Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
p/trust-me-i-m-lying-confessions-of-a-media-manipulator
The inside mechanics of how blogs & news are made.
Brent Underwood
Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator — An exposé of the current online media world
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Replies
Ross Currie
@ryanholiday - I know you did an AMA about your more recent book, but I was wondering if I could ask you a question about the topics covered here. I recall you ended the book on a bit of a repentant note, but I kind of wonder - would you do it all again? For me, it feels like the power of the Internet mob has only grown since you published this. Like if you take a look at the Cecil the Lion incident, regardless of who he is or what he did, the Internet mob has basically ruined that guy's Dental Practise. Or if you consider Julien Blanc - again, regardless of who he is or what he did, he literally had his Visa revoked and was kicked out of Australia because of a movement that started with a change.org petition by someone who had never met him, on the other side of the world. And then there's Sunil Tripathi. I can only imagine what would've happened if he was still alive and the Internet mob found him before his innocence could be declared. In a business context, is it worth provoking the ire of the Internet mob to make sales? How dangerous does it really become to have the spotlight shone on you? Not sure you can answer those two questions, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. I have an idea on how to market one of my products, but not sure if it's worth pissing off the Internet.