Keep scrolling for how BookTok got an entire novel series removed from sale.
This week’s edition of infinite scroll is brought to you by the Game of Thrones x Pandora collection. Shop the collection, now available in store and online.
MrBeast is upset that people are weirded out by his charity videos (again)
In the Garbage Day Substack, Ryan Broderick breaks down why mega-YouTuber MrBeast is facing backlash for his philanthropy videos and why he always complains about it.
Last week, MrBeast posted a video titled “I Built 100 Wells In Africa,” where his team built wells across Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Somalia, and Cameroon.
After posting the video, MrBeast (somewhat preemptively) defended himself and his philanthropy-style content.
“I already know I’m gonna get canceled because I uploaded a video helping people, and to be 100% clear, I don’t care,” MrBeast posted on X. “I’m always going to use my channel to help people and try to inspire my audience to do the same.”
While MrBeast seems to believe he’s getting “cancelled” for “helping people,” the backlash is actually because he creates charity porn optimised to go viral so as many people as possible can watch him Do Good. Viewers have started questioning his intentions, claiming he has a white saviour complex and “exploits” people in need for profit and views.
Broderick points out that when creators reach a certain level of virality, internet users tend to grow sceptical of their authenticity.
“We’ve never had a creator get this big, this consistently viral, and be this digitally native before. And it turns out, if your entire gimmick is going viral, it starts to make people really uncomfortable” Broderick writes.
He goes on to characterise MrBeast as “unnaturally viral,” where the YouTuber’s rise only came when he shifted from making gameplay videos to creating stunt-based content. As a result, users see his philanthropic efforts as a relatively transparent attempt to stay relevant.
“At this point, we all know that making purely viral content and chasing audience-agnostic mass appeal, as MrBeast does, requires, in some sense, being a complete sociopath with no concept of what it means to artistically or creatively express something,” Broderick says. “Traffic is all he seems to want or care about. If he truly cared about philanthropy, for instance, why not just do it and never film it? Well, that’s because philanthropy is just another type of viral content for him.”
Read Broderick’s full analysis via Garbage Day.
Should publications hire stan journalists?
Gannett, one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States, has officially brought a Swiftie journalist on board. And while there is no denying that Taylor is a cultural force, the concept of a “stan journalist” is giving people the ick.
Award-winning reporter Bryan West is USA Today’s official Taylor Swift correspondent— covering anything from the singer-songwriter’s relationship with Travis Kelce to The Eras Tour.
There is definitely a demand for Taylor Swift updates (Pop Crave has proven that much). However, readers are questioning whether West, as a self-proclaimed Swiftie, will be able to remain objective in his reporting.
“The problem with the Taylor Swift reporter hire is that Gannet hired a full stan, rather than someone who is capable of being critical of one of the most powerful people in pop culture,” Benjamin Goggin, deputy tech editor for NBC News, shared in an X thread.
Goggin goes on to note that hiring a “stan journalist,” like West, shows how “social media has poisoned parts of the media,” with honesty coming second to “positive coverage.”
Many X users seem to agree with Goggin’s takes— questioning why USA Today needs a dedicated Taylor Swift reporter when other pop culture journalists could cover the singer.
In a similar vein, many women have taken issue with West snagging the job. As a 35-year-old man, it is safe to say he isn’t the typical Swiftie.
Meanwhile, some Taylor Swift enthusiasts believe the critiques levelled against West are too harsh.
These users claim that stans can be (and often are) critical of their faves, asking readers to give West a chance.
Nevertheless, many have noted that the criticism against the “stanification“ of reporting is representative of music journalism and not specific to West.
Read Goggin’s full thread via X.
TikTok creators are coming for BookTok-famous author Tillie Cole
Although BookTok is known for sharing reading recommendations, this corner of TikTok is no stranger to controversy. While the drama usually goes down between BookTok creators, this time, TikTok users are directing their criticism at the author, Tille Cole.
Cole penned BookTok-staple A Thousand Boy Kisses, but she is currently being criticised for her 2019 dark romance novel, Darkness Embraced.
The book is the seventh instalment of Cole’s ‘Hades Hangmen Series’ and chronicles the love story of characters Tanner Ayers and Adelita Quintana.
Tanner is the “heir of the Texas Ku Klux Klan,” while Adelita is “the daughter of the most brutal cartel boss in Mexico.”
With a white supremacist organisation at the heart of the novel, internet users are criticising Cole for romanticising such a group and using it to propel the plot forward.
Many have found fault with Cole’s language, pointing out that Darkness Embraced (as well as the entire series) is rife with racist and anti-Semitic expressions.
TikTok user @urbae92 posted excerpts from the novel, questioning why “nobody said anything” sooner. They also shared positive reviews about the book, shocked that many people have endorsed and enjoyed the novel.
Darkness Embraced held a score of 4.33 out of 5 on Goodreads at the time.
Cole has issued a statement on her Instagram, apologising to those she may have "hurt" and declaring the ‘Hades Hangmen Series’ will no longer be available for sale.
Nevertheless, as a significant number of TikTok users continue to rally behind Cole, it becomes apparent that BookTok is failing to platform novels that meaningfully capture the lived experience of racial minorities.
“Almost every author who has found life-changing success via the platform — six- and seven-figure book deals, weeks and months spent on best-seller lists, headline-making movie contracts — is white,” Tyler McCall writes for The Cut.
Read the full breakdown via Centennial World.
TikTok’s $1 billion creator fund is shutting down
In more TikTok news, the platform’s Creator Fund is shutting down after three years.
TikTok launched the Creator Fund in 2020, allocating $1 billion in spending over a three-year period.
“We're launching the TikTok Creator Fund to encourage those who dream of using their voices and creativity to spark inspirational careers,” a July 2020 release from the TikTok newsroom reads. “[The fund will] help support ambitious creators who are seeking opportunities to foster a livelihood through their innovative content.”
Over the years, TikTok users claimed that the fund chronically underpaid creators. In some cases, TikTokers received only a few dollars for videos with millions of views.
Starting December 16, TikTok’s Creator Fund will be discontinued in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany. However, it will still be available in Italy and Spain.
All users currently enrolled in the Creator Fund may upgrade to the Creativity Program Beta— TikTok’s new fund that rewards “high-quality, original content longer than one minute.”
"We developed the Creativity Program based on learnings and feedback from the Creator Fund, and we'll continue listening and learning from our community as we develop new ways to reward creators and enrich the TikTok experience,” the TikTok website reads.
Read more about the Creator Fund via The Verge.
Camps teaching kids to be YouTubers are cropping up across the United States
A new piece by Taylor Lorenz for The Washington Post breaks down a recent phenomenon in the United States: the rise of content creation summer camps.
Lorenz spent a week at Creator Camp in Katy, Texas, asking the attendees (aged 6-13) about their experience and why they love the viral space.
Creator Camp was founded by a group of young creators who wanted to help kids “develop a healthy relationship with technology, one that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.”
Creator Camp has excelled since its establishment in 2022, attracting up to 1,300 campers at 11 locations across Texas, with plans for further expansion next year.
As Lorenz notes, the growing demand for Creator Camp is a testament to the booming interest in the online creator industry across all ages.
“Nearly 30 percent of kids ages 8 to 12 listed ‘YouTuber’ as their top career choice in a global survey conducted in 2019 by the Harris Poll and toymaker Lego — more than three times those who picked “astronaut,” Lorenz writes.
Attendees are taught technical skills like video editing, storyboarding, scripting videos and, of course, vlogging. They can also use green screens, costumes, lighting equipment, whiteboards and iPads.
As for why children want to attend Creator Camp, many of them see YouTube “as a path to self-expression and social success — as well as fame and fabulous wealth.”
“I think of myself being happy doing YouTube….YouTube gets you to do things that you were never able to do before,” one camper tells Lorenz.
If there's one clear message from Creator Camp, it's that Gen Alpha is eager to dive into the creator economy and the world of content creation
Read the full piece via The Washington Post.
Emma Chamberlain, ‘Anything Goes’ Criticism & Why Audiences Outgrow Influencers
This week’s infinite scroll podcast explores the evolution of Emma Chamberlain and why her audience is now saying they’ve started to outgrow her. In recent weeks, TikTok and YouTube have been flooded with videos from Emma’s fans criticising some recent episodes of her podcast, 'Anything Goes', and saying they feel like Emma’s takes are becoming increasingly out of touch. This criticism came to a head in late October after a TikTok went viral saying that Emma should go to college to develop her critical thinking skills– sparking a debate amongst her fans about the creator’s long-standing reputation as Gen Z’s “relatable” influencer.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.