed in 2021. There was no traction. A small group of people foisted this onto the public using their media power.

These manipulations are plays upon the hubris of "useful idiots". Hubris is the deadliest sin because it usually masquerades as a virtue.