The cult classic that predicted the rise of fake news--revised and
updated for the post-Trump, post-Gawker age.
Hailed as "astonishing and disturbing" by the Financial Times and
"essential reading" by TechCrunch at its original publication, former
American Apparel marketing director Ryan Holiday's first book sounded a
prescient alarm about the dangers of fake news. It's all the more
relevant today.
Trust Me, I'm Lying was the first book to blow the lid off the speed
and force at which rumors travel online--and get "traded up" the media
ecosystem until they become real headlines and generate real responses
in the real world. The culprit? Marketers and professional media
manipulators, encouraged by the toxic economics of the news business.
Whenever you see a malicious online rumor costs a company millions,
politically motivated fake news driving elections, a product or
celebrity zooming from total obscurity to viral sensation, or
anonymously sourced articles becoming national conversation, someone is
behind it. Often someone like Ryan Holiday.
As he explains, "I wrote this book to explain how media manipulators
work, how to spot their fingerprints, how to fight them, and how (if you
must) to emulate their tactics. Why am I giving away these secrets?
Because I'm tired of a world where trolls hijack debates, marketers help
write the news, opinion masquerades as fact, algorithms drive everything
to extremes, and no one is accountable for any of it. I'm pulling back
the curtain because it's time the public understands how things really
work. What you choose to do with this information is up to you."
