Unfortunately I don't think it's a case of "stupid" or "clever". Human beings are inherently susceptible to being influenced, and the levers are well-known in s

Unfortunately I don't think it's a case of "stupid" or "clever". Human beings are inherently susceptible to being influenced, and the levers are well-known in some circles already (see marketing, media orgs, and spy agencies). We're all programmable, "moist robots" as Scott Adams calls it, and even if we think we're too smart to fall for it, we can still be manipulated by motivated actors. The first defence is of course to be aware of it, but others include firewalling ourselves from information we consume. Being super judicious with consuming in the first place is the best defense.