Try free for 30 days

  • Hype

  • How Scammers, Grifters, Con Artists and Influencers Are Taking Over the Internet – and Why We're Following
  • By: Gabrielle Bluestone
  • Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
  • Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

Try for $0.00
1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Hype cover art

Hype

By: Gabrielle Bluestone
Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $25.82

Buy Now for $25.82

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

From Vice journalist and executive producer of hit Netflix documentary Fyre comes an eye-opening look at the con artists, grifters and snake oil salesmen of the digital age - and why we can’t stop falling for them. 

We live in an age where scams are the new normal. A charismatic entrepreneur sells thousands of tickets to a festival that never happened. Respected investors pour millions into a start-up centered around fake blood tests. Reviewers and celebrities flock to London’s top-rated restaurant that’s little more than a backyard shed. These unsettling stories of today’s viral grifters have risen to fame and hit the front-page headlines, yet the curious conundrum remains: why do these scams happen?

Drawing from scientific research, marketing campaigns and exclusive documents and interviews, Vice reporter Gabrielle Bluestone delves into the irresistible hype that fuels our social media ecosystem, whether it’s from the trusted influencers that peddled Fyre or the consumer reviews that sold Juicero. A cultural examination that is as revelatory as it is relevant, Hype pulls back the curtain on the manipulation game behind the never-ending scam season - and how we as consumers can stop getting played.
©2021 Gabrielle Bluestone (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions Ethics & Morality Social Sciences
Show More Show Less

Critic Reviews

"Juicy, sharp, savage and wildly entertaining." (Cat Marnell, New York Times best-selling author of How to Murder Your Life)

“A deep dive into the depressing world of grifters, bullsh*t artists, plagiarists and long con experts turbocharged by the internet - and what, if anything, separates those scammers from some of our most respected captains of industry. Fyre Festival, Bluestone makes clear, may have been a low-water mark so far in the history of empty hype - but the tide, as ever, just keeps rolling out.” (Anna Merlan, author of Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power)

"Scams are hot right now, and Bluestone covers the hottest here." (Booklist) 

What listeners say about Hype

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com.au reviews

Amazon Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Robert Wood

Narration average

Story slightly boring. Not sure what I was expecting, would take a refund if offered.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.