Nothing is true and everything is possible
by Peter Pomerantsev · first published 2012
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
An inside look at Russian media and propaganda in the 2000s, written by a former TV producer. It explains how the Kremlin manipulates information and reads quickly and entertainingly.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Nothing Is True and Everything is Possible is a journey into the glittering, surreal heart of 21st century Russia: into the lives of oligarchs convinced they are messiahs, professional killers with the souls of artists, Bohemian theater directors turned Kremlin puppet-masters, supermodel sects, post-modern dictators, and playboy revolutionaries. This is a world erupting with new money and new power, changing so fast it breaks all sense of reality, where life is seen as a whirling, glamorous masquerade where identities can be switched and all values are changeable. It is a completely new type
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…methods of the public opinion manipulation. The kind of knowledge to replace both the blind faith in the media and it's twin brother - the entirely counterproductive nihilistic disregard of all news. [1] "Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible", Peter Pomerantsev http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Is-True-Everything-Possible/dp... [2] http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Power-Indispensible-Chom...
on “A Russian TV Insider Describes a Modern Propaganda Machine” ↗If you want more context on Putin's regime, check out, "Nothing is True and Everything is Possible" by Peter Pomerantsev. It's an inside view of Russian life/propaganda from someone who worked as a TV producer for a Russian network: https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-True-Everything-Possible-Surr...
on “Authoritarians Distract Rather Than Debate” ↗…having -- the post modern situation has become way more subtle in its presence, despite the loud and brash way it's presented. An interesting book I read recently about a relatable topic is home the book Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev, about early 2000s Russia and the oil boom years, the role of the media, young money, memetic content created by the media and the way all of that affects population, it's scary and…
on “George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon” ↗…you're wanting a dive into Russia: - The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War - The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries - Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia If you're wanting true Spy stuff: - The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal - The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?” ↗People are starting to see a lot of parallels between the US today and the Soviet Union when it fell. I recommend the book Nothing is True and Everything is Possible to get a good feel for that heady, depressing-yet-exciting fall of Rome zeitgeist.
on “How the gig economy is making life harder for North American workers” ↗I'm pretty sure this piece found its way into Pomerantsev's Nothing is True and Everything is Possible. The book is interesting, and quickly read.
on “Putin's Rasputin (2011)” ↗…authorities time and time again have misled them. In some cases this is intentional. Less credibility/belief in experts allows for authoritarian governments to more easily ignore the truth. I found the book "Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible" [0] was an entertaining read that did a good job showing how information jamming is working. Though this is about the Russian experience it is a global issue. >Astroturfing and fake grassroots campaigns…
on “You cannot police misinformation in a fair, reproducible, and representative way” ↗This. I strongly recommend a book called “Nothing is true and everything is possible”. It describes how State media operates in Russia (and you could make a point many other countries have learned a thing or two from the book). Basically there needs to be an opposition, in order to…
on “The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary” ↗…controlled Russian and Chinese media. At the very least, this is highly suspicious. But of course, they do it skilfully, plausible deniability is the name of the game. I recommend reading "The Red Web", "Nothing is True and Everything is Possible", and "This is Not Propaganda" to learn more about this phenomenon.
on “Ask HN: Why is the US so vulnerable to disinformation from abroad?” ↗…Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War - The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries Both excellent and pair really well. Add in "Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible" and you've got some decent insight into modern Russia, I think. Just finished: - Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda Interesting to read. Author is rather…
on “Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?” ↗There is a book “Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible” which you might want to consider before deciding truth doesn’t matter anymore. It describes an explicit strategy by the Kremlin to poison the information landscape with lies, half truths, and conspiracies.…
on “What 1.4M emails reveal about America's most notorious sex offender” ↗The Landmark Forum looks about as controversial as the similar russian cults I've been reading about in "Nothing is true and everything is possible." The Forum also has mentions in the literature about cults.
on “How ‘Authentic Relating’ Made Vulnerability a Movement (2017)” ↗“Nothing is True and Everything is Possible.” Objective truth always exists. It’s just a matter of gathering the data to refine our perceptions and mental models to match.
on “Americans' Trust in Media Dips to Second Lowest on Record” ↗…to convince people of any specific lie, but rather so muddle things that people become cynical about knowing the truth period. There's a book on the topic where the title kinda tells the whole story: "Nothing is True and Everything is Possible"
on “Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe's largest” ↗…selling for why he's in effect shutting down the site. But both could be true and I'm still thinking about other potential reasons, a complete waste of my time, but it's a weird mental honeypot. The book "Nothing is true and everything is possible" describes Putin's use of misinformation to maintain control of the populace and eliminate democratic types of politics, but it really feels like it applies here too. There will always be Musk fanbois…
on “Twitter Is DDOSing Itself” ↗