Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Everything we like is a psyop?

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 262 posts

Re: Everything we like is a psyop?

#41

Post by autoexec »

It's such an insane amount of waste that there are rooms filled with cell phones just to churn out spam. The same job should be doable by a single server. I imagine that it's only required because platforms are fingerprinting the phones to check for spammers but obviously those systems have gone from being simply useless to becoming harmful since it's now generating massive amounts of e-waste.

This seems like something that should be regulated. The cell phone companies can identify these customers/devices easily enough.

Re: Everything we like is a psyop?

#42

Post by squigz »

vermilingua wrote: post #27

I had a very odd experience the other day; while waiting for a doctor’s appointment, I had a book I’d read pop into my head (Mercy of Gods, very good) and looked up when the sequel was going to release. It had come out that morning. I can’t remember seeing any marketing about the sequel, I don’t use any app or service that would have told me it was upcoming or released, and I block ads; but it feels too enormous a co…

It seems infinitely more likely to me that this is simple coincidence than something nefarious.

Re: Everything we like is a psyop?

#43

Post by autoexec »

kylecazar wrote: post #7
simplyluke wrote: post #5

I think most users of websites like reddit, x, and yes even HN don't realize how much traffic is inorganic. Marketing firms, government agencies, and many other interested parties with money to burn are absolutely aware that you search "best {product} reddit" I've commented on this before, but I strongly suspect much of the narrative around AI is being formed with strong inputs from these patterns. What's your basis…

A good reason to find specific individuals with relevant knowledge and follow their writing directly. Think simonw and his pelicans... but there are lesser known trustworthy voices as well. It just takes some time to find them for a given area of interest. Also bring back blogrolls.

> A good reason to find specific individuals with relevant knowledge and follow their writing directly.

As soon as they get popular enough they'll be approached with offers to shill in exchange for huge piles of money. That's the entire point of "influencers". Trusted people being turned into secret advertisers and billboards.

Re: Everything we like is a psyop?

#46

Post by tombert »

jrecyclebin wrote: post #36

This is not true though. My two favorite bands from the past year were poorly-attended shows that I stumbled into. You can still seek out good underground, obscure artists - you just have to look for them. Not trying to be elitist - like what you like. I just really feel like little artists need the support. Plus, it feels like there is a bit more satisfying agency and fate in looking for new things rather than being…

Something I did a few years ago was buy a thing on eBay of 300 random CDs for like $10.

Most of the CDs were unsurprisingly stuff that was pretty common, but I would occasionally find a few artists that I had never heard of that I ended up really liking, like "Hoss" by Lagwagon.

I haven't done this in awhile, but I might do it again soonish. It was fun digging through all the CDs to find stuff I ended up actually liking.

Re: Everything we like is a psyop?

#48

Post by autoexec »

johnfn wrote: post #11

But Geese is a good band. I just listened to 3D country to verify this. Yep, they’re still good. If it is a psyop, the psyop was only successful because they were a good band in the first place.

I would hope that any band who is actually good wouldn't need a psyop campaign to become popular. Have we really reached a point where marketers have polluted our lives with so many ads for garbage that we're incapable of discovering anything worthwhile unless it has a massive marketing agency behind it? That feels a lot like a racket. "Pay us to solve a problem we created!" is the sort of thing that should be regulated out of existence.

Re: Everything we like is a psyop?

#49

Post by unethical_ban »

Well I for one appreciate TC for giving us and the masses a heads up of new spins on old astroturf methods. You simply cannot trust the algorithm to be organic. Find trusted people or specific trusted reviewers of things. Everything else you hear could be paid for.

I'd love for this kind of scam to be regulated, at least. "Not a real fan - paid endorsement".

Post reply on HN