I’ve been seeing a lot of trends among social media creators recently and figured I’d put out a short writeup on a few common shiesty tactics to look out for.
1. Cult of authenticity — building a brand around “I’m the only real one.”
2. Messiah complex marketing — presenting yourself as the sole truth-teller or savior.
3. Anti-establishment branding — gaining trust primarily by attacking everyone else as compromised.
4. Purity signaling — constantly emphasizing your own incorruptibility. (Differs from Disclosure, “Here are my possible biases.” vs Purity signaling, “I don’t have biases, and everyone else does.”)
5. Trust monopoly — trying to convince followers that all other sources are compromised except you.