You wouldn’t believe fake news from Macedonia, would you?

Of course not. You’re savvy and informed.

But are you?

A lot of people have. Especially Trump supporters, it turns out, and it’s not because some conspiracy exists in Macedonia that was trying to get Trump elected. It’s much simpler than that — teens in Macedonia that are swift with technology but not able to work have found that getting people to like and share and click on fake news on Facebook is a quick way to make a few bucks through the ad money those generate — and for whatever reason, Trump supporters have been really, really prone to doing these things.

Hence the pro Trump spin since, as any entrepreneur will tell you, you have to optimize your resources for the biggest return.

So, it turns out that the invisible hand wins again. You were one smart devil, Adam Smith.

For much more sensible and reasoned thought around this, check out Ben’s write up on Fake News at Stratechery.