Re:A Linguist Explains Why 'Laurel' Sounds Like 'Yanny'
by pcunite on Wednesday May 16, 2018 @01:36PM
(#17084473)
What I find just as interesting is how this "went viral". Nearly every publication has a story on it. How did they all decide to publish - at nearly the same time? There has been no lead up here, just instantaneous.
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Re:A Linguist Explains Why 'Laurel' Sounds Like 'Yanny'
by maxerickson on Wednesday May 16, 2018 @01:38PM
(#17084491)
I think it pretty much comes down to social media. All the people that are publishing initially saw it at about the same time and it seemed like something that would get the clicks.
Re:A Linguist Explains Why 'Laurel' Sounds Like 'Yanny'
by Jaruzel on Thursday May 17, 2018 @04:15AM
(#17089654)
In the same way a 'just released' book is instantly #1 in the bestseller lists, and 'just released' music tops the charts almost immediately - paid promotion. Almost all 'viral sensations' from 'influencers' have teams of paid promoters behind them to get what they post in front of as many eyeballs as possible, as quickly as possible.
Top Tier Social Media 'celebrities' can directly influence the sales of almost anything if they promote or demote it enough, so there's a lot of money and effort moving around in the background to make all that happen.
The sad thing is, that in desperation to keep the hip kids clicking or viewing ads on their sites, all the news outlets just lap up this crap on a daily basis. It's a vicious circle.