All posts tagged: influencers

MAGA Media Seems to Have Hit Its Breaking Point Over Iran

MAGA Media Seems to Have Hit Its Breaking Point Over Iran

Published by skeptic

Candace Owens spent years building a pro-MAGA audience by supporting president Donald Trump. Now, she’s calling for his removal from office. Over the last few months, right-wing media figures like Owens have broken with Trump on a number of different issues, including the Epstein files and the administration’s intervention in Venezuela. But the fracturing amongst the MAGA media coalition appears to have reached the point of no return after the president’s threats to annihilate “a whole civilization” in Iran this week. “The 25th amendment needs to be invoked,” Owens wrote on X Tuesday. “He is a genocidal lunatic. Our Congress and military need to intervene. We are beyond madness.” Owens is one of several right-wing media figures calling for Trump’s removal. Former congressperson Marjorie Taylor Greene also called for invoking the 25th amendment, referring to Trump’s actions in Iran as “evil and madness.” Alex Jones urged Trump’s ouster on his InfoWars program on Tuesday, asking a guest “how do we 25th amendment his ass?” On an episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast last week, comedian Theo …

Why health influencers could actually be making us more ill than we were before

Why health influencers could actually be making us more ill than we were before

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 How often have you googled a symptom? Asked AI to diagnose your condition? Taken the word of an influencer that their wellness hack can cure you – without any scientific backing? If your answer to these questions is regularly, or even sometimes, you’re among a growing number of people in the UK, where almost half of us (48 per cent) self-diagnose using online health information when we’re sick. Who wouldn’t, when NHS wait times and access to services make it far easier to ask ChatGPT than a GP any day of the week and 30 per cent of doctors are using AI tools in patient consultations anyway? We’re just saving precious time – or so we think. In fact, the plethora of information online …

Snake Bros Keep Getting Bitten by Their Lethal Pets. Only Zoos Can Save Them

Snake Bros Keep Getting Bitten by Their Lethal Pets. Only Zoos Can Save Them

Published by skeptic

Early editions of the index were a tabbed notebook. “I still have some of the original versions of it,” Boyer says. “You would go through, laboriously, by hand, turning the pages, and it would say ‘see page 27,’ like one of those find-your-own-ending books, and then you would put in a phone call, because the last section in the Antivenom Index was the home phone numbers of zookeepers.” In 2006, Boyer and Steven Seifert, then a medical toxicologist at the University of Nebraska, partnered to bring the index online, where it remains today. Now, nearly 90 zoological organizations list their wares. When Chris Gifford was bitten by his deadly green mamba, he was lucky to receive antivenom from South Carolina’s Riverbanks Zoo. Courtesy of Chris Gifford Gifford, the North Carolina man, had been comparatively lucky, as only one of his mamba’s fangs had pierced his skin. By the time he reached a nearby hospital, Gifford’s hand was swelling and creeping paralysis was causing his eyelids to droop. The Antivenom Index was activated, and South Carolina’s …

Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine Is Helping Out on Viral Fraud Videos Now

Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine Is Helping Out on Viral Fraud Videos Now

Published by skeptic

Nick Shirley—the right-wing creator whose YouTube investigation sparked the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota—claims that his most recent video about alleged fraud in California was bolstered by data provided by none other than Edward Coristine, one of the first members of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) known online as “Big Balls.” Coristine, who joined DOGE at 19 years old with no prior government experience, was staffed across several agencies including the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA). Before joining DOGE, Coristine worked at Elon Musk’s Neuralink for several months and founded a startup known for hiring black hat hackers. In an interview with Coristine published on Shirley’s YouTube channel on Thursday, Shirley claims that Coristine personally pulled data on Medicaid spending for businesses based in California as potential targets. Coristine nodded along, telling Shirley that the government must create more opportunities to crowdsource fraud investigations. The information Coristine allegedly pulled for Shirley was from a dataset published by the DOGE team at the Department of Health and Human …

Why Catholic initiations are surging this Easter: From influencers to sacraments

Why Catholic initiations are surging this Easter: From influencers to sacraments

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Catholic dioceses across the United States are reporting a notable increase in adults entering the church this Easter, with some reporting the largest Christian initiation classes in history.  A recent report by the Hallow app, which aggregated diocesan data from more than 140 of the 175 U.S. dioceses, found that more than 80% are experiencing an average increase of 38% in people entering the church through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults compared to last year. The Archdioceses of Los Angeles, New York and Chicago are experiencing the most growth, with LA increasing its membership by 139%, followed by Chicago at 52% and New York at 36%. Leading up to Easter, some religious and secular media outlets have considered whether the rise amounts to a Catholic revival, particularly among Gen Z, who make up a noteworthy portion of catechumens, or people converting or returning to the faith. But researchers caution that it is too early to make broad conclusions. “I don’t know if I could call it a big revival at this …

The New Era of Militia Influencers

The New Era of Militia Influencers

Published by skeptic

Just over a week into the US and Israel’s war with Iran, Eric Roscher, an Air Force veteran, published a YouTube video on what he describes as the “very real concerns surrounding sleeper cells and terrorist threats” in the US. The video, titled “Credible DOMESTIC Threat? FBI warns of attack—Drills/Considerations for the Prepared Citizen,” was produced by Roscher’s Florida-based company Barrel and Hatchet, which runs military-style training, sells branded merchandise and tactical gear, and produces online content. In the video, Roscher and his associates advise viewers to carry “extra mags” and “that truck gun,” while keeping “your head on a swivel.” Toward the end of the post, Roscher shows off a tactical vest that’s on sale from one of the video’s sponsors. The video, which is part of YouTube’s monetization program and has a total of eight ads, has been viewed over 110,000 times. (YouTube did not respond to a request for comment.) Barrel and Hatchet is not a militia, but the company and Roscher are part of a broader rebranding of the entire militia …

Researchers break down the digital habits of science influencers

Researchers break down the digital habits of science influencers

Published by José Betancourt

A new study exploring how scientists share knowledge on social media reveals that different digital platforms and scientific topics require distinct communication styles to reach wide audiences. The research highlights that while snappy, objective videos perform best on TikTok, detailed and slightly ironic explanations gain more traction on YouTube. These findings were recently published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. In our highly digital society, the way scientific knowledge reaches the general public relies heavily on social media networks. Online platforms allow experts to speak directly to citizens without filtering their messages through traditional news media. This direct line of communication helps combat widespread misinformation and builds a more informed public. Yet, the sheer volume of content available online makes it difficult for users to identify reliable sources. Many science communicators post accurate, well-researched information that fails to attract viewers. Researchers wanted to understand the specific elements that help certain scientific posts go viral while others remain unseen. Knowing what drives audience engagement helps content creators design better educational material. Lead researcher Montserrat Aiger …

Should you trust financial influencers?

Should you trust financial influencers?

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 I’ve never been particularly interested in the world of finance. I have a humanities brain, and like books and paintings infinitely more than stock charts and spreadsheets. I used to see the world of investing as sort of like astrology for boys; full of jargon and unpredictability. I say mercury’s in retrograde, you tell me the S&P 500 is trading down around 0.61 per cent – now, we’re both confused and think the other is simply making nonsense up. So, as is the case for many others, my money sat in the safety of a savings account, earning a pitiful one per cent interest rate each year. That was until, on one afternoon spent scrolling on TikTok, Mia McGrath popped up on my spoon-fed …

Manosphere influencer’s ex ‘begged’ to be cut from Louis Theroux’s documentary

Manosphere influencer’s ex ‘begged’ to be cut from Louis Theroux’s documentary

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter The former girlfriend of Myron Gaines has claimed she “never wanted” to appear alongside the controversial podcaster in the new Netflix documentary, Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere. The documentary follows British journalist Louis Theroux as he investigates a loosely connected, global network of online influencers, podcasters, and content creators who promote “red pill” ideology, ultra-masculine values, and, at times, a hateful worldview towards women. Theroux says people in the manosphere have “swaggering machismo that is at turns homophobic, antisemitic, and racist.” In the film, Gaines, who hosts the Fresh and Fit podcast, talked about having multiple wives in the future, with his then-girlfriend, influencer Angelica Camacho, looking unimpressed. It was revealed later in the documentary that the pair had broken up. Camacho is now speaking out about the documentary, which came out March 11. In a recent TikTok video, she claimed …

Influencers are drinking shots of olive oil and lemon juice. Should you? | Well actually

Influencers are drinking shots of olive oil and lemon juice. Should you? | Well actually

Published by Sam Flores

A shot of lemon juice and olive oil might be delicious on a salad – but would you drink it straight up? That’s what wellness enthusiasts on TikTok and Instagram are doing, claiming it bestows glowing skin and better digestion, and supports the dubious process of “detoxing”. Wellness shots have become “a revolving door for trends”, as dietician Lauren Manaker puts it; over the years, knocking back apple cider vinegar, ginger-turmeric blends, wheatgrass, aloe vera and carrot juice have all come in and out of vogue. Could there be real benefits to this one? We asked experts. First of all, what does it taste like? Personally, I would happily add gin to vinaigrette and call it a dirty martini, so I wasn’t too worried about the bitter pungency of combining one tablespoon each of lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil. When I made myself the concoction, it went down easy. Dietician Michelle Routhenstein warned me that acid reflux can be an issue for some, due to the acidity of lemon and the peppery sharpness of …