Manufactured Reality

Manufactured Reality explains how algorithmic systems shape what people see, believe, and share, turning attention into a commodity and belief into power. Alexander H. Blackwell shows how engagement metrics, recommendation systems, and ranking algorithms can reward outrage, novelty, and repetition while narrowing what audiences encounter online. The result is a media environment where manufactured narratives can feel more familiar, more credible, and more widely accepted than they should. Written for readers concerned about misinformation, media literacy, technology ethics, and the social impact of social platforms, this book offers a clear, formal account of how perception is engineered in digital spaces. It also gives readers practical tools to recognize distortion, question what appears authoritative, and resist systems designed to capture attention at the expense of truth. Timely and accessible, Manufactured Reality is an essential guide for students, journalists, civic leaders, and anyone who wants to understand how algorithmic power shapes public life.