 Hype: How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet – and Why We’re Following, by Gabrielle Bluestone.
Bluestone considers questions about the line between advertising hype and outright fraud, and the weird parasocial relationships that have been created by social media. We’re encouraged to think of celebrities and social media influencers as friends, and of course we’re more likely to buy a product if a friend recommends it. Marketers will tie themselves in knots trying to find ways to advertise their product that don’t feel like advertising. Much of the book was about the infamous Fyre Festival in 2017, and its creator, Billy McFarland. (Bluestone was the executive producer of the Netflix documentary Fyre.) McFarland and company took in at least $27.4 million from investors, promising luxury villas, gourmet food, and a lengthy lineup of musical performances. They spent the money on social media campaigns and ad footage with supermodels. They didn’t invest in accommodations, food, logistics, or even a venue. Festival goers paid $500 to $1500 ($12K for “VIP tickets”), and arrived expecting the villas they’d seen on the website. They found a gravel parking lot with tents and mattresses left in the pouring rain, packaged cheese sandwiches, port-a-potties, and 3 showers for 500 attendees. The staff and food suppliers were never paid. The promised musical acts – literally all of them – pulled out in the days before the festival. The only criminal charges ever filed were for defrauding investors. While awaiting trial, McFarland used Fyre Festival email lists for new scams, offering nonexistent discounted tickets to the Met Gala and the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. (This is pretty typical, fraudsters reusing victim lists or trading them with other scammers, and a depressing number of victims bit again.) McFarland was sentenced to 6 years and $26 million restitution. Other examples that come up are Theranos, a much-ballyhooed startup with a medical miracle device that didn’t work. And some real estate guy whose constant exaggerations about his wealth got him a “reality” TV show where he played a successful businessman. Wonder whatever happened to him? The ending of the book veered off into the early days of the Covid crisis, and celebrities showing off their parties on social media while everyone else was social distancing. That section seemed like it belonged in a different book. As for Billy McFarland, when he got out after four years in prison, he started putting out feelers for a “Fyre Festival 2.” No takers. Yet. Popsugar Reading Challenge: About influencer culture. 52 Book Club Challenge: Commas in the subtitle.
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