Hype and Fraud in India: How Aspiration, Insecurity, and Scale Created a Parallel Economy of Illusions
India is not merely experiencing isolated scams or occasional frauds. It is witnessing the rise of an entire ecosystem where hype replaces trust, speed replaces verification, and aspiration is routinely monetized through illusion. From startups and influencers to politics, spirituality, education, and finance, this article examines how hype and fraud function as a systemic pattern in Indian society — why they flourish, who enables them, and what this reveals about a nation under extreme aspirational pressure.