Masterclasses, TEDx Talks, Spam, and the Rise of the Fluffpreneur

My long-term slightly scientific study of fluffpreneurship

The vast majority of people want to be happy, comfortable, accepted, and successful. And when a lot of people want something, other people will step up to sell it to them. Some of the sellers are honest, to be sure, but sadly, too many of them will be con artists and snake oil salespeople.

(Source: public domain)

We are now in the Epoch of the Memeocene in which things are oversimplified and vapid. It is an age in which society recognizes facile imitation more than substance. Not surprisingly, the snake oil merchants have adapted to the times. What they sell and how they sell it has been pared down to exploit our age of pretending to solve problems with empty platitudes.

I love spam e-mails. It’s weird, I know, but they provide insights into the human psyche, revealing what people want and fear, and how other people try to exploit those desires and fears. For nearly four years, I have used a throwaway e-mail address sign up to things that will get…