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Hoodwinked - Mara Einstein ****

Having recently looked into the way we use story to inform, influence and manipulate others, I was interested to see how Mara Einstein would take on suggested parallels between the techniques of marketers and those used by cults. Technically this is a business book, but it takes an academic approach to the subject.

I found the description of the techniques used by cults to reel in and keep victims, and the parallels with some types of marketing, notably multilevel marketing (MLM) and influencers, was fascinating. For those unfamiliar with the term, MLM refers to what is effectively a pyramid scheme, but one where there is a product involved rather than just finance. Where pyramid schemes are usually illegal, MLMs aren't despite their manipulative nature.

It's worth saying that this a very US-centric book. All the examples are from US companies, most of which I'd never heard of. This isn't a negative, though - it gives an impressive insight into US culture. Many of the factors, from conspiracy theories to the parallels with religion may have some penetration in the UK or Europe, say, but the power of these cult-like tactics seems to appeal far more to the situation in the US. This comes across particularly strongly when Einstein gets onto religion, as it's a peculiarly US version of religion that puts profit at its heart that seems to tie in strongly with marketing and cult tactics.

The book did have a common flaw of business books when compared with mainstream popular science that there is a feeling that Einstein could have given a lot more of the science behind it - instead we got tons of observational reporting that sometimes was repetitious. So, for example, there was a major Nature review of misinformation which made it clear that, for the vast majority, algorithms don't shape people's viewing, pushing them to more and more extreme ideas, but rather reflect back their choices. This kind of study isn't mentioned. Even so, though, this is an important enough subject to make the book valuable, particularly for a non-US audience that wants to understand better what is happening in that country.

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Review by Brian Clegg - See all Brian's online articles or subscribe to a weekly email free here

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