The Quiet Shift in How Information Spreads

Since 2021, I’ve led the Marketing & Communications department at Blockstream, and one thing has become increasingly clear: the way information spreads online is changing.

Fast.

Over the years, I’ve followed Bitcoin coverage across the entire media landscape—mainstream outlets, independent blogs, social media, and algorithm-driven platforms.

I’ve written before in the this newsletter about “vibe shifts” in how Bitcoin is framed, especially in traditional media.

But lately, a different shift is becoming more evident.

It’s not just about how Bitcoin is covered.

It’s about how online discourse itself is being manipulated through AI, automation, and algorithmic loopholes.

And these exploits are very apparent in our space.

The Manipulation Layer

Social media and content platforms were once celebrated for their openness.

Unlike traditional media, they didn’t require an editor’s approval.

Anyone could contribute.

But that same openness has made them easy to game.

I’m not just talking about coordinated PR efforts or legacy media influence.

The bigger shift is happening at the algorithmic level:

• AI-generated content is flooding platforms.

• Engagement metrics are being manipulated at scale.

• Search engines are being “growth hacked” programmatically.

The systems we rely on to surface information are being exploited in ways most people don’t notice.

It's Starting To Feel Different, Doesn't It?

Lately, I’ve noticed an increase in:

• Bots initiating conversations with friendly but generic questions, nudging engagement toward a specific outcome.

• AI-generated replies that sound plausible but don’t add real insight.

• Automated engagement strategies that don’t feel organic but instead manufacture visibility.

For Bitcoin, this matters.

Narratives that gain traction shape market sentiment, regulation debates, and public perception.

But if engagement is increasingly driven by automated manipulation, are the conversations we see even representative of what people actually think?

The same shift is happening in Google search and content discovery platforms.

Now, it’s about mass automation:

• AI-written articles flooding search rankings.

• Automated content farms generating high-ranking pages with minimal human oversight.

• Fake engagement signals tricking algorithms into pushing certain topics to the top.

It’s the same playbook.

Visibility and influence.

It's just at a new level of scale and speed.

Does Gatekeeping Make a Comeback?

None of this is new, but the pace is accelerating.

When mainstream media shifts a narrative, it’s noticeable.

But algorithmic manipulation happens quietly.

Users don’t see the mechanisms behind it.

They just see what the system decides to surface.

And when AI-generated content trains on AI-generated outputs, the loop gets even stronger.

For years, the internet moved toward openness.

Anyone could publish, anyone could engage.

But now, as automation and AI make it easier to exploit that openness, will we see a return of gatekeeping?

Will platforms and communities reintroduce filters, curation, or stricter access to preserve human-made content from being drowned out?

It’s an interesting debate.

I think it's one that’s already playing out in certain circles and I’d love to hear your thoughts:

• Have you noticed these changes in how content spreads?

• Do search results and social media feel more automated to you?

• Is a return to gatekeeping inevitable?

Hit reply and let me know how you see this playing out. -Fernando