manipulate

Have you ever felt manipulated by an algorithm?

We can zoom in, we can make nanostructures, we can manipulate atoms, we can make transistors.

It majorly influenced the Boom writers of the 1960s, who often manipulated reality through magical realism, a style that incorporates fantastical elements into real-world settings.

So, in other words, people have always been afraid of media and how it could be manipulated.