Skepticism in the Viral Age

Yesterday, DC area radio stations and websites were abuzz with news of man standing on the side of a major road wearing a sign that read, “I cheated. This is my punishment.” The Scarlet Letter-esque incident drew more than enough attention to properly shame the adulterer. Maybe.

Despite the fact that various news stations identified the man and spread his name all over the world, an odd question overtook the conversation – was this for real? Was William Taylor of Centerville, VA – with an appropriate frown and aura of youthful indiscretion – really carrying out a sentence from an angry, wounded wife? Or was this a clever marketing ploy or publicity stunt?

The mass skepticism speaks to a subtle but unsettling condition of an internet-addicted culture. With an over-saturation of straightforward advertising, viral marketing has concerned itself with tapping into the curiosity of the consumer. Increasingly, this has meant luring consumers into extended puzzles that lead to questions about what is real and what isn’t.

For example, the new sci-fi movie The Fourth Kind presents a trailer where a well known actress, Milla Jovovich, tells viewers that she is reenacting real events. The trailers cuts to “footage” of individuals who claim to have been abducted by aliens. The viewer is left wondering whether or not the footage is real, or just part of a marketing gimmick. It is an extension of the Blair Witch phenomenon of a decade ago. Real or not, the point is moot because the curiosity alone is enough to fill seats in the theater.

To harden itself to the ploys of clever advertisers – and equally in response to “viral videos” filmed solely for the purpose of making viewers believe lies – a deep level of distrust has formed in the public psyche. Judging from incidents like the cheating husband, skepticism has crept off of the computer screen and into real life. Instead of bearing the judgments of millions of observers, “William Taylor” was, by default, afforded plausible deniability.

That is a scary thing.