> as old as social media Even older, in fact. "Payola" in the radio industry went on for years before it was legitimized, and outside of that is just bribery.

> as old as social media Even older, in fact. "Payola" in the radio industry went on for years before it was legitimized, and outside of that is just bribery. Bribery that borders on just "an advertising budget" depending on one's ethics: if you pay a barkeep to put your flyer on the wall, is it bribery or just the barkeep selling an impression slot? Usually the ethical line in the sand is disclosure, but that line is crossed so often that it's not a bad mental shortcut to skip the question and just assume that any public space or celebrity figure advocating for something got paid to do it, in cash or favors.