In the digital media age, outrage is currency. Not just emotional currency, but authority, engagement, and sometimes market value. What if the anger you see bubbling up on social feeds isn’t purely organic, but instead the product of a manufactured campaign — run at industrial scale, with bots, trolls, and fake accounts fanning the flames? That’s the story behind two recent flashpoints: the Cracker Barrel logo debacle and the Charlie Kirk killing in Utah. The common thread: replay of a familiar playbook in digital influence operations. I first became aware of this issue when I oversaw social media for the St. Louis Cardinals. We were victimized by trolling that we later found out where fake accounts controlled by someone with an agenda. It happens more than you realize. It is important to understand that much of what you see online isn’t necessarily what it appears to be. I ‘ve been trying my darndest to educate my son about this troubling reality. The Playbook: From Real Trigger to Manufactured Tsunami A typical sequence: a genuine event or brand decision appears. Then somewhere in the feed, suddenly, an initial wave of harsh commentary. But this is amplified by networks of automated or semi‐automated accounts: fake profiles posting a high volume of posts, repeating identical talking points, deploying hashtags, creating the impression of a massive grassroots revolt. Humans then amplify the outrage further — natural users who treat the commentary as genuine, join in the pile-on. Media notices. The target reacts. The narrative crystalizes and people believe it as gospel. This dynamic has been studied in academic research: for example, social bots increased exposure to negative and inflammatory content during the 2017 Catalan referendum . The pattern has been labelled “ rage-farming ” — taking a benign or business decision, stripping context, and turning it into a cultural event by generating outrage. Case One: Cracker Barrel’s Rebrand (or “Crisis”) In August 2025, Cracker Barrel introduced a minimalist redesign of its iconic logo — removing the figure of the man leaning on the barrel, simplifying the brand. What followed, on social media, looked like a cultural backlash — waves of posts accusing the company of erasing “Americana,” capitulating to “woke” agendas, and provoking a boycott narrative. But data suggests the backlash was largely orchestrated. Research from PeakMetrics found that 44.5% of posts on X on the first day of the controversy were posted by “bots or likely bots” — nearly double the normal rate for brand discussions. Another analysis by Cyabra found that 21 % of the profiles attacking Cracker Barrel were fake accounts, generating 4.4 million potential views and correlating with a roughly 10.5 % drop in the chain’s stock price (≈ US$100 million in market value). In short: what may have started as a legitimate brand evolution was transformed into a crisis — arguably by actors seeking to create the appearance of consumer revolt rather than organic outrage. Pull this thread back and you’re looking at an influence operation using brand identity as knock-on effect weaponry. Case Two: The Killing of Charlie Kirk & the Disinformation Cascade Divides Us When conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed in Utah in September 2025, the immediate social media reaction was chaotic and fast. But analysis reveals that part of the reaction to the podcaster’s killing was not spontaneous: foreign adversaries and bot networks seized the moment to amplify narratives of American dysfunction, civil war, and conspiracy. For example: over 6,000 mention clusters across official Russian, Chinese and Iranian channels within a week of the event. The U.S. state-level warning was immediate: Utah Governor Spencer Cox said “We have bots from Russia, China, all over the world that are trying to instill disinformation and encourage violence.” One article summarizes: “America’s adversaries have long used fake social media accounts, online bots and disinformation to depict the US as a dangerous country beset with extremism and gun violence.” The mechanics? Bot and troll networks inserted themselves into the conversation when the topic was searing. This was a breaking news dynamic. The news had not yet fully solidified, facts were still emerging. In that void, false claims proliferated: about who the shooter was, their motive, links to Ukraine, Israel, trans-ideology, etc. These narratives served broader purpose: to stoke domestic divisions, diminish trust in institutions, and disrupt public discourse at a moment of crisis. Why This Matters for STORYSMART® Practitioners For storytellers, consultants, brand strategists and communicators working in a high-noise online world, this dual trend — manufactured outrage + influence operations — poses multiple red flags and opportunities. 1. Perception vs. reality. Just because an online backlash looks huge does not mean it’s genuine. The data from Cracker Barrel shows how nearly half the early posts were automated. Without discerning bots from humans, brands or agencies may mis-read audience sentiment and mistake a manufactured wave for real consumer demand. 2. Narrative acceleration. In the age of bots + algorithms, once a narrative is injected it can spread from inauthentic accounts to real humans to media headlines — creating feedback loops that feel authentic but are engineered. That acceleration can force brand decisions (reversals, halts) under pressure. Cracker Barrel reversed its logo and remodel plans within weeks. 3. The wild field of breaking news. Big, fast news events (Kirk’s killing, natural disasters, etc.) are ripe targets for influence campaigns. Facts are incomplete; emotions are high; bots can fill the vacuum. If you’re communicating after such an event — whether as a journalistic storyteller, brand communicator or community-manager — you must assume noise is amplified, manipulated, and multi-layered. 4. Trust and narrative ownership. If 21 % of the profiles attacking a brand were fake (as with Cracker Barrel), then the “public opinion” you see may not be public at all but engineered. For storytellers using social listening data, this demands scrutiny: Which voices are real? Which are bots? The narrative you amplify might be the product of manipulation. 5. Media literacy and storytelling ethics. As a STORYSMART® framework practitioner, this is a perfect teaching moment. Your audiences (clients, teams, communities) need to know not just how to create stories, but how to see through manufactured ones. Because the cost of mis-reading the field is high: brand equity, public trust, even stock value can be sucked into the vortex. Key Signals: How to Spot Manufactured Outrage Here are some warning signs to watch for: A sudden spike in volume from accounts with little profile history (new accounts, no followers, generic avatars). Identical talking points repeated across multiple posts in short time. For example: #BoycottBrandX, #BrandXIsFinished. (Cyabra found this in the Cracker Barrel case.) The narrative pivots quickly from a product/brand detail (logo change) to culture-war framing (betrayal of tradition, woke agenda, etc.). Geographical spread and targeting: foreign state media or foreign language accounts join the conversation immediately after an event. (As in the Kirk case.) Rapid transition from social media to mainstream media coverage, with headlines referencing “outrage” and “backlash” even though underlying data may be murky What You Should Do Integrate authenticity analysis: Don’t assume all posts are equal. Use tools or manual scans to look for high-volume bot activity before concluding a backlash is real. Delay action until you understand the narrative origin: If a brand feels under attack, pause for five minutes to look at the data — is it genuine critics or orchestrated storm? Frame proactively, truthfully: If you manage the target brand or stakeholder, ensure your communication makes clear what you know, what you don’t know, and how you are listening. Silence or knee-jerk reaction plays into manufactured narratives. Teach your audience/stakeholders: In your STORYSMART® work, build into messaging the idea that not every “viral outrage” is grassroots. That meta-narrative — about how narratives are constructed — becomes part of the story. Monitor ripple effects: As we saw in Cracker Barrel’s case, the manufactured outrage had an actual financial cost. Public trust and brand value aren’t immune. Final Thought In the age of bots, troll farms, programmed outrage and attention-economy weapons, the line between “public sentiment” and “manufactured sentiment” is increasingly blurred. Whether you're working on a family-history documentary, a brand relaunch, or a social media campaign, the same rule applies: the source of the buzz matters. If that buzz has been engineered, you risk mis-reading the narrative, mis-allocating your voice, and playing into someone else’s story. For the STORYSMART® audience, this is a prime example of storytelling in practice: not just what story is told, but how it is seeded, amplified and weaponized. The more we understand the machinery behind the outrage, the better we can shape stories that are genuine, strategic, and resistant to manipulation.

When Deadline first reported that Bruce Springsteen’s Deliver Me From Nowhere was headed for the screen, I expected it would be more than another typical music biopic because it was based on a book that focused on a sliver of Springsteen’s life. That “sliver” was a singular defining period of Springsteen’s life. When I wrote my book, I took note of the fact that when Hollywood came calling, they first reached out to Warren Zanes who wrote the book and not Springsteen himself. I was trying to make the point about the importance of securing storytelling source material. The real work in telling a story is that of the author. Writing a great story isn’t easy. When it happens, someone in Hollywood is bound to notice. What I didn’t fully appreciate until now is that Springsteen’s story to screen journey is a masterclass in focus — a case study in how a single defining period, a writer who truly understands his subject, and a team of champions can move a story from the page to the screen in record time. Zane’s book was published 2023. A little more than two years later, the film is being released. That is amazing in of itself, but the approach to the story told is also instructive. Most people think you need your whole life story to make a film. Springsteen — and Warren Zanes — show us you don’t. It can be a sliver. The story behind this storytelling is a Boss lesson in storytelling that help you deliver your story from nowhere. 

Your Clear Eyes, Full Rights, Can't Lose Playbook.  If you’ve ever watched Friday Night Lights, you know the phrase: Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose. It’s the mantra Coach Taylor preached to his team. But when I look at the 35-year storytelling journey of Friday Night Lights—from a reporter’s notebook to a bestselling book, then a film, a beloved series, and now talk of a reboot—I see a slightly different mantra: Clear eyes, full rights, can’t lose. Because underneath the inspirational football story is a lesson we can draw from in how one journalist’s immersive reporting became a durable, multi-platform franchise. And for me, it’s a perfect demonstration of a pathway we advocate for at STORYSMART®. It all starts with investing in good clear-eyed journalism. It is the single most important investment you can make in developing a true story. When you take control of your source material to tell a true story and develop your story properly, your story can live on for years far beyond the page. I’m a big proponent for adopting a story franchise mindset when approaching storytelling projects. That is why I tell clients to think like a studio executive by adopting a media mogul mindset. When you open your mind to that, it opens the doors of possibilities. The storytelling journey of Friday Night Lights helps illustrate what is possible, as well as offer other lessons on what to do and not do in designing your own professional storytelling path. How a reporter’s notebook became a franchise In 1990, journalist Buzz Bissinger published Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream. It wasn’t just another sports book. He moved his family to Texas to immerse himself in this story. Bissinger spent a year in Odessa, Texas, embedded with the Permian High School Panthers, capturing the obsession, pressure, and community identity that revolved around high school football. He conducted hundreds of hours of interviews and built his narrative from a deep archive of source material. Every interview he conducted is his work product, what I often refer to as copyright protected storytelling source material. Make note of that. That depth of Buzz’s reporting gave the book credibility. It also gave it power as intellectual property. It was a fantastic book that was a hit.

The NCAA just approved new guidance on NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals — and while the headlines mostly talk about money, what’s really at stake here is storytelling. Starting this past August, athletes have had to disclose NIL agreements over $600. Schools will help monitor and even facilitate opportunities, and standardized contracts are being promoted to protect athletes. Meanwhile, new rules for collectives are meant to stop disguised pay-for-play deals while still allowing legitimate business arrangements. ( Full NCAA release here )​ On the surface, this might sound like dry compliance policy. But here’s the STORYSMART® takeaway: Transparency is power. The clearer your contracts and disclosures, the harder it is for someone else to hijack your story or exploit your image. Standardization levels the playing field. Whether you’re a star quarterback or a swimmer at a smaller program, having clear terms makes it easier to protect your rights. Your story is the real asset. NIL isn’t just about a jersey deal or an autograph session. It’s about controlling your narrative — the way your life, your legacy, and your values are presented to the world. ​ This guidance is another reminder that athletes — like families, public figures, and estates — need to see their story as intellectual property. The athletes who win aren’t just the ones who score on the field; they’re the ones who invest in how their story is told off the field. ​ STORYSMART® Rule of Thumb: Don’t just cash a check. Build a story that grows in value over time.

At it's heart, STORYSMART® is about democratizing access to elite-level professional storytelling. Storytelling has been controlled by gatekeepers for far too long.

The Studio offers a behind-the-scenes look at the chaos of Hollywood, but there are lessons about what the industry gets right & wrong about storytelling.

Storytelling for ALL™ LinkedIn Newsletter Vol. 3

Storytelling for ALL™ LinkedIn Newsletter Vol. 2

Storytelling for ALL ™ LinkedIn Newsletter Vol. 1