Straight dope from Fake Steve Jobs
newsmaker For months now, one of the best-read blogs in technology circles has been the starkly funny, pull-no-punches Secret Diary of Steve Jobs. — Otherwise known as "Fake Steve Jobs (FSJ)," the author—who writes as if he is, in fact, Steve Jobs …
Context & Ripple Effects
The Secret Diary lands at peak saturation of Jobs coverage: his [[a:none|WWDC keynote]] drew divided reactions in mid-June, launch-week commentary credited him with turning the phone into a hip media device, and opinion pieces were already debating whether he had peaked. Into that environment steps an anonymous diary written in his own voice, now counted among the best-read blogs in technology circles.
What makes it more than a curiosity is the asymmetry: Apple runs one of the tightest message machines in the industry, yet its most-watched narrator this summer is someone the company neither employs nor controls.
First-order effects
- Apple's tightly scripted image around the June 2007 iPhone launch now competes with a best-read satire published in Jobs' own voice, entirely outside the company's communications control.
Second-order effects
- Readers and tech media gain a standing incentive to identify the anonymous author, making the blogger's identity a running story alongside the blog itself.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, prominent tech figures should expect anonymous persona blogs to reach audiences rivaling legitimate press coverage, forcing companies to share narrative control with voices they cannot answer through press releases.
The trend: As executives turn into celebrity brands, anonymous parody blogs are becoming media properties whose reach rivals the outlets covering them.