there were definitely early focused efforts to shift public opinion but they were more focused on copyright maximalism. karla ortiz raised ~200k from small artist communities for copyright lobbyists specifically, for example, and popularized a lot of that sentiment/fears in those spaces.
conputer dipshitI don’t really do conspiracy theorizing based on what sounds cute but I’d believe it if there was a bit of evidence. it doesn’t take any special effort to make people believe things they really want to believe. it can also backfire by inflaming opposition. it’s a risky move