A mix of Amrerican exceptionalism, lacking education, cultivated affinity to cult personalities (or just propaganda for simpler term) and a political system that makes participation (outside the elite) very difficult.

Culturally very far from Europeans. Millions and millions of Trump voters are not just an accident but rather a product of American culture.

Innovation industry!

And you need to give money to them, yes. But that was not the question.

Buying advertising on Facebook seems to be the defacto way to influence masses.

Facebook has incredibly invasive data collection, aggressive algorithms and therefore very fine grained targeting options and it has a bit over 3 billion active monthly users (many of them 100% captive because they won’t have Internet without Facebook)