The fake-backstory industry plant was born with YouTube virality

Evidence

Less scrupulous companies exploited the internet’s promise of democratization, crafting backstories that gave the illusion of authenticity—the so-called industry plants. A notable early example was lonelygirl15, a YouTube channel launched in 2006 that rapidly gained popularity for the vlogs of charismatic teenager Bree Avery, who turned out to be a fictional character played by a paid actress. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 292

Categorization

• DEFINE: Names and defines the ‘industry plant’ phenomenon with lonelygirl15 as the archetypal early example — a useful term for Marx’s death-of-the-sellout argument.
• SEED: An essay angle on the long history of manufactured authenticity — from lonelygirl15 and industry plants back through Pat Boone-style fabrication of stars.