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...

Yes, but if we continue down our current path, they will not be directed at automation itself. Instead, advanced propaganda and bot networks will organize discontent against whichever targets allow the protesters to feel temporarily empowered, but that pose no actual threat to entrenched powers. The Russians are far further down this road than the US. Go read about how Surkov simultaneously creates Neo-Nazi movements, gives money to anti-Putin protestors, and props up the Russian Orthodox Church.

https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-True-Everything-Possible-Surr...

Public indoctrination through control of the media is easily the most pressing problem of our days. Far more important than that of the global warming, for example, simply because it blocks meaningful discussion on the subjects that really matter.

While the public opinion is manipulated both in the US and in Russia, the methods and outcomes are vastly different. For a diligent study of the US media manipulation I highly recommend Chomsky's book "Understanding Power" [2]. You may disagree with his opinions, but they are still worthy of consideration because Chomsky backs up each observation with a verifiable reference, to the point where all of the references combined make an entire separate book of equal volume. If you don't like Chomsky's answers, you will at least appreciate the questions he's trying to tackle.

I haven't read the headline book yet [1], but it has the potential to shed some light on how things are done over in Russia. Between the two works, I hope, one can gain actual knowledge of the 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...