Everything we like is a psyop

Article

• PR firms use fake accounts and phone farms to manufacture organic-feeling hype
• Band Geese allegedly boosted via coordinated astroturfing campaign
• Platforms are filled with inorganic traffic from marketers, govts, and brands

Discussion

• Commenters note this is just modern payola — astroturfing predates the internet
• Several say Geese is genuinely good, so the psyop only worked because the product was real
• Ryan Broderick (Garbage Day) reportedly skeptical the PR firm actually moved the needle
• Irony noted: articles debunking the psyop gave it more reach than the campaign did

Discuss on HN