This is such an great feature (Rebecca is great!), and I've been thinking about it for a few days. IMO, "Influencer" in the ten-years-ago sense was really a LOT of jobs (spokesmodel/copywriter/etc.) but now it's morphing, at least in part, into "intentionally annoying person" which feels worse.
The Influencer Recession
Once upon a time, lifestyle influencers could post cute photos and make millions. Now they are forced to pivot.
vulture.com
Especially when combined with the fact that a-list celebrities (including lots of men outside the traditional realm of "influencer") are doing ads with no shame. It just feels like everything is #spon lately and it's getting more aggressive and invasive than ever!
This is very true, and it’s a direct product of companies like Meta focusing more and more on building content ecosystems that trap users and keep advertising revenue from creators. Forcing creators to essentially make advertising disguised as content in order to make money.
Three years ago, the Biden White House attacked me for saying "Democrats should be fighting on every possible front — filing a flurry of lawsuits and exerting public pressure through the media." "The president's team wants to be more selective in picking legal fights." I feel sadly vindicated.
Prepare for an insane explosion of Islamophobia between now and November, from the same people on the right (and center!) who pretend to be exercised by the rise in anti-Jewish bigotry. The hate will be off the charts and make the anti-Zohran campaign look tame. Mark my words.
One tiny bit of good news for the moment! Please don't stop pestering your senators, though!
Mike Stabile@mikestabile.bsky.social · 12h agoSCREEN failed to pass out of committee, despite a 15-13 vote (in favor). Not enough members voting, but looks like a party line vote. Good work everyone! Keep up the pressure for after recess and beyond!
if establishment candidates want to start winning primaries again all you have to do is say that rich people have too much money and that youll prosecute trump admin staffers and republicans that have broken the law
I meant to post this last night but if you’re mad about any of the primary results you got 24 hours to bleed, try not to say anything you’ll regret in 48, and then it’s Blue No Matter Who.
This has broader ramifications. To (re)build a better information environment, the default legacy channels - broken, in decline, captured - won't suffice. If you are in politics but also if you have a publication or an NGO, you need organizers or an organizer's mindset to find your audience. (3/n)
Mamdani succeeded b/c of a very good DSA ground game yes. But also b/c his campaign knew to go find diaspora communities on WhatsApp. Flip side is massive $ drops - Cuomo, Musk in WI, Stevens in MI - don't work if you just spend them on TV and FB ads. Those are just *shares* of the electorate (2/n)
El-Sayed in particular describes himself as a proud capitalist so yeah it is not just DSA. People with organizing experience - inclusive of but not limited to DSA folks - are the ones who are best prepared to face our fractured media environment b/c they have experience going and finding ppl (1/n)
Tressie McMillan Cottom@tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 13h agoI know we are chalking the success of some leftist candidates almost entirely to the DSA. However, it seems like the more common theme is that these are candidates with organizing experience?
It's funny that Jeanine Pirro brought a box of evidence to WH to persuade Trump. He wants her to consciously *throw out* exculpatory facts and *knowingly* prosecute innocent people. So facts can't persuade him by definition. Me and @barbmcquade.bsky.social on this: newrepublic.com/article/2139...
Let's not lose sight of how abnormal this is. Trump is demanding prosecutions over Reflecting Pool fiasco even though his own DOJ has shown conclusively it isn't supported by facts or law. On the pod, @barbmcquade.bsky.social is brilliant on the bigger stakes here: newrepublic.com/article/2139...
Trump’s Fury at Reflecting Pool Mess Darkens as Damning New Leaks Hit
As Trump’s effort to jail people over his failed renovation starts looking even worse, a former federal prosecutor explains why this corruption of DOJ is so dangerous—and how to fight back.
newrepublic.com
If SCREEN were to pass, you'd be required to scan your face and upload an ID to access this site because it allows "harmful" material. This affects you even if you don't care about sex work or porn.
404 Media@404media.co · yesterdayMike Lee's SCREEN Act, which heads to Senate Commerce Committee for markup on Wednesday, would expand age verification requirements to a nearly limitless scope of websites, and is supported by the architects of Project 2025.
It's vital to understand that the conservative obsession with calling their political adversaries groomers, rapists and pedophiles while simultaneously protecting sexual offenders in their own party isn't a contradiction, but the result of an ideology that views rape as a crime of property damage.
Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · yesterdayPure scum wrapped in fake piety.
These pricks are raised in a bubble of privilege & immunity, told their entire lives that it's their right to have whatever they want & dominate anyone lower on the class or gender totem pole. They can not simply pivot, one day to the next, to a plausible attitude of regret & contrition. They can't!
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · yesterday🤯 Rep. Max Miller's interview with Jake Tapper was one of the most self-destructive things I've ever witnessed on cable news. Here's the whole thing:
Bay Area friends: would you consider opening your home to these two cuddly cats? A friend found them behind a gas station. Their sibling, a black cat, got adopted, but it appears no one likes orange cats. They are being kept in a bathroom for the time being and need a home.
derek guy@dieworkwear.bsky.social · 4w agoA friend of mine found these three kittens behind a Bay Area gas station. They are tame, vaccinated, and incredibly affectionate. Unfortunately, she's unable to keep them and I'm trying to find them a home. They are at risk of going to a shelter. Bay Area people, are you open to adopting?
Cowards? Idiots? Blackmailed? Paid off? All of the above? Honestly, it's impossible to tell considering where we are as a country and what the GOP is.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d agoCornyn: "Given this agreement with Mr Blanche, I expect the DOJ to live up to this in future litigation and I will vote to advance him out of the committee today"
If you attended this event or know where to find pictures of attendees, please let me know.
hannah gais@hannahgais.bsky.social · 5d agoThe True Texas Project and Young Republicans are hosting multiple events in Texas next month with the head of a self-styled white nationalist "think tank," the White Papers Policy Institute. WPPI promotes mass deportations and "remigration." It has strong ties to major white nationalist groups.
Yep. Earlier this year I was interviewed by Sharyn Alfonsi of 60 Minutes about my Epstein investigation. Subsequently, CBS pulled the segment and fired the reporter. The MAGA buyout of media is aiding the Trump administration’s Epstein cover up.
The New Republic@newrepublic.com · 2d agoBanks permitted millions in suspicious transactions tied to Epstein—and former 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi had the story months ago. But the report would never air. trib.al/ZShZlIS
At this point, Thom Tillis has nothing left to lose but his principles, so he made sure to toss them overboard too.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d agoTillis admits Trump is weaponizing the DOJ during his speech announcing he'll vote for Todd Blanche: "Maybe it's a little bit more intense in this administration than the last one ... I'm going to support Mr Blanche's nomination"
One more interesting point: this spring I sat down with Sharyn Alfonsi of 60 Minutes for an extensive interview about my Epstein investigation. Subsequently, CBS pulled the segment and fired the reporter. The MAGA buyout of media has unquestionably aided the Trump administration’s cover up here.
Senator Ron Wyden@wyden.senate.gov · 2d agoBombshell new report out from my investigators this morning spanning our four year investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s financial records. This report shows exactly how Wall Street protected Epstein and enabled his sex trafficking for decades. Mega thread following with some key points:
It's time for the media to call out * Trump's inability to manage a war. * The damage he has done to the structures that could help him. * The military's role in placating his nonsense. * More generally, the folly of running the government by one person's ignorant whim.
Nicholas Grossman@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 3d agoI can’t believe we’re doing another cycle of pretending to have a deal with Iran. This is so stupid.
Just because a corrupt congress and Supreme Court pretends it away doesn't mean the media has to follow suit.
If you list all the crimes Trump has been credibly accused of, even just the ones he's confessed to, it genuinely reads worse than a mafia don. No wonder we feel like we're losing our minds when the media treats him with presidential deference.
if the online right can’t post on bsky without getting blocked by so many people it makes the place too dull for them to hang around, i suggest they go and learn some manners and then try again
Too bad we don't have a press corps that can simply find out and report the truth of the matter instead of just telling us what both sides are saying
My thoughts on Bluesky not being welcoming to Republicans is Trump blocks disaster relief to states voting blue, & is also legally codifying anyone who opposes him as a terrorist deserving violence, & his kidnapping brute gangs terrorize the streets, & there's much more but I'm out of characters
Ciara | Ciaraíoch 🎨@ciaraioch.bsky.social · 2d ago"Bluesky is a political echo chamber" okay but I'm mostly here to chat with fun internet people and post art and make jokes, I cannot stress how much I don't care
"Bluesky is a political echo chamber" okay but I'm mostly here to chat with fun internet people and post art and make jokes, I cannot stress how much I don't care
