Amplified authentic opinions and intelligence to consider.

Opinions can be bought, and we have lost the sense of that when we listen. Recorded in January 2021, this is my case for what I call amplified authentic opinions: data built from people asked once and respected for their answer, instead of popularity that was purchased. I share why I do not see social media as toxic, only some of the people on it, and why turning the dial used to be the answer. I share the awards you can vote for a hundred times, the nominations you can buy, the "best of" that is only a count, and the Amazon bestseller that was a giveaway to robots for a minute. From my music years: hit songs made in the studio with the marketing plan already written, focus groups I watched get skewed by who was placed in the room, and likes, comments and streams bought all the way up to the top tier. From the AI side: the store that logs you as interested in a product because you knelt to tie your kid's shoe, and the six weeks of flights that will never happen again but now define you in someone's data. Artificial, not authentic. What I would rather see: the review that was not traded for a five dollar credit, the influencer who will not touch a product they do not stand behind, companies that ask what people think and share the answers as they came, and awards and claims moved below the fold so the product leads. I am tired of know, like and trust. I do not need to like the person selling me something. I need to know what it is and what people who used it think. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/amplified-authentic-opinions/Wait What Really OK is hosted by brand communications and optics strategist Loren Weisman.Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/About Loren: https://lorenweisman.com/about-loren-weisman/Speaking: https://lorenweisman.com/speaking/Services: https://lorenweisman.com/services/Be a guest: https://lorenweisman.com/podcast-guest-info/Contact: speaking@lorenweisman.comOpening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All rights reserved.