Written by Ryan Holiday
Format: MP3 Written by: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins Format: Unabridged Release Date:07-19-12
Publisher's Summary "You’ve seen it all before. A malicious online rumor costs a company millions. A political sideshow derails the national news cycle and destroys a candidate. Some product or celebrity zooms from total obscurity to viral sensation. What you don’t know is that someone is responsible for all this. Usually, someone like me. I’m a media manipulator. In a world where blogs control and distort the news, my job is to control blogs—as much as any one person can. In today’s culture…
•1) Blogs like Gawker, Buzzfeed, and the Huffington Post drive the media agenda.
•2) Bloggers are slaves to money, technology, and deadlines.
•3) Manipulators wield these levers to shape everything you read, see and watch—online and off. "Why am I giving away these secrets? Because I'm tired of a world where blogs take indirect bribes, marketers help write the news, reckless journalists spread lies, and no one is accountable for any of it. I'm pulling back the curtain because I don't want anyone else to get blindsided. I’m going to explain exactly how the media really works. What you choose to do with this information is up to you."
"Trust me, it's worth the listen, and I'm not lying" For someone who works in marketing, I have always assumed that there was a lot of manipulation in the mass media. But I must admit, I was shocked at the level to which this new breed of savvy marketers will go to get the exposure. When I was in College, I didn't see "Media Manipulation 101" on the class list. This book exhibits the new level of sophistication that exists in the industry of buzz. If it were a college course, it would be "Advanced Media Manipulation 301–Graduate level." Although this book is meant to be a "don't do what I did, do what I say" story, it really expanded my vision as to what is possible in today's media saturated culture and I found myself running scenarios in my head how I could use similar ideas to promote the things that I care about... even if a person's intentions were honorable. If this book did anything for me, it was to reinforce my suspicion that you definitely can't believe what you read in the paper and even more so online. After I was done with the audiobook, my only question was why the author explains all the dirty tricks he used (and had astonishingly good results), to then turn around and spend the second half of the book explaining why you shouldn't do the same thing he did. Out of guilt? At any rate, the author did a great job narrating the story. And I would recommend it to anyone in business (especially in marketing). Trust me...
"Eye opening stuff" Loved the book. It changed the way I think about the media and how I plan on approaching bloggers in the future. Not that I plan on creating fake email accounts but recognizing their mindset and finding a way to give them what they want is invaluable. I thought I was doing that already but after listening to the book, I recognize that I haven't been.
"Essential insight into our new news/media system" What made the experience of listening to Trust Me, I'm Lying the most enjoyable? Everyone knows there's something fishy about the way the media works these days. Was I a fool or did there used to be more adherence to ethics and accountability for honesty? Ryan Holiday outlines exactly where we went wrong with modern media and shows the faults in a historical context. As far as reliability our media system has regressed 100 years and the web is providing the tools to do it.
We do have the ability to change this though, and just knowing what's wrong helps fix the problem significantly, as new technologies come with a learning curve. Here's the manual.
The beginning of the book outlays a lot of really useful information for how to get noticed in today's world, how to promote an idea or brand (and the shady ways in use today). That's what drew me in, but I stayed for the well put together picture exposing the framework of sham that leads our politics, ads, fun, -our lives- online. In the end it's a bit repetative and feels a touch watered down for page count. Maybe just in comparison to the meaty beginning?Overall I think this is information everyone of voting age NEEDS TO KNOW. If not to understand politics, to understand advertising, culture, and the conversations happening all around you both online and off. What does Ryan Holiday bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book? It's nice to hear him speak because it's written from his perspective. He is speaking to you in the book, so you get that added element of his personality that voice brings. If it wasn't narrated by the author I wouldn't care which, but in this case it's a nice bonus to gain a little insight/perspective about who he is. Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting? Yes, I did listen to it all in one sitting.
"grow a brain then grow a conscience" a fast paced first person account of modern media in the internet age
he is a bright 20 something with " a certain moral flexibility "
it all gets old for him about the time he decides to grow a conscience he has a good story to tell the truth but he's just an ok narrator
on the other hand, it is his own occupational auto-biography
so i might be inclined to cut him a break on the voice work he makes a serious effort to tie today's media to journalistic history
hearst, pulitzer, ochs and yellow journalism all get worked into the tale
soren kierkegaard, henry kissinger and george orwell are also quoted technology improves but " the con game " remains fairly similar
he sells people stories they want to buy but don't want to admit to
it all quickly becomes a hall of mirrors and half-truths and deception it will help me to watch on-line and cable news with an appropriate filter
everything of truth or value is seems gets sacrificed to speed and money
" blog sourced " has the initials BS / there must be some reason for that