Keep scrolling for a deep dive on the world of Snark Reddits.
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‘AI Girlfriends’ are a privacy nightmare
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, a new piece by Matt Burgess for WIRED explores the rise of “AI Girlfriends.”
Ever since the generative AI boom of 2023, companion chatbots have popped up across the internet. While these chatbots might help users combat loneliness, they also present a profound privacy risk.
Sourcing research from the Mozilla Foundation, Burgess notes that these chatbots collect huge amounts of user data and send that information to various companies.
According to Jen Caltrider, the leader of Mozilla’s Privacy Not Included team, who conducted the research, “there are multiple issues with these apps and websites. Many of the apps may not be clear about what data they are sharing with third parties, where they are based, or who creates them.”
Burgess mentions several chatbots— including Romantic AI, Mimico, Anima AI, EVA AI and Replika— all of which have various privacy issues, ranging from weak password requirements to extensive tracking of user activity.
“The chatbots often are designed to mimic human qualities and encourage trust and intimacy with the people who use them,” Burgess writes. “In addition to being NSFW, some of the apps also play up their roles as useful tools. Romantic AI’s homepage says the app is ‘here to maintain your mental health,’ while its terms and conditions clarify it is not a provider of medical or mental health services.”
As internet users develop genuine connections with these chatbots, companies must take their users seriously — including their privacy concerns. As Vivian Ta-Johnson, an assistant professor of psychology at Lake Forest College, notes, “Any major changes to the chatbots’ functioning can have major implications on users’ social support and well-being.”
The absence of transparency concerning AI girlfriends raises concerns when engaging with these chatbots, particularly in the context of intimate conversations.
“Some people may be unlikely to carefully consider what they’re revealing to chatbots. In the case of ‘AI girlfriends,’ this could include sexual preferences or kinks, locations, or private feelings,” Burgess concludes. “This could cause reputational damage if the chatbot system is hacked or if data is accidentally leaked.”
Read the full story via WIRED.
The Alicia Keys halftime show voice crack
From Ice Spice not knowing anything about football to Taylor Swift’s reaction to the Kansas City Chiefs’ win, the Super Bowl had a lot of viral moments. Beyond the game itself, many internet users tuned in for Usher’s halftime show.
The performance had many iconic parts, such as a rollerskating segment and a surprise appearance by H.E.R (whom many mistook for North West). However, it was the duet between Alicia Keys and Usher that sparked significant discussion online.
After the performance was uploaded on YouTube, internet users noted a difference in Alicia's vocals between the live performance and the recorded video.
As Alicia began singing the opening notes of 'If I Ain't Got You,' her voice cracked. However, in the YouTube video, the fumble appeared to be pitch-corrected and edited out.
The decision to remove her voice crack left the internet divided.
Some users claim the NFL showed Alicia “grace” by editing out the mistake, where it was “a kind and classy move.”
Others are skeptical of the decision, highlighting concerns about tampering with reality and emphasising the significance of maintaining accurate "record-keeping" in the digital age.
“In 5-10 years, we'll all be fighting over whether Keys actually flubbed the opening notes of her Superbowl performance because our memories will be at odds with the ‘official’ record,” one user shared. “The CONSTANT unannounced tweaks and edits are an unnecessary strain on our memories & recollections.”
In a similar vein, certain X users believe that removing the voice crack is disingenuous, appreciating the unique quirks that come with a live performance.
Watch the full halftime show via YouTube.
TikTok search suggestions are manufacturing influencer drama
In a new piece for The Washington Post, Taylor Lorenz discusses the problems with the TikTok search bar– questioning its accuracy, utility, and reliability.
As an increasing number of Gen Z individuals turn to TikTok as a search engine, the short-form video app has adapted to this trend by upgrading its search capabilities.
In the past year, TikTok rolled out a new function that offers context for video content by identifying keywords in the comments, captions, and text. These keywords, hyperlinked with a small blue magnifying class, allow users to explore related videos in curated discovery pages.
These changes have “been paying off in terms of user engagement,” Lorenz notes, with 40% of Gen Z preferring TikTok to Google when it comes to search.
While these users are enjoying this new way to find content, many creators have found fault with this feature.
“Dozens of creators have reported that some search suggestions appended to the bottom of their videos are manufacturing controversy, affecting their reputations and harming their businesses and personal relationships,” Lorenz writes.
One such influencer is Landon Romano— recently, the phrase "Landon Romano HIV" started populating under his videos.
It's important to note that Landon does not have HIV, nor has he ever harboured suspicions of having the disease. After being made aware of the search bar terms, he addressed it in a TikTok video.
“[TikTok] continue[s] to add insinuations that I have HIV under my videos,” Landon said in a video posted to the platform. “This is defamatory, and it’s discrimination. I’m a gay male. Do you know the implications behind that?”
Unfortunately, Landon isn’t the first influencer to have had the automated search bar spread false narratives about his personal life – and he probably won’t be the last.
“Other large, high-profile creators, some of whom are LGBTQ+, have had their names and the words ‘HIV’ or ‘herpes’ placed below their videos as search suggestions,” Lorenz notes. “Other creators and pop stars such as Bebe Rexha have had hurtful terms attached to their names, such as ‘weight gain’ or ‘plastic surgery.’”
These rumours often extend beyond TikTok, making their way onto Subreddits and ultimately being picked up by Google.
While Google has "sophisticated ranking systems" in place to curb the spread of misinformation, TikTok doesn't.
Kaz Mizra, director of search engine optimisation at eAccountable, tells Lorenz that Google "would never put controversial allegations about a creator or celebrity into their search suggestions unless a highly authoritative news organisation had published an article about it." Meanwhile, TikTok "appears to be ‘showing very outrageous search suggestion’ to boost engagement."
As TikTok continues to adjust and expand its search capabilities, users must constantly question the stories and information presented on the FYP – even if the app’s all-powerful algorithm recommends it.
Read the full story via The Washington Post.
The Socially-Conscious Mean Girl
Speaking of drama and misinformation, writer and musician Eliza McLamb reflected on her first foray into Snark Reddit for the words from eliza Substack newsletter.
For those unfamiliar with the world of Snark Reddit, these subreddits bring together like-minded individuals who share a common disapproval of a celebrity or creator. The forums primarily discuss the “unfavourable” ways they use their platforms or create content.
While various Snark Reddits exist for different creators or groups of influencers (such as r/NYCinfluencersnark, r/LAinfluencersnark, r/JaclynHillSnark, among others), McLamb finds that women often face a disproportionate share of criticism — even when the posts are moderated.
“There are pages dedicated to women with any amount of followers, not just the big-fish pariahs that know better than to search their name online,” she explains. “Despite most snark Reddits having a “no body-shaming” rule, the majority of posts in such threads are critiques on the woman’s body, which is fine to do when the woman in question is a bad person.”
As for why internet users enjoy Snark Reddits, McLamb notes that the common thread “is the belief that the snarkers are punching up.”
She uses the r/AcaciaKerseySnark as an example. The majority of negative commentary around Acacia includes accusations of child neglect. While this is a serious claim, on her Snark Reddit, “[this] accusation functions as a shield, stated first to allow other, less serious accusations to pass through.”
Under the belief that Acacia is a bad mother and person, snarkers feel vindicated when they critcise her body or expose her Facetuned pictures.
“They need her to be simultaneously pathetic and all-powerful. They need her to be bad so that they can be righteous,” McLamb reflects.
In the world of Snark Reddits, where the moral high ground seems to rule, this mentality disguises some of the most toxic spaces on the internet. As a result, women are continuously criticised and surveilled—without any second thought.
“I care less about people being mean to influencers than I do about the fact that nothing useful is produced when this happens. I don’t think it lets relatively disempowered young women let off steam about an unfair system,” McLamb concludes. “[Snarkers] think they’re punching up, but it’s the internet, so they have no fist and the words float aimlessly before turning into vapor and finding a place to disappear.”
Read the full piece via the words from eliza Substack.
JoJo Siwa Promised Them Pop Stardom. They Say They Were ‘Thrown in the Trash’
A recent Rolling Stone article by EJ Dickson sheds light on the story behind XOMG Pop!, the girl group assembled by JoJo Siwa and her mother, Jessalynn.
XOMG Pop! emerged from Siwas Dance Pop Revolution, a competition reality TV series positioned as the successor to Dance Moms — the show that catapulted JoJo and Jessalynn to fame. In this new venture, the Siwas aimed to create a music group poised to inherit JoJo’s “candy-colored, multi-million dollar empire.”
The group ended up with seven members. Since then, four of them— Kiya Barczyszyn, Kinley Cunningham, Leigha Rose Sanderson and Cianni Llerena— have left XOMG Pop! under "obscure circumstances over the past year and a half, with little if any comment from the Siwas."
Billed as the next big thing in kids' entertainment, Dickson speaks with Leigha, her mother Anjie Sanderson, and a number of other sources close to the group, in an effort to unravel the truth.
The Sandersons allege mistreatment, claiming the girls were subjected to verbal abuse from Jessalyn and JoJo, as well as exhausting rehearsal schedules. Throughout it all, the Siwas reportedly fostered a toxic environment that pitted these young girls against each other.
While current members of the XOMG Pop! shared positive testimonials, others close to the group validated Leigha and Anjie’s claims.
For instance, unnamed sources associated with Siwas Dance Pop Revolution noted that “the Siwas and the producers dangled the carrot of stardom in front of the young XOMG Pop! members, only to berate them and encourage them to cry on camera.”
Leigha and Anjie said that things took a turn for the worse when they went from being on the competition show to full-time members of XOMG Pop!
The Sandersons point to a specific incident where Leigha, who has spina bifida, encountered health issues related to her condition. She had started bleeding from her belly button where “Jessalyn told her to put a maxi pad on it, so it wouldn’t leak onto her costume,“ rather than take a break.
Other allegations include unfair pay. The Sandersons allegedly had “to pay out of pocket for food and transportation” and were not compensated appropriately for brand deals and merchandise revenue.
Leigha was ultimately fired from XOMG Pop! in May 2023, after Anjie confronted the other mothers about the “allegedly arduous hours and the erratic school schedule.”
“I had given everything that I had. I had no more friends at home, I had left school,” Leigha says of her departure. “I left it all to go be in this group, just for her to take it away from me like that. It was literally the end of the world.”
While JoJo or Jessalynn have not addressed the claims personally, their legal counsel issued a statement to The Rolling Stone, saying “the allegations are 100 percent provably false.”
All in all, the claims against the Siwas reflect a broader conversation about child labour laws in the creator economy. As family channels exploit their children and young stars use social media for promotional purposes, there is inadequate support for children working professionally online.
“In some respects, the failure of XOMG Pop! in its original incarnation serves as a cautionary tale to aspiring child stars and their mothers, particularly in the digital age,” Dickson concludes. “Though the barrier for entry to the entertainment industry has never been lower, there are few protections for minors working in Hollywood, with few guardrails ensuring them a steady stream of income from their content.”
Read the full story via The Rolling Stone.