creators & influence.
The Sinister Mechanics of the AI Influencer
The best-known AI influencers, from Lil Miquela to Aitana Lopez, are built and run mostly by men. They never age, never push back and never ask for a bigger cut, which makes them a dream for brands. Packaged as young women, they turn the male gaze into a product and set a synthetic standard that real women are made to compete with.
Read the full thing →The Death of the "Creator" as a Job Category
When every physio, founder and barista makes content, “creator” stops meaning anything. Trust has moved from institutions to individuals, and the brands that win run niche at scale.
creators & influenceThe progressive witch-hunt: why our critique of influencers is gendered
Ever notice how the twenty minute takedown video always seems to find a woman? Sophie breaks down why picking apart a lifestyle creator gets dressed up as consumer activism, while men doing the exact same thing get called entrepreneurs.
creators & influenceHow tech retreats mask the physical cost of automation
OpenAI flew a group of lifestyle creators to a rustic retreat and sold automation as a way back to nature. The reels looked calm and green. But the data centres behind those tools are draining water and power, and the people who pay for it are never the ones in the linen overalls.
most read in this topic.
The Sinister Mechanics of the AI Influencer
The best-known AI influencers, from Lil Miquela to Aitana Lopez, are built and run mostly by men. They never age, never push back and never ask for a bigger cut, which makes them a dream for brands. Packaged as young women, they turn the male gaze into a product and set a synthetic standard that real women are made to compete with.
The Death of the "Creator" as a Job Category
When every physio, founder and barista makes content, “creator” stops meaning anything. Trust has moved from institutions to individuals, and the brands that win run niche at scale.
The progressive witch-hunt: why our critique of influencers is gendered
Ever notice how the twenty minute takedown video always seems to find a woman? Sophie breaks down why picking apart a lifestyle creator gets dressed up as consumer activism, while men doing the exact same thing get called entrepreneurs.
How tech retreats mask the physical cost of automation
OpenAI flew a group of lifestyle creators to a rustic retreat and sold automation as a way back to nature. The reels looked calm and green. But the data centres behind those tools are draining water and power, and the people who pay for it are never the ones in the linen overalls.
Is the "man in finance" the new celebrity?
The finance bros and venture capitalists are no longer content to sit in the dark managing spreadsheets. They have stepped straight into the frame to become the stars of the show.
Become the niche: how world-building replaces the creative prison
The true creative vanguard does not fit into a box. They will break the box entirely. Instead of picking a niche, you need to become the niche by constructing an unmistakable world around your own perspective.
The pink panopticon: how the tech industry is selling our own displacement back to us
Tech companies are dressing up AI automation tools in girlboss branding to sell them to young women. The tools being sold as empowerment are the same ones built to replace their jobs.
Ideological Catfishing: why the creator economy is hitting a crisis of authenticity it might not survive
An anti-establishment creator took Meta AI's money. The comments went to war. Sophie breaks down why we keep expecting creators to be our moral compass, and what brands need to know before they pick the wrong partner.
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