This is a slight diversion, but if you're interested in the topic of popularity-driven ethics (diction?) you may be interested in the novel by Cory Doctorow cal

This is a slight diversion, but if you're interested in the topic of popularity-driven ethics (diction?) you may be interested in the novel by Cory Doctorow called "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" http://craphound.com/down/ http://craphound.com/down/ I only read it recently, and in addition to recommending it as an enjoyable sci-fi read, one of the themes is the use of system called 'Whuffie', which is a reputation-based metric that permeates all of society, including politics and economics.