Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business

Ever felt weird reading someone’s sales email—like you just got trauma-dumped by a stranger? You’re not imagining it. Vulnerability has become a marketing currency, and now everyone is oversharing in the name of sales. If you've ever felt weird, guilty, or just plain uncomfortable reading a sales pitch wrapped in trauma, welcome to the cult of oversharing. In this episode, we’re discussing how vulnerability has become THE marketing strategy—and how that creates ethical landmines for both the audience and the business owner. Topics discussed in this episode: * The rise of oversharing in online business.  * How “share your story” advice goes off the rails and turns into lead generation through trauma. * Social Penetration Theory and how marketing skips healthy relationship-building stages. * How vulnerability is used to build trust, likability, and influence purchase behavior—sometimes unethically. * Red flags to watch for so you don’t get sucked in by oversharing.  For detailed show notes and links to everything mentioned in this episode, please visit duped.online. [http://www.duped.online]For more Duped, including monthly bonus episodes, join the Patreon. [https://www.patreon.com/duped]

Online business may keep rebranding itself, but the tropes?  They never die—they just get slicker.  In this episode, we’re walking down memory lane and revisiting The Very Tired Tropes of Online Business to see how the same old tactics have evolved in 2025.  Spoiler: they’re back, sneakier than ever.  Topics discussed in this episode: * Definition of tropes in online business * Sales tropes that are still thriving in 2025 * New sales tropes * Relatability tropes  * Shift from flashy luxury to curated “realness” * Money tropes that are still everywhere * Pivot tropes * The disappearing act: online figures vanish and rebrand without context * Ways you can protect yourself  For detailed show notes and links to everything mentioned in this episode, please visit duped.online. [http://www.duped.online]For more Duped, including monthly bonus episodes, join the Patreon. [https://www.patreon.com/duped]

Have you ever noticed how people online teach others to do the exact thing they have just learned? Coaches coaching coaches. Creators teaching creators. Influencers teaching influencing. It’s not innovation—it’s online business inception In this episode, we’re exploring three tell-tale signs of Online Business inception, the online business inception pyramid scheme, and how to protect yourself. Topics discussed in this episode: * What is Online Business Inception? * How success is often based on teaching the platform, not using it for real business.  * Circular content strategies that recycle the same advice with little substance. * Saturation of tactics leading to platform fatigue and diminishing returns. * The hidden pyramid scheme. * The shift from value creation to value extraction in the online space. * How to protect yourself: vet advice, temper expectations, and spot patterns early. For detailed show notes and links to everything mentioned in this episode, please visit duped.online. [http://www.duped.online]For more Duped, including monthly bonus episodes, join the Patreon. [https://www.patreon.com/duped]

What do MLMs, cults, and online coaches have in common? A whole lot of manipulation. In this episode of Duped, we sit down with author and marketing critic Dr. Mara Einstein to unpack how cult tactics are being repackaged as “business strategy” in the online world. From collapsed marketing funnels to parasocial influencers and toxic coaching circles, we dig into the psychology behind it all. If you’ve ever felt duped by an online guru or pressured by hustle culture, this one’s for you. Topics discussed in this episode: * Why Mara wrote Hoodwinked and how cult tactics show up in modern marketing * The rise of “cult-lite” influencers and parasocial trust. * What the “anxiety economy” is—and how it keeps us scrolling (and spending). * How collapsing the marketing funnel impacts critical thinking and buyer behavior. * Are algorithms today’s cult leaders?. * Spotting psychological traps like truth bias and the illusory truth effect. * Why the coaching industry—especially for women—can be uniquely harmful. * What the future of ethical business might look like in toxic online spaces. * Mara’s advice for anyone caught in a digital cult or shady coaching ecosystem. For detailed show notes and links to everything mentioned in this episode, please visit duped.online. [http://www.duped.online]For more Duped, including monthly bonus episodes, join the Patreon. [https://www.patreon.com/duped]

Remember when the internet felt fun, helpful—even inspiring? Yeah, us too. But lately? It’s feeling more like a digital junk drawer.  In this episode of Duped, we’re talking about enshittification—what it is, how it shows up in your feed, and how AI is making it worse. From AI-generated garbage content to platforms prioritizing profits over people, we’re breaking down how it all got so bad—and what we can do about it. Topics discussed in this episode: * What is enshittification and some examples.  * How AI is accelerating enshittification * Is AI the villain? Or can it be used responsibly? * The real-world impact on consumers and business owners * What to watch for with AI enshittification For detailed show notes and links to everything mentioned in this episode, please visit duped.online. [http://www.duped.online] For more Duped, including monthly bonus episodes, join the Patreon. [https://www.patreon.com/duped]