This report on experiments conducted via Facebook illustrates both the kind of research done by corporate dominated universities and the level of sophisticated technology developed to manipulate citizens to serve the needs of the ruling class.
As one critic incisively put it,
"They are manipulating material from people's personal lives and I am worried about the ability of Facebook and others to manipulate people's thoughts in politics or other areas."Because of the gross violation of the ethical principle of research that subjects be informed that they are subjects in an experiment, Facebook is facing widespread criticism. Thankfully Facebook reported this experiment, but think of all the types of manipulation that is not being reported by corporate owned media empires which are unrestrained by any ethical principles. Then, you might imagine the extent of mind control that our ruling masters are using, or willing to use, to manipulate us to go along with their wars, their austerity policies, their practices that destroy the environment and destabilize the climate. Such manipulation, along with control of elections and institutions of government, enable our ruling class to maintain the illusion that they govern with the consent of the governed according to democratic principles.
However, if you, in contrast to most of your fellow Americans, have been wide awake, you know that they are not putting all their eggs in the basket of their fake democracy. They are ready with militarized police forces, around the clock surveillance, Patriot Acts, and suspension of the Constitution to deter any forms of actions by a riled citizenry.