Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni and a Smear Campaign After ‘It Ends With Us’ - The New York Times:

When Ms. Abel wrote to her Aug. 4 that “I’m having reckless thoughts of wanting to plant pieces this week of how horrible Blake is to work with. Just to get ahead of it,” Ms. Nathan replied that she had spoken off the record to an editor at The Daily Mail.

I don’t spend too much time reading up on Hollywood. But, I vaguely recall the feeling that something was off with all the social media discourse around Blake Lively when “It Ends With Us” debuted. Being online, chronically speaking, you get a sort of sixth sense where you can spot inauthentic chatter. Even when there’s nothing specific you can point to, little alarm bells ring.

Anyway, this exposé is fucking nuts. Public relations in the digital era is devious. With a few third-rate media connections and a modest army of social media bots, anyone can just spin up an alternate reality about anyone.

I wonder all the time, how much of what we consume is elaborate nudging campaigns or flat out lies? Not the obvious stuff. Not the disinfo that can be fixed with a little media literacy. But the stuff that flies completely under everyone’s radar. The stuff we all just assumed to be true and may never learn otherwise?

We need more exploration on the Dead Internet Theory, I think lol.