Shapers are beings from whatever world or dimension exists beyond the portals. Whether Exotic Matter naturally leaks through the portals or is being pushed it has been determined that the Shapers are transmitting information using it as a carrier wave.
While the Enlightened believe these beings are benign and the information transferred will provide additional insights, inspiration, and information the Resistance sees the process as a thinly veiled means of subjugation, enslavement, and mind-control.