When I look back at my telecom years, I note the huge regulatory debate around network "neutrality". No such thing exists (there never has been a "neutral" packet network with emergent performance), but real power exists in being able to conjure a divisive issue out of thin air.

I did once sit in the office of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who seemed genuinely interested in the science. But apart from that one honourable exception, most people just wanted to "win" arguments at which they were unconsciously incompetent.

Similarly, election fraud can be made to disappear entirely, and all controversial issues can be pre-determined by labelling them "QAnon". Mind control is a thing, and my conclusion is that it is so effective because people actually like it. It gives them the addictive "feeling of knowing", versus the pain of dissent from critical thinking.