Dozens of digital creators are being briefed on President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address ahead of his Thursday speech, the administration has confirmed to WIRED. Around 70 creators, digital publishers, and influencers are set to meet with the administration to amplify the White House’s message across social media. …
Read More »Why RFK Jr. Is Suddenly Everywhere Online
For a man who claims to be written-off and censored by the mainstream media, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign for president has thrived online. In recent months, Kennedy has suddenly been everywhere. On Instagram, a video of him snorkeling off the shores of Hawaii with a shark advocate and environmental …
Read More »Energy Drinks Are Out of Control
Whenever he visited his local branch of Panera Bread in Fleming Island, Florida, it was Dennis Brown’s habit to order three drinks in a row. On September 28, and again on October 2, and the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 9th—the day Brown died—his drink of choice was Panera Bread’s Charged …
Read More »YouTube Is Now Hiding Which Channels Get a Cut of Ad Revenue
YouTube unleashed an influential generation of new internet celebrities in 2007 when it started to share ad revenue with select video creators. For the past couple of years, a snippet of code on YouTube’s website revealed which channels are part of the secretive and exclusive club. But users and activists …
Read More »YouTube and Reels Could Decide India’s Elections
Sharvan Patel’s Instagram account is a window into daily life in the vast deserts of western India: children fighting calves for camel milk, a grandmother drying pickles on top of a mud house, or a farmer eating under the only tree in a barren land. Patel’s passion for wildlife conservation …
Read More »My Kid Wants to Be an Influencer. Is That Bad?
“Whenever my 6-year-old daughter gets asked what she wants to be when she grows up, she says, ‘An influencer.’ The thought of it freaks me out. What should I do?” —Under the Influence Dear Under, Your question made me think about Diana Christensen, a main character in Paddy Chayefsky’s 1976 …
Read More »How to Be Extremely Online and Influence People
ON THIS WEEK’S episode of Have a Nice Future, Gideon Lichfield and Lauren Goode talk to journalist Taylor Lorenz about her new book Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet. They talk about the rise of the modern influencer and how all of us …
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