Kids with smartphones have better mental health, study finds. Inside the Bop House, Tariffluencers, Gen Z's safe space, the latest meme stock, Grok dunking, India's Netflix, Ashton Hall and the rise of isolationist masculinity, and MORE -- all in today's newsletter
"We tend to assume the reason to use social media is to try to be an influencer, either you're Joe Rogan or you're a failure. But that's the wrong way to think about it," said Ethan Zuckerman, director of the University of Massachusetts' Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure
Viralflation comes to YouTube, Dora the Explorer feet mukbang, IShowSpeed takes China, Big Balls cybercrime ring, 'influencer accent', IvyTok, AI-fueled fan fiction, Ghiblification, and a great new podcast on Section 230 -- All in today's newsletter!!
Remember โ€œthe #Resistanceโ€?! I did a deep dive into 2017-2020 internet, the rise of the movement, its major figures, the resistanceโ€™s ultimate downfall, and why it crumbled.
I need to log off for a while and sleep and stop getting upset over the internet.
Idk how to QT this person but a big fuck you to everyone who treats independent creators like this. Every single social app is a Nazi bar & I cannot afford to operate on ghost, which also doesnโ€™t offer many of the features I need. Subscribing to me directly so Substack doesnโ€™t receive a cut has ALWASY been an option, but to punish an independent creator for the platforms theyโ€™re forced to rely on by refusing to share their reporting that holds power to account is DEEPLY fucked up and disgusting image
I wrote about Helyeh Doutaghi, a scholar who was suspended by Yale Law School after an Israeli AI-generated news website known for spreading disinfo, claimed that she was a member of a terrorist organization.
Bonafidemasks.com, which is where I get all my KN95s from is having a 25% off sale + free shipping! They have tons of colors and styles (and full N95s too). STOCK UP NOW!! ๐Ÿ˜ท Covid is raging and disabling millions, not to mention all the other airborne disease, pollution, etc. Masking is solidarity
Viral claims about family influencers fleeing the state of California are completely false. TikToks and YouTube videos have amassed millions of views pushing this conspiracy. My article debunking it only has.... 2 shares. Journalism feels so fruitless sometimes.
I just need 300 more subscribers to get to 40k on YouTube, which is 40% of the way to my ultimate goal of 100k! I spend hours every week making videos about tech and online culture. YouTube is the platform I'm most focused on this year, so SUBSCRIBE TODAY!! https://www.youtube.com/@TaylorLorenz