All posts tagged: influencers

‘Like, Follow, Subscribe’ explores the lives of family influencers : NPR

‘Like, Follow, Subscribe’ explores the lives of family influencers : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

On April 2, Aubree Jones, a Mormon mom influencer with more than 4 million social media subscribers, posted a video in which she and her husband, Josh Jones, and their seven children stand together in the hallway of their house. Everyone is grinning. White text above them reads “We have an announcement… We’re expecting…” Josh lifts their little white dog into the air from where she was hidden behind the gaggle of humans; she kicks a little, clearly not thrilled at being airborne. “Puppies!!!” the final caption reads. The short video may seem innocuous but, like so much family influencer content, it’s a rich text once you begin to dig into it. Until the reveal, for instance, the older kids hold their awkward poses, smiles rigid, while only the toddler at the bottom right seems free to look bored and distracted. What are they all thinking? What were they doing before being called in to help their parents earn a living by shooting the video? Then there’s the pregnancy announcement itself, which — along with …

Meet the AI influencers taking over Coachella – worth millions and replacing the real thing

Meet the AI influencers taking over Coachella – worth millions and replacing the real thing

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Posing in front of Coachella Festival’s iconic Ferris wheel, Aitana Lopez looks like the epitome of California cool. Her long hair is expertly tousled and dyed a soft shade of pink. The Indio sunlight catches on her boho-style belt, and the fringing on her suede outfit seems to dance in the wind. She’s even managed to grab a branded cupholder from Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner’s rhode skin x 818 tequila collaboration, an influencer must-have at the first weekend of the festival. Not that Aitana would have much use for either a lip balm or a glass of tequila, though. Because Aitana, who boasts 392,000 followers, doesn’t really exist. She is an AI-generated influencer – or, as her Instagram bio puts it, a “digital …

The celebrity influencers warning Russians might ‘snap’

The celebrity influencers warning Russians might ‘snap’

Published by Sam Flores

Fitness videos, makeup tutorials — and now a viral manifesto on the growing problems plaguing Russia. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. A celebrity influencer’s direct warning to Vladimir Putin that his people might “snap” has prompted a rare acknowledgment of public criticism from the Kremlin. The 18-minute Instagram critique was a surprise pivot for Victoria Bonya, a Monaco-based Russian influencer whose videos are better known for their lifestyle tips. But the former reality television star struck a chord in Russia, where disquiet has been bubbling for months over issues including a sweeping crackdown on the internet. An increasingly sluggish economy and a lack of battlefield progress in Ukraine are also adding to the Kremlin’s woes. “There is a big, fat wall between you and us, the ordinary people,” Bonya, 46, said in a direct address to Putin earlier this week as she accused top officials of being too afraid to tell him the truth. She rattled off to her 13 million followers a number of …

The Influencers Normalizing Not Having Sex

The Influencers Normalizing Not Having Sex

Published by skeptic

“I don’t like to make a big deal out of waiting till marriage,” says De Buchi, who has traveled to over 20 countries alone. “In my friend group, everyone is. It’s very normal.” One of her friends runs an event called Hot, Holy, Healed for Christian women, where De Buchi sells her jewelry under her own name. The brand gives 10 percent of each sale to anti-trafficking organizations, she says. For De Buchi, the mission connects directly to how she thinks about sex itself. “There’s such a sexualized culture and perversion more than ever,” she says, “and people think that means more freedom. But I actually think it’s the opposite.” At the same time, she didn’t think she’d be waiting this long to have sex, having assumed she’d be married in her early twenties. She met her boyfriend on Hinge a year and a half ago. She was upfront about her own abstinence from the beginning. They don’t have sleepovers. “I don’t want to play house with someone before I marry them,” she says. “I …

Influencers are paying stylists top dollar for ‘tragic’ Coachella outfits

Influencers are paying stylists top dollar for ‘tragic’ Coachella outfits

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Several social media influencers have been sharing their disappointment over paying thousands of dollars for a stylist to create their Coachella outfits — only to end up with a box full of mismatched, ill-fitting clothing. Montse Lewin, a 28-year-old content creator from Los Angeles, shared a recent video on TikTok about her experience hiring a stylist she found on social media to build her music festival look. Since its inception in 1999, Coachella has evolved into a haven for content creators, with its signature boho-chic aesthetic shaping festival fashion trends worldwide. Ahead of attending the first weekend of Coachella, Lewis filled out a form about her clothing preferences and sent a Pinterest board to the stylist for inspiration. When her outfits arrived in the …

QVC Prepares for Bankruptcy Protection in the Era of Influencers, TikTok and Temu

QVC Prepares for Bankruptcy Protection in the Era of Influencers, TikTok and Temu

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — The owner of home shopping network pioneer QVC — which for years garnered the attention of millions of TV viewers looking for a deal on baubles and housewares, is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. A filing about imminent bankruptcy protection by parent company QVC Group, which also owns HSN, formerly the Home Shopping Network, arrives as long-running TV shopping networks struggle to adapt to the rapid shift by consumers now tuning in to livestreams on TikTok, or online marketplaces like Shein. According to an annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week, the company said that it intends to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas after reaching a restructuring agreement with creditors. Its goal is to emerge from bankruptcy protection before the summer is over, but the West Chester, Pennsylvania, company warned that its access to funding is difficult to predict. It noted significant fees and other costs in connection with the preparation for …

Mega Influencers Are Replacing Themselves With AI Clones

Mega Influencers Are Replacing Themselves With AI Clones

Published by Sam Flores

Already, AI clones have been used to cut down on production time, allowing talent more bandwidth to pursue other opportunities. “Instead of five service days in-person,” Shannon said, “It’s three service days, [plus] the right to digital assets to do post-production fixes, or [for] their avatar to do things around the edges.” “Everyone says YouTube is all about authenticity, and they assume that it has to be the real ‘you.’ But authenticity can come from a lot of different areas.” Every deal is unique, so there are no set rates related to these AI deals. The structure depends on myriad factors and is constantly shifting based on the nature of a partnership. “I don’t think the market dollars have been determined yet. It’s still relatively early days, and the business models are being formed in real time,” Shannon said. “Frankly, I think it’s going to come down to what consumers want.” Eric Wei, cofounder of Karat, a financial firm for creators, told me that AI cloning won’t work for all influencers or celebrities. The effects …

Clavicular Hospitalized After Suspected Overdose While on Livestream

Clavicular Hospitalized After Suspected Overdose While on Livestream

Published by Daniella Wilson

‘Looksmaxxing’ influencer and streamer Clavicular has been hospitalized after suffering a suspected overdose Tuesday evening, a source confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. The “looksmaxxing” influencer and online streamer, whose real name is Braden Peters, was taken to the hospital, where he’s currently in “stable condition,” THR has learned. He was still in the hospital as of Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, Clavicular was livestreaming on Kick when it abruptly cut off, sparking concern among fans. Video was later shared on X of the streamer being carried by several people to a black car as an ambulance arrived at the scene. THR has also reached out to the Miami Police Department and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department for more information. Clavicular gained recognition for his self-obsession with being aesthetically pleasing and for promoting extreme “looksmaxxing” — an online trend, popular among young men, focused on maximizing physical attractiveness. The trend ranges from healthy grooming to dangerous practices, such as bone-smashing using a hammer to enhance facial features, which Clavicular has advocated. Earlier this week, the controversial streamer …

Staunch Trump Supporters Are Now Asking If He’s the Antichrist

Staunch Trump Supporters Are Now Asking If He’s the Antichrist

Published by skeptic

In a matter of days, MAGA media figures have gone from defending President Donald Trump as God’s chosen president to making the case that he is actually the antichrist. The accusations reached a fever pitch on Sunday night, after Trump posted an AI-generated image depicting himself dressed in a white robe and red sash and placing a hand radiating golden light on a man in a hospital bed. The image, which Trump deleted from Truth Social after around 14 hours, seemed to invoke Jesus Christ, and outraged some supporters who likened Trump’s behavior to the antichrist—a figure in Christian theology who opposes Christ and whose appearance many believe could augur the end of time. Major figures in the MAGA universe quickly spoke out. “It’s more than blasphemy. It’s an Antichrist spirit,” former congressperson Marjorie Taylor Greene posted to X on Sunday. “In 18 months I went from hesitantly voting for Trump to thinking there’s a decent chance he’s the antichrist,” added Clint Russell, host of the right-wing Liberty Lockdown podcast. “I genuinely believe Trump is …

How Fake People Became Real Influencers

How Fake People Became Real Influencers

Published by Sam Flores

Subscribe here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube On this week’s Galaxy Brain episode, Charlie Warzel is joined by New York Times technology reporter Tiffany Hsu to discuss the rise of AI influencers—synthetic avatars, often indistinguishable from real people, that are flooding social-media feeds to sell supplements and promote brands. Hsu unpacks her reporting on the combination of forces converging around it, including the wellness industry, a historically fertile ground for scammers. The pair discuss how the volume of synthetic content online is producing a new kind of epistemic exhaustion: a fatigue so deep that many people have simply stopped caring whether what they’re seeing is real. So is authenticity already beside the point? And is an audience’s emotional response—rather than the truth behind the image—the only currency that matters? The following is a transcript of the episode: Tiffany Hsu: You have to create such a ridiculous volume of content, and it all has to feel fresh. Yeah; I can totally see why someone would be tempted to just make it on a computer. [Music] …