Keep scrolling for the latest way Elon Musk is destroying X.
The Swifties Are at War Over Taylor Swift’s Teen Years
We all know that Taylor Swift is one of the most scrutinised celebrities online. While conversation around Taylor isn’t exactly new, internet users have recently become obsessed with the mythology surrounding her childhood. In a new piece for The Daily Beast, Allegra Frank explores the ongoing discussion, examining how fans and critics alike interpret Swift's upbringing.
Ever since a video of a 16-year-old Taylor resurfaced from a local news segment, the r/travisandtaylor subreddit has engaged in a debate over whether her polished public persona aligns with the young girl in the clip.
The video, depicting a confident teen, contradicts Taylor’s longstanding narrative of being bullied and feeling isolated during her teenage years. This ultimately has led fans and critics to reexamine her self-created mythology.
“This discussion picked up wildly—the thread received more than 1,400 likes and nearly 500 comments—right on the heels of a reported feature from The Sunday Times on Swift’s childhood seems like fated timing,” Frank writes.
While the article didn't reveal any significant surprises, Reddit users were captivated, eagerly analysing and discussing aspects of Taylor's childhood.
“Subreddits on both sides of the aisle—pro-Swift and against her—have found much to discuss, as they pick apart the girl she once was and put her up alongside the woman she is today,” the journalist notes.
Although judging someone based on their past is unfair, Frank notes that Swift's brand is deeply personal, making fans feel like they are entitled to have this discussion.
“Swift has built a career out of intimacy, a desire to know who she is and how she feels, as for her songs to better resonate. And that career began when she was just a teenager,” Frank continues. “It makes sense that we are keen on poring over details of what she was really like during her teen years or moments of normalcy, as they’re what contributed to the makings of a superstar.”
Read the full story via The Daily Beast.
How Video Games Became 'Gendered'
In a recent episode of 'Let The Girls Game,' hosted by Lauren Meisner and powered by Let’s Sing, two Games Studies academics discuss how video gaming became “gendered,” exploring the industry’s transformation into a male-dominated space.
Women and gender-diverse individuals have long faced aggression and misogynistic violence in the gaming world. However, Meisner points to Gamergate as the moment this issue entered the mainstream.
"Gamergaters claimed they were the vanguards of ethical gaming journalism, fighting to “expose corruption” by any means necessary. While critics of the movement believed that Gamergaters used that ideology as an excuse to justify harassing women and progressive voices in gaming," Meisner begins. “Regardless, many high-profile women in gaming received incessant abuse both on and offline.”
While Gamergate worsened existing issues in the industry, podcast guest Dr. Mahli-Ann Butt notes that a significant part of this tension stems from the "gendering of the medium itself."
“Video games in the '70s weren't marketed towards boys or men. They were first marketed towards families. Then, it wasn't until 1983-1984 where there was a massive, what is known as the Video Game Crash of 1983 or also known as the Atari Shock in Japan,” Dr Butt explains.
Soon, the video game industry collapsed by millions of dollars. With this came a shift in gaming culture, as the industry embraced a new direction.
“People needed to be more risk-averse, and this is where things like Nintendo came in with the Seal of Excellence Quality, and marketing were now aimed at children,” she continues.
With increased marketing, the industry had more influence in shaping its gendered dynamics, essentially determining who dominated the space.
“[When] computers were entering the home… at first, people weren't really sure,” Dr. Butt says. “[By] getting people to buy computers to play video games was a good way to market them. That's when they started being marketed towards boys.”
Tune into ‘Let The Girls Game’ on TikTok, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
MrBeast took money from a Koch-linked organization for a YouTube video
Two weeks ago, MrBeast, a.k.a Jimmy Donaldson, became the most subscribed channel on YouTube— finally surpassing Indian music record label and film production company T-Series. While MrBeast is arguably the most successful creator on the platform, Ryan Broderick, in a recent exclusive for Fast Company, reveals who exactly MrBeast is choosing to align himself with.
In a video titled "We Schooled Hundreds of Teachers” on the Beast Philanthropy channel, Stand Together was credited as a major financial sponsor. The video showcases the Ron Clark Academy, a private nonprofit middle school in Atlanta.
“Stand Together was founded by [right-wing billionaire Charles] Koch in 2003 as the Seminar Network, which the New York Times has described as, ‘an array of political and advocacy groups’ supported by wealthy conservatives,” Broderick explains.
Stand Together announced the collaboration through a press release, where Beast Philanthropy representatives praised the organisation's work.
A quote from Beast Philanthropy Executive Director Darren Margolias read: “Stand Together believes exactly the same thing that we do: that when a person believes in themselves, they will accomplish things that they never dreamed that they would be able to.”
While Stand Together may just be providing funding for Beast Philanthropy, Broderick highlights how collaborating with an extremely popular content creator can be an impactful strategy to subliminally push certain messaging.
“Both Charles [Koch] and his brother, David, who died in 2019, have spent decades trying to dismantle public education in America,” he explains. “And working with arguably the biggest content creator in the world on a video about a very successful private school is certainly within the organization’s political interests. “
Of course, MrBeast's philanthropic efforts have been prone to criticism in the past, with his content labelled as "exploitative" or "charity porn." However, aligning with an organisation that has clear political objectives should be concerning for viewers, even if the organisation claims to be neutral.
This is particularly insidious in the case of MrBeast, given how little is publicly known about the operations of the MrBeast company.
“As motivated as Donaldson is to use his massive platform for altruism, little is known about how his corporate structure operates,” Broderick writes. “On the Beast Philanthropy website, it lists a nonprofit corporation, MrCharity, Inc., as the organization’s owner. Per its 2022 tax filing, the bulk of MrCharity’s revenue—more than $10 million—came from contributions, and it spent around $8 million in expenses.”
Nevertheless, with the creator seeking funding from billionaires on X, who is to say how MrBeast’s messaging will change moving forward?
Read the piece via Fast Company.
Who’s Afraid of Skibidi Toilet?
In a recent article for WIRED, Adam Bumas explores the cultural influence of Skibidi Toilet while examining the reactions of those who are unfamiliar with the content.
Skibidi Toilet is a YouTube series on the DaFuq!?Boom! channel, where it quickly became one of the internet’s most popular memes last year.
The series features Skibidi Toilets (animated toilets with human heads) as they battle figures who have CCTV cameras and televisions for heads.
The episodes are typically two to five minutes long. Each have been viewed tens of millions of times.
Since the majority of the series' audience comprises Gen Alpha and Gen Z, Skibidi Toilet has sparked concern among older social media users who have struggled to grasp its premise.
“Its impenetrable nature has raised serious concerns around the world. Some call it a moral outrage, foreign propaganda meant to prey on vulnerable young minds, or even a disease,” Bumas writes. “In a cultural climate where it’s harder and harder to understand trends and popularity, people are searching for an explanation for how singing toilets conquered the world.”
Despite concerns about Skibidi Toilet possibly being propaganda, such fears are unfounded. The series' success hinges on its storytelling, blending modern and nostalgic elements while capitalising on internet humour.
Danah Boyd, a researcher at Microsoft Research tells Bumas that, “It was initially appealing to young people for its utter weirdness…Parents (and many other adults) probably reacted with revulsion, as they’ve done many other times. That revulsion from adults makes it even more appealing to young people.”
On top of this, Skibidi Toilet plays perfectly into Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s obsession with lore. Despite the absence of dialogue, dedicated viewers of the series have pieced together the entire narrative.
“The narrative of Skibidi Toilet isn’t communicated directly, but that only adds to its intrigue for many viewers, especially younger ones who are used to having to put in extra work to get the full picture,” Bumas continues.
While there are (somewhat valid) concerns over Skibidi Toilet’s addictive nature, there are far more worrisome things on the internet for Gen Alpha to come across.
Read the story via WIRED.
The Embarrassing Reason Elon Musk Is Hiding Likes on X
Now for the latest way that Elon Musk is ruining X (RIP Twitter). This week, the platform has made likes private, eliminating the ability to view likes from other profiles. Alex Kirshner for Slate explores the rationale behind this decision and what it means for the future of the platform.
When Musk took over Twitter, he made it clear he wanted to champion free speech and take a stand against wokeism (whatever that means). Since then, X has become the safest place on the mainstream side of the internet for racist, misogynistic, and anti-Semitic commentary.
The decision to private likes is just the latest extension of this mission, where Musk and his team maintain that public likes minimise free expression — thanks to social desirability bias.
However, as Kirshner notes, Musk's intentions may be more nefarious. Privatising likes helps hide the flood of bots that continue to dominate the platform.
“The much likelier driver of the change is the embarrassing morass of spam, bots, and platform manipulation filling the void on Musk’s X,” Kirshner writes. “And by hiding information about who likes a post, Musk has made it easier to obscure his mess.”
With likes serving as a social utility function on social media—allowing users to express approval and brands to measure engagement—the user experience on X continues to deteriorate. Hiding likes is just another attempt by the platform to maintain the illusion of functionality.
As legitimate companies withdraw advertising dollars from X, and dodgy businesses take their place, ”These failures dovetail with one another in a way that had to make it appealing to shield the identities of accounts that like posts,” Kirshner explains.
Ultimately, as Musk attempts to cover up the mess he created, manipulation and inauthentic influence campaigns are popping up across the app more than ever.
“Hiding who likes a post is just one more step in making it more difficult to sift through the garbage,” he concludes.
Read the piece via Slate.