I was reading a very long thread on an opinions site the other day, dealing with a certain make and model of a car I'm interested in buying. There were 70 pages, and each page had 20 some odd comments.
I began to notice something. And once I found the pattern, certain posts would stand out.
One in fifteen appeared to be using the exact same speaking points. And comparing the same set of cars in that price range; supposedly, different individuals, giving honest opinions. Writing, is a lot like a finger print. You can't radically change the way you write. But one half, of these posts, seemed to have been from the same hand - a positive opinion, and there was another half of these posts, also with unique characteristics, that had would steer the reader to a competeing car.
I knew that there were paid opinionators out there. But this was the first time, I could recognize these posts. I asked a friend of mine, who also reads opinion sites. And he said, they are everywhere, from Music, to Movies, to Books to MP3 players.
Its just interesting to see how the internet is being used to create social realities that may be nothing more than spin. You really can't trust anything on the internet.
Just an observation.......