Trading up the chain
Trading up the chain is a media theory created by media theorist and author Ryan Holiday to refer to the way that stories start small online and make their way to mainstream notoriety and coverage at major media outlets.[1][2][3] A story might begin on Reddit or a small local blog, and then be written about by a slightly larger site and then a larger site until ultimately it is front page news.[4][5] Digital media strategist Greg Baroth explained trading up the chain as, "A story on a smaller blog is going to get picked up by that blogs competition, and so forth until next thing you know...everybody from Huffington Post to Daily Mail are sharing what you wanted shared."[6]
The theory has also been referred to as a "self-reinforcing news wave" by media scholar and University of Iowa professor Kembrew McLeod.[7] Though contemporary use of trading up the chain refers to online journalism, it was perhaps first described by author Max Sherover in his book Fakes in American Journalism, published in 1916, to describe print newspapers.[8] Hillary Clinton is also noted for describing the theory when referencing the "vast right-wing conspiracy."[9]
Notable examples
- Federal investigation of Senator Bob Menendez[10]
- Mayor Rob Ford video scandal
- Reverse graffiti[11]
- Ship Your Enemies Glitter[12]
See also
- Marketing
- Guerrilla marketing
- Niche market
- Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator[13]
References
- ↑ Hune-Brown, Nicholas Book review: When you do PR for guys like Tucker Max, there’s no such thing as bad press. Canadian Business. January 27, 2016
- ↑ McLeod, Kembrew Making Mischief in the Modern World Pop Matters. January 27, 2016
- ↑ Holiday, Ryan. "How Rumblr's Marketing Agency Gamed the Media for $100k in Business". New York Observer. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- ↑ Dragilev, Dimitry. "SEO Doesn't Have To Be A Shot In The Dark". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ↑ Holiday, Ryan. Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator. New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2012.
- ↑ Holiday, Ryan. "EXCLUSIVE: Meet the Social Media Genius Behind Dan Bilzerian and Verne Troyer". New York Observer. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- ↑ McLeod, Kembrew. Pranksters: Making Mischief in the Modern World. New York: New York University Press, 2014.
- ↑ Holiday, Ryan Trading Up The Chain: Mainstream Media Takes Cues from Blogosphere New York Observer. January 27, 2016
- ↑ Released! Clinton Files on Media Enemy World News Daily. January 27, 2016
- ↑ Holiday, Ryan Bloggers, not hackers, are the real cyber threat Market Watch. January 27, 2016
- ↑ Taylor, Jordan CEO Admits He Created Fake Identities To Get Press Coverage New York Observer. January 27, 2016
- ↑ Holiday, Ryan Exclusive: How This Man Got the Media to Fall for ShipYourEnemiesGlitter Stunt New York Observer. January 27, 2016
- ↑ Gladstone, Brooke. "Trust Me, I'm Lying Transcript". On The Media. Retrieved February 26, 2016.