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I've noticed that in my hobby (guitar), all the influencers will release the same equipment reviews at the exact same time. They often refer to each other, and

I've noticed that in my hobby (guitar), all the influencers will release the same equipment reviews at the exact same time. They often refer to each other, and do co-labs. Lots of "my buddy" referrals, so to speak... As for the first point, that's just how marketing works these days. All the big influencers will get the equipment weeks before, test it out, and make reviews with the clause that they can't say anything about it until the agreed time. It of course feels highly coordinated, and those new releases absolutely dominate the social media, when the release/drop happens. Then all the smaller influencers will feed off that, and drop their own reviews the next days / weeks, or whenever they get the equipment. At one point, one starts to think - is it all authentic, or just made-up stuff to increase views, affiliate sales, etc. (This, of course, pales in comparison to the teen/beauty/etc. influencers, that will band together in a shared house, create PR friendships purely to pump up numbers, etc.)

candiddevmike 2y ago
> At one point, one starts to think - is it all authentic, or just made-up stuff to increase views, affiliate sales, etc. I've always gone the opposite. At what point was any of this authentic?
knallfrosch 2y ago
Shipping pre-production test devices is a long-established practise that predates the influencer era by decades. Critics view movies before their release. Tech products are shipped to tech publications beforehand. Journalists have access to many press releases before they're published and on and on. The benefits for those involved are clear: Sources get a coordinated press storm. Sources can restrict access to flattering publications. The publications can "instantly" release an in-depth review and beat their competition. It's "only" all consumers who lose out. A free market might provide independent reviewers with a chance to beat the selected few on quality.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > Shipping pre-production test devices is a long-established practise that predates the influencer era by decades The critics had brands and reputations. The side effect of having so many critics, now, is they've become commoditised. I know every influencer believes they have a brand. But for the most part they're generic (within a category) to the algorithms that decide whether they're surfaced or not. We're closer to the Cambrian explosion of the late 19th century, at the dawn of mass marketing and snake-oil salesmen, than the broadcast era we're leaving behind.
- qingcharles 2y ago
  Exactly. And any time I've had an pre-release product it's always come with a note from the manufacturer with the "embargo" date on it -- the date on which I'm allowed to actually talk about it. So, of course, everyone starts talking about it on that same date. Break the embargo and you get cut off from future goodies.
TacticalCoder 2y ago
> It of course feels highly coordinated... It's like mainstream media. If you follow them across several countries you see the exact same pattern: they work on something together but put an embargo on the release. Then when they decide it's time to push the narrative, suddenly all mainstream newspaper write about, say, how masks do not work vs Covid, then one month later they all write at the same time how masks work against Covid, lately it's been a coordinated attack on Dubai (not that there aren't shady things there). It's not about whether they're right or not: it's the complete and total narrative control and coordination that is hard to stomach. You know you're being played.
riley_dog 2y ago
> It of course feels highly coordinated, and those new releases absolutely dominate the social media, when the release/drop happens. The manufacturers have a review embargo in place, and the "influencers" release their reviews as soon as they're able to. So ya, it's coordinated, but not by some crazy influencer cabal.

candiddevmike 2y ago

> At one point, one starts to think - is it all authentic, or just made-up stuff to increase views, affiliate sales, etc. I've always gone the opposite. At what point was any of this authentic?

knallfrosch 2y ago

Shipping pre-production test devices is a long-established practise that predates the influencer era by decades. Critics view movies before their release. Tech products are shipped to tech publications beforehand. Journalists have access to many press releases before they're published and on and on. The benefits for those involved are clear: Sources get a coordinated press storm. Sources can restrict access to flattering publications. The publications can "instantly" release an in-depth review and beat their competition. It's "only" all consumers who lose out. A free market might provide independent reviewers with a chance to beat the selected few on quality.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> Shipping pre-production test devices is a long-established practise that predates the influencer era by decades The critics had brands and reputations. The side effect of having so many critics, now, is they've become commoditised. I know every influencer believes they have a brand. But for the most part they're generic (within a category) to the algorithms that decide whether they're surfaced or not. We're closer to the Cambrian explosion of the late 19th century, at the dawn of mass marketing and snake-oil salesmen, than the broadcast era we're leaving behind.
qingcharles 2y ago
Exactly. And any time I've had an pre-release product it's always come with a note from the manufacturer with the "embargo" date on it -- the date on which I'm allowed to actually talk about it. So, of course, everyone starts talking about it on that same date. Break the embargo and you get cut off from future goodies.

TacticalCoder 2y ago

> It of course feels highly coordinated... It's like mainstream media. If you follow them across several countries you see the exact same pattern: they work on something together but put an embargo on the release. Then when they decide it's time to push the narrative, suddenly all mainstream newspaper write about, say, how masks do not work vs Covid, then one month later they all write at the same time how masks work against Covid, lately it's been a coordinated attack on Dubai (not that there aren't shady things there). It's not about whether they're right or not: it's the complete and total narrative control and coordination that is hard to stomach. You know you're being played.

riley_dog 2y ago

> It of course feels highly coordinated, and those new releases absolutely dominate the social media, when the release/drop happens. The manufacturers have a review embargo in place, and the "influencers" release their reviews as soon as they're able to. So ya, it's coordinated, but not by some crazy influencer cabal.