When the value of a product is eclipsed by the value of its branding, the propaganda becomes the vehicle of self-expression. Social media, the ultimate tool of self-expression, is dominated by personal brands. But a brand doesn’t have a “self” — it answers only to sales. In a world where market...

Is it conceivable for a brand to be “authentic” when that authenticity is meticulously constructed? We’re inherently skeptical of the messaging disseminated by corporations and politicians, yet we rely on the stories they tell to express ourselves. Authentic propaganda, a paradoxical concept,...