That "viral" song, movie, drama was probably the product of a stealth marketing
Much of what appears to be organic content on social media—such as viral songs, movies, and celebrity drama—is often the result of covert marketing campaigns using fake accounts and manipulated engagement. Companies like Floodify and Chaotic Good Projects have openly admitted to fabricating online trends by deploying thousands of dummy accounts across platforms. These tactics distort public perception by making manufactured popularity seem natural, affecting everything from music to politics.
- ▪Joe Lim ran Floodify, a company that used 65,000 fake social media accounts to promote content for clients, including major record labels and political campaigns.
- ▪Floodify generated 40 million views for an artist with only 100,000 real followers, demonstrating the power of artificial engagement.
- ▪Chaotic Good Projects co-founders admitted at SXSW to using sock-puppet accounts to simulate trends, calling it 'trend simulation' and claiming 'everything on the internet is fake.'
- ▪The Brooklyn band Geese became a focal point of controversy after allegations that their rise was engineered by digital marketing rather than organic popularity.
- ▪These deceptive practices are now widespread across entertainment, politics, consumer products, and celebrity culture, undermining the authenticity of online discourse.
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.layout > .ad-splash, .one-column-layout > .ad-splash { display: none; } extremely online The Feed Is Fake That “viral” song, movie, meme, influencer, and celebrity drama was probably the product of a stealth marketing campaign. By Lane Brown, a features writer for New York Magazine. He was previously the magazine’s culture editor and one of the original editors of Vulture. May 15, 2026 Illustration: Rob Vargas saved Save this article to read it later. Find this story in your account’s ‘Saved for Later’ section. Comment Illustration: Rob Vargas Illustration: Rob Vargas This article was featured in New York’s One Great Story newsletter. Sign up here. Joe Lim estimates that 90 percent of what you see on the internet is advertising in disguise, and he should know.
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