As groups of like-minded people clump together, they grow to resemble fanatical tribes, trapped in echo chambers of their own design. The reason is basic human nature. In numerous studies, across numerous countries, involving millions of people, researchers have discovered a cardinal rule that explains how information disseminates across the internet, as well as how it shapes our politics, media, and wars. The best predictor is not accuracy or even content; it is the number of friends who share the content first. They are more likely to believe what it says-and then to share it with others who, in turn, will believe what they say. It is all about us, or rather our love of ourselves and people like us.
Like War: the weaponization of social media by P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking
