Keep scrolling for a new Taylor Swift conspiracy theory that just dropped.
Twitch backtracks on new branded content guidelines after backlash from streamers
Just days after announcing changes to Twitch’s branded content guidelines, the platform has reneged on its new restrictions governing how content creators can monetise their streams.
Earlier this week, Twitch released new branded content guidelines that heavily limited the types of advertisements allowed on broadcasts.
With sponsored streams being a significant revenue source, streamers swiftly retaliated, criticising Twitch's leadership for undermining the creator experience.
According to the new guidelines, streamers would no longer be allowed to insert "burned-in" video, display or audio ads— that is, "pre-recorded commercials that are embedded directly into the stream" through a screencasting app.
As @AlexGLogics explains, "Twitch is focused on shutting down any advertisements that conflict with their own ad units, even if that is at the expense of the creators on their platform."
With burned-in ads prohibited under the new guidelines, streamers could still incorporate on-stream brand logos; however, these logos must be smaller than 3% of the screen size.
Not only would these changes affect the ability of content creators to generate personal revenue, but they also impact other aspects of the platform, specifically charitable and esports streams.
Mega-YouTuber MrBeast shared his thoughts in a series of tweets, writing, "Hey @Twitch, how about instead of handicapping what creators make, you help them make more? Seems more logical."
He also threatened to boycott the platform and move to their biggest competitor, Kick.
Soon after, Twitch took to Twitter to release a statement, acknowledging that the new content guidelines were "overly broad" and that the leadership team "missed the mark with [the] policy language."
The company clarified that "we will not prevent your ability to enter into direct relationships with sponsors" while acknowledging that "[the proposed] guidelines are bad for you and bad for Twitch, and we are removing them immediately."
Read the full story via Centennial World.
Fans blame Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour for “cursing” NBA teams in the playoffs
It seems the internet has moved on from the Kardashian Kurse and is now blaming Taylor Swift and her Eras Tour for the shortcomings of male sports players.
The Eras Tour/NBA playoffs conspiracy theory was first laid out by Reddit user Matt Moses and claims that every city where Taylor made (or will soon make) a stop on tour will be eliminated from the playoffs.
“Phoenix was Swift’s first tour stop back in March; the Suns were eliminated in the second round. In May, Swift stopped in Philadelphia and then Boston. Both cities’ teams were also eliminated: The Celtics eliminated the Sixers, only to fall to the Miami Heat in the conference finals. The New York Knicks were also eliminated in the second round shortly before Swift’s stop in Rutherford, New Jersey. The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers were knocked out in the Western conference semi-finals and finals, respectively, and Swift is set to make stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles later this summer,” writes Kylie Cheung for Jezebel.
Moses posits the “curse” only takes place when the concert and the game are on the same weekend.
This conspiracy theory has since been picked up across mainstream media, including by ESPN on Sunday.
Taylor’s status as a cultural icon, as well as her ability to seemingly make the impossible possible, has contributed to the virality of this conspiracy.
Basically, if any celebrity has the power to influence something as big as the NBA playoffs, it’s obviously Taylor Swift.
While the NBA fandom is shrouded in superstition, many have noted that women are often at the center of these conspiracies— most notably, the Kardashians.
The Kardashian Kurse is a long-running conspiracy theory that suggests “NBA players who date members of the KarJenner family are fated for the worst seasons of their lives, or perhaps even the downfall of their careers more broadly.”
Read the full story via Jezebel.
Is Baby Gronk the new Drip King because he got rizzed up by Livvy?
A niche corner of the internet has seeped into mainstream internet (what does that even mean anymore?) and quickly became a full-on meme because no one has any idea what’s going on.
A nearly incomprehensible TikTok video by h00pify about Baby Gronk stealing Livvy from The Drip King was reshared on Twitter earlier this week, causing the internet to spiral over who these people are and what this “drama” really means.
Baby Gronk (real name Madden San Miguel) is a 10-year-old influencer who is really good at football. He has hundreds of thousands of followers because his father has manufactured an online presence for him as the “next big thing in college football recruiting.”
Livvy (real name Olivia Dunne) is a TikTok star and LSU gymnast who is among the highest-earning college athletes. She posted positively about Baby Gronk in March (as in, she “rizzed him up”) and Baby Gronk’s father used this as an opportunity to jokingly post about them going on dates across social media.
The Drip King is a college lacrosse player and social media personality who had previously been linked to Livvy.
H00pify has been covering this fake drama on TikTok as if it were real and his bizarre reporting style has catapulted it to meme-status. (It goes without saying that h00pify is in on the joke…probably.)
“But h00pify decided to use terms like "rizzed up" and "drip." And this person's face and tone while reading it, I can only describe it as AI trying to read a straight-faced version of a parody of how Gen Z might talk. The TikToks also have weird noises and sound effects, and honestly, this dude has to be doing some weird bit,” writes Tim Marcin for Mashable.
As journalist Kelsey Weekman notes in her Substack, we’re not supposed to know what any of this means, and that’s what makes it funny.
Read the full story via Mashable.
Mark Zuckerberg responds to Apple’s Vision Pro headset
Earlier this week, Apple revealed its mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro, set to release in 2024. After receiving largely positive reviews from tech journalists that have tested the product, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has now commented on his competitor’s new technology.
Just days before Apple’s announcement, Meta previewed the Quest 3, its next-generation mixed-reality headset. Quest 3 features a 40% slimmer and more comfortable design, a higher-resolution display, and up to twice the graphics performance of the Quest 2.
In a company-wide meeting with Meta employees, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Apple’s new Vision Pro headset didn’t present any major breakthroughs in technology that Meta hadn’t “already explored.”
He claimed that Meta's goal with the metaverse is "fundamentally social," whereas the Vision Pro appears to be more isolating. He said that Apple's approach "could be the vision of the future of computing," but is "not the one that I want."
“From what I've seen initially, I'd say the good news is that there's no kind of magical solutions that they have, to any of the constraints on laws and physics that our teams haven't already explored and thought of […] I think that their announcement really showcases the difference in the values and the vision that our companies bring to this, in a way that I think is really important. We innovate to make sure that our products are as accessible and affordable to everyone as possible, and that is a core part of what we do. And we have sold tens of millions of Quests. More importantly, our vision for the metaverse and presence is fundamentally social. It's about people interacting in new ways and feeling closer in new ways. Our device is also about being active and doing things. By contrast, every demo that they showed was a person sitting on a couch by themself. I mean, that could be the vision of the future of computing, but like, it's not the one that I want.”
Despite the hype, some tech enthusiasts are convinced that Apple’s Vision Pro will flop.
“This is not a “revolutionary” gadget, no matter how confident Tim Cook looks when he says it is. It’s a rare misfire, and a sign that Apple is losing its ability to turn tech-geek novelties into normie must-haves. It doesn’t augur the future so much as suggest that Cupertino doesn’t have a clear view forward,” writes Kate Knibbs for Wired.
Journalist Lauren Goode notes that one of the main reasons VP/AR headsets have struggled to become mainstream consumer products in the past is because these devices settle into the face and limit our “sensory organs that are a crucial part of the lived human experience.”
These are devices that intrude into people’s lives as opposed to devices (like an iPhone or MacBook) that add to, or enhance, people’s lives.
Read the full story via The Verge.
The many scandals of Colleen Ballinger
This week's infinite scroll podcast dives into the career and controversies of mega-YouTuber Colleen Ballinger. This episode was inspired by a new exposé by creator and former Colleen Ballinger fan, KodeeRants. We first cover who Colleen is and how her career got started. We then dive into the various scandals she's been involved in from an alleged philanthropy scam to sending a 13-year-old fan lingerie (when she was 30 years old). We finish by exploring the toxicity that Colleen has fostered within her young fandom through alleged manipulation and inappropriate relationships with minors.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.