Even then, the misunderstanding is in reading the question "is this story BS?" as "is influencing BS?", not in the definition of bullshit.

Using different criteria is more or less a different definition of being BS.

I don't see a way to confirm the story if you do not investigate the likelihood of the value it is "presenting" though.

I'm still confused by these two comments. I don't think we can verifiably claim any personal story on any media outlet is BS or not.

You're talking about whether this kind of account is a scam.

They're wondering whether this specific account is making money.

Those are very different questions. An account can be both, neither, or one or the other.

No. I'm talking about whether it's bullshit. Scam is not the same as bullshit.

I guess Americans use the word bullshit differently to the rest of the English speaking world? Or something else?

If one were to speak bullshit, they'd be doing exactly what I just wrote. No money is involved.

> No. I'm talking about whether it's bullshit. Scam is not the same as bullshit.

You called it a ponzi scheme!

Either way, please listen to the distinction I'm making.

You're talking about ways the industry is bad.

They're asking if the article is flat-out wrong about this single account being successful inside that industry.

Those are two separate ideas to call bullshit on. A bullshit industry can have bullshit success stories, but it can also have true success stories.

>You called it a ponzi scheme!

Yes. And then people had a problem with the word bullshit, for some reason.

It can be both bullshit and a ponzi scheme. That doesn't make bullshit necessarily a scam.

What do you mean by bullshit? People who like it and follow the fake personae on social media are wasting their time? Or what exactly? Are all invented things bullshit, so also books, music, movies, paintings...? Maybe posting this artificial person on social media is just another way to tell a story?

If I photoshop the moon into a picture and post it to a photography forum, most people will pick it up as a bullshit photo.

If I post the same thing to Instagram, most people will applaud me for being such a great photographer.

Everyone is wasting their time. Lots of people like bullshit.