FiveThirtyEight shut down; 90% of internet content is stealth advertising
Disney kills iconic data site; fake social accounts dominate online traffic.
This month's LessWrong roundup highlights two major shocks. First, ABC and Disney have completely shut down FiveThirtyEight, deleting all its articles after founder Nate Silver criticized their management. They refused to sell the brand to Silver at any price, leading to widespread condemnation. The destruction of a valuable data journalism archive is seen as digital arson.
Second, a revealing investigation suggests that 90% of what we see on the internet is disguised advertising. Joe Lim, who ran Floodify with 65,000 dummy social-media accounts, says everything viral results from stealth marketing campaigns. At $1 CPM, these clipping campaigns are far cheaper than traditional ads and are undetectable by viewers. This calls into question the authenticity of all viral content.
- ABC/Disney completely deleted FiveThirtyEight and refused to sell it to Nate Silver
- Joe Lim's Floodify rented 65,000 dummy accounts for stealth marketing at $1 CPM
- Claim that 90% of viral internet content is paid advertising in disguise
Why It Matters
Digital trust is eroding as data journalism dies and viral content is revealed as paid manipulation.