Word of Mouth Vs. The Hype Monster

Sometimes it's hard to discern the line between the word of mouth hype and the corporate machine's Hype Monster. When a new product is forth coming that hopes to procure everyone's money and attention, which is every five minutes, there's an endless subway train of hype that barrels through us. The amount of attention received is usually directly proportional to the amount of money pumped into the advertising campaign rather than the level of quality exhibited in the product. This is true in most cases but that's not what irks me the most.

The journalists who's job it is to report the facts and give every piece its due are bogged down by the Monster. Now, it's hard for readers and regular consumers to determine whether something is receiving the word of mouth promotion or the latest creation to spew out of the Monster. If a work (video game, movie, etc) is displayed modestly and garners a massive amount of attention by impressed journalists and consumers then that product will thrive off word of mouth promotion alone, advertising is just a bonus to grab the ill-informed. It'll get the attention it deserves even if it never attains the level of sales it deserves. Meanwhile, if a work tries to push itself into our subconscious by going out of its way to remain in our peripheral through expensive advertising and constant praise from within its industry before it even sees the light of day, even if it has the quality of a lemon, then we'll never hear the end of it. The second product will get much more attention in the coming months before release and instill in the readers a sense of urgency and wonder. 'They mention this product a lot, it must be significant, right? Otherwise why mention it so much?' Then it comes out and everyone is underwhelmed and disappointed. All that attention that was squandered could have been spent on works that really deserved attention and are now diamonds in the rough, forever overshadowed by works who put the money in the ads rather than the production budget.

Why can't everything be judged for the attention they deserve rather than the attention they demand? Just because some suits want their product to garner more attention than others doesn't mean we have to reinforce that. A journalist has the power to undermine 'popular' opinion, don't be afraid to use it.