Okay, I am the grumpy old guy here, but I detect a double standard. When big media and corporations pul fast ones on us the internet community is all over them, but somehow after the guys of Lonelygirl deliberately perpetrated a fraud they have been treated as web pioneers. When will you all be sitting down with Kevin Trudeau?

Note to self: Stop watching Epic Fu just before sleeping. That was some scary stuff in the first half.

bigshotprof: I guess it depends on what side of the internet you're on, and how deep the "immersion" actually is. If it's something like the NIN and I Love Bees, we know it's fake, and yet we can actually be a tangible part of experience.

Here, however, lonelygirl15 isn't a component of the marketing, or one component of the art form; the alleged scam IS the mode of representation. Lonelygirl15 is the art form.

That being said, the internet is srs bizness.

I see your point, but I think putting these guys in the same category as Trudeau is a little harsh! A big part of creating a successful ARG is building a rich, believable playground. Yes it's frustrating to find out you're being played, but in hindsight it made the experience much more fun and interesting.