Just found out that a viral video of a cat knocking over a cup was actually staged by a marketing agency for a pet brand

I was reading an interview with a social media manager, and she casually mentioned they paid a creator to film that specific 'accident' to launch a new line of spill-proof bowls. It got 8 million views in a week. Makes you wonder how many other 'organic' moments are actually planned campaigns. How do you even spot the difference anymore?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin_hill2729d agoTop Commenter

I mean, is it that big of a deal if a cat video was an ad? It was still a funny video of a cat. Most stuff online is trying to sell you something anyway, idk. Maybe it's just me but I don't really feel tricked, I just scroll past.

gavin_hill2729d agoTop Commenter

Wait, it's not about being tricked. It's that ads pretending to be normal posts make the whole place feel fake. Then you start doubting everything, even the real cat videos. That's a worse internet for everyone.

averywilliams26d ago

Yeah but that feeling of doubt is the whole problem. It makes you pull back from actually connecting with stuff. If every post could secretly be an ad, you stop letting yourself enjoy anything. The internet just becomes this background noise you don't really care about.