P.G. Smith Author

How to Stand Up to a Dictator

I just read a fascinating memoir by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Reesa, who is co-founder and head of the online news website, Rappler, based in the Philippines.

Educated at Princeton, she made her career as a reporter and then bureau chief in Southeast Asia with CNN in the 1990s. This in itself is a riveting story, tracking the rise of terrorist groups (such as Al Qaida) and the rise of democratically elected strongmen (such as Duterte in the Philippines, and Orban in Hungary.) It adds a global dimension to our recent experiences in America.

Reesa has been fighting corruption and misinformation for decades in a place where criticizing government can get you killed. For years she battled Pres. Duterte’s bloody regime, which has since been succeeded by that of Pres. Marcos (the son of infamous Ferdinand Marcos). She has been prosecuted and convicted of multiple pseudo-crimes (such as cyber-libel, for criticizing the government) that could put her in prison for life. Her struggle is a heroic tale.

What makes it especially fascinating and frightening is what she has to say about online platforms and in particular Facebook. Originally she was a true believer in the promise of social media for promoting equality and freedom in the world, enabling movements like the Arab Spring. But soon these same platforms, especially Facebook, were taken over by right-wing autocrats for their own benefit, and we in America are not exempt.

She explains how crowdsourcing works, how algorithms are used to produce and promote outcomes that benefit wealthy clients and right-wing conspiracy theorists. How hate and division are propagated. It’s like getting the inside story from someone who has been in the trenches from the beginning. It is a frightening and eye-opening book. But it is also inspiring to know that we still have journalists out there defending the truth. And Reesa has not given up. Far from it. She still believes that social media can be used for good, and we should too. But only when we also understand how much it can manipulate us all.

This is an outstanding book and an exciting read. It should be required reading for every person who uses social media. No one wants to be manipulated, right?