Anna Holmes defines 'hype aversion' as a reflex against being told what to like, suggesting that popularity can create pressure rather than signal quality. This feeling can lead to a deliberate choice to resist mainstream culture.
The findings confirm research that I conducted more than 20 years ago. Under the guise of the Comedy Research Project, Timandra Harkness and I performed a randomised clinical trial to assess whether or not science can be funny.
66% of internet users live where political or social sites are blocked, and 78% are in countries where people have been arrested for online posts. New social media regulations have emerged in dozens of countries in the past year alone.
Owens described how Infowars aimed to create a cinematic experience, stating, 'We would go out there, we would shoot videos like we were in the weeds, we were showing what was really going on. But it was nonsense. It was lies.'
Running a social account is a delicate balance between risk and trust. "I think it's almost like a double-edged sword ... don't overthink it, but also learn the muscle of putting out risky content and knowing the limitations of how risky you can go," said Jori Evans, director of social at Manscaped. Evans gained experience from working with boutique brands before moving onto Microsoft, Groupon and with agencies for brands like Slim Jim. She will speak on a panel at Ragan's Social Media Conference next month to discuss what it really takes to manage a brand's social account behind the scenes.