A cultural examination that is as revelatory as it is relevant, Hype pulls back the curtain on the manipulation game behind the never-ending scam season-and how we as consumers can stop getting played. These unsettling stories of today’s viral grifters have risen to fame and hit the front-page headlines, yet the curious conundrum remains: Why do these scams happen?ĭrawing from scientific research, marketing campaigns, and exclusive documents and interviews, former Vice reporter Gabrielle Bluestone delves into the irresistible hype that fuels our social media ecosystem, whether it’s from the trusted influencers that peddled Fyre or the consumer reviews that sold Juicero. Reviewers and celebrities flock to London’s top-rated restaurant that’s little more than a backyard shed. The token slid as much as 4.5 and was trading at 28,221 as of 2. Respected investors pour millions into a start-up centered around fake blood tests. Bitcoin slipped back Monday after climbing for four consecutive months through April in the longest such winning run since 2021. A charismatic entrepreneur sells thousands of tickets to a festival that never happened.

We live in an age where scams are the new normal. It’s old news, but this is a good reference to study social behavior and how things go viral.How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet―and Why We're Followingįrom former Vice journalist and executive producer of hit Netflix documentary Fyre comes an eye-opening look at the con artists, grifters and snake oil salesmen of the digital age-and why we can’t stop falling for them. We aspire to be like them so we do what they do. We groom our identity to become like them-sometimes at great cost. We follow what the influencers are doing so we can identify with the cool crowd.

In essence, our need for attention and affirmation and our FOMO make us susceptible to scams online.

She cites an old study of millennials from 2011 but also mentions Hypebeast and Supreme. She exhaustively explains how we get duped, and backs up her claims with research on social media use, addiction, and abuse. By the time the book comes out, scandals are old news-Fyre Festival, Theranos, Tesla’s tunnel, Trump’s alleged billions, Kylie Jenner’s Forbes listing, and fake influencers.īluestone unnecessarily details the Fyre Festival, for which she produced a Netflix special. Well-written and well-researched topic but references and studies are dated.

Gabrielle bluestone hype