Arthashastra (अर्थशास्त्र)

Smartphone on a Tripod Filming a Blogger Applying Make-up/ Pexels The other day, I was trying to buy a pair of headphones. Simple task, right? I typed “best noise-cancelling headphones” into Google — and promptly fell into an information rabbit hole. There were 42 tabs open within minutes. One reviewer swore by Brand A, another said it was “trash,” Reddit was staging a civil war, and half the YouTubers were holding affiliate links in one hand and “unbiased review” signs in the other. And then — one video changed everything. It was from a creator I’ve been following for years. He didn’t just list specs; he talked about how the sound feels on long metro rides, how the build holds up after six months, and which models actually cancel the noise of Delhi traffic (not just promise to). I trusted him. Not because he was an influencer — but because he felt real. That’s when it struck me: In this age of information disruption, influencers are no longer just marketing tools. They are filters — t...