Yes, Harari's Sapiens also builds upon this premise.
> Imagine if the dictator then tells all his subjects - "whatever you have heard about me is untrue, it is just some haters hating".
I regularly read criticism being waved away with exactly that argument, for example by polticians. It is inherently an ad hominem. Calling someone a fanboy or hater and ignoring their argument in the process _is_ an ad hominem, too. Does not mean the entire argument is (in)valid though.
> Imagine if the dictator then tells all his subjects - "whatever you have heard about me is untrue, it is just some haters hating".
I regularly read criticism being waved away with exactly that argument, for example by polticians. It is inherently an ad hominem. Calling someone a fanboy or hater and ignoring their argument in the process _is_ an ad hominem, too. Does not mean the entire argument is (in)valid though.