De-influencing is just spicy consumerism
AirPods Max? Out. Alibaba dupes that will end up in landfill in 3 months? In.
Keep scrolling for why looking “pretty” is out.
MrBeast faces backlash for “curing” 1000 people of blindness
With 131 million subscribers, MrBeast is YouTube’s most popular creator. But questions about the ethical implications of his content are being raised following his latest video.
On Sunday, MrBeast uploaded a video titled “1,000 Blind People See For The First Time” in which he paid for 1,000 surgeries for blind patients around the world.
He also gave away $10K to select patients, $50K to someone about to start college, and a Tesla to a patient who always wanted a car.
This video ignited three main responses from users:
MrBeast is an altruistic hero bestowed upon us to save America.
Why is the American healthcare system so broken that these people had to rely on a wealthy YouTuber to access a 10-minute surgery?
MrBeast’s publicised philanthropy for profit is demonic.
Amid the discourse, Alex Cranz, Managing Editor at The Verge, compared MrBeast to “an early 2010s Elon Musk” because he’s “a wealthy man who loves to market his altruism as entertainment to build himself more wealth.”
“I personally find philanthropy for profit deeply unethical. letting the ultra wealthy decide how money should help others usually ends badly,” he wrote.
The blind community also spoke out against the creator’s decision to use their disability to feed his saviour complex.
MrBeast responded to the backlash by missing the point entirely and then comparing disabled people to investments.
Read more on how MrBeast’s video harms the blind community via Steven Aquino on Twitter.
Why “de-influencing” is not here to stay
De-influencing is TikTok’s latest trend that promises to make a positive impact on our wallets, however, social media experts predict it’s not here to stay.
De-influencing is a new iteration of anti-consumerism, with creators sharing what viral products you shouldn’t buy.
The trend is in direct response to the over-consumption culture that is rampant on TikTok. Instead of sending consumers to an Amazon Storefront, creators on the app are now promoting an intentional approach to shopping, sharing what cult products they regret buying.
Brands that have fallen victim to de-influencing videos include Dior Lip Oils, Olaplex shampoo and conditioners, and Charlotte Tilbury makeup products.
Trend analyst Mandy Lee (@oldloserinbrooklyn) notes that we’ve seen similar trends (like anti-hauls) emerge over the years during times of economic uncertainty.
“De-influencing is more about facilitating a conversation. If I can help sell an idea, a theory, a behaviour that’s going to help somebody be a more conscious shopper or understand fashion better to have the tools to arm themselves with knowledge.”
Strategist Sara McCord echos this belief, noting that this trend is “reactive and not proactive,” and for that reason, it will probably not last for very long. Sentiment towards influencers has been overwhelmingly negative in recent months, but that sentiment will inevitably shift.
Read the full story via Centennial Beauty.
Beauty is about to get a lot weirder
A new piece by Sable Yong for HighSnobiety explores how digital culture has shifted beauty trends from “pretty for pretty’s sake” to creative looks channeled by our mood.
Beauty has long reflected society’s cultural interests. Today, beauty is reflective of the constant pressure to “perform ourselves online.”
“Now that anybody can become a micro-influencer, go viral, and ostensibly jump-start a career by posting on apps, everyday exhibitionism has become a way to validate one’s existence, not to mention secure economic success.”
Unlike older generations, Gen Z is not experimenting with makeup to look “pretty” or fit into the conventional beauty standard. Rather, they’re using makeup to express emotive aesthetics or channel their mood. Think: Euphoria-style makeup, siren-eyes, and the clean girl look.
“While youth and celebrity culture have always been strong determiners of what’s cool in beauty, we’re all coming around to the notion that cosmetics don’t have to be about looking young and fresh […] it’s a subversion that rejects the old narratives of pretty for pretty’s sake in favor of something original.”
Read the full story via HighSnobiety.
Female Twitch streamers speak out against deepfake porn scandal involving their likeness
Twitch’s deepfake porn scandal has led to increased concern over the rise in explicit AI content and its impact on the victims of this technology.
On January 30th, Twitch streamer Atrioc came under fire after he accidentally revealed that he had purchased deepfake porn of several high-profile female streamers.
Deepfake is a technology that relies on artificial intelligence (AI). Through this, internet users can replace the “likeness of one person with another in video and other digital media.”
Female streamers Pokimane, QTCinderlla, and Maya Higa have all spoken out against Atrioc and the rise in AI porn which sexualises people— mainly women— without their consent.
“I have created zero sexual content in my three years on Twitch,” said Maya. “Despite this, my face was stolen so men could make me into a sexual object to use for themselves. If anyone doesn’t think it’s a big deal that MY NAME is in headlines where thousands of people are commenting on the sexualization of MY BODY against MY WILL, you are the problem. This situation makes me feel disgusting, vulnerable, nauseous, and violated, and all of these feelings are far too familiar to me.”
Atrioc gave a tearful apology on stream for creating and consuming x-rated deepfakes of these women, claiming he came across a website offering AI-created porn while browsing Pornhub. He paid for a subscription to view the pictures out of “morbid curiosity”.
This scandal has shed light on the damaging effects of AI-generated porn and explicit images, especially in a space like Twitch where sexual harassment targeting female streamers is already a massive problem.
Read the full story via Jezebel.
Mikayla Nogueira mascara-gate: Different beauty community, same drama
This week’s infinite scroll podcast dives into the Mikayla Nogueira mascara-gate drama. We cover Mikayla’s sponsored video that sent TikTok into a frenzy, the backlash she’s been receiving, the beauty community’s response to this scandal, and three different perspectives on the situation– that of creators, consumers, and advertisers.
Since recording, Mikayla has “responded” to the backlash, which you can find here.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.