In this conversation with Taylor Lorenz, a Washington Post columnist and author of "Extremely Online," the complex evolution of social media is dissected. Lorenz reveals why online work is often undervalued despite being the birthplace of much cultural discourse. The saga of Vine's rise and fall highlights the disconnect between creators and platforms. With the dominance of video formats, she discusses the evolving landscape of content creation and the unpredictable future of social media, including the challenges faced by journalists on platforms like Twitter.
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Vine's Vision
Vine's founders prioritized their artistic vision over the user experience.
This led to tension with content creators and contributed to the platform's downfall.
insights INSIGHT
Online Culture Is Culture
Online culture is simply culture, and it's crucial to take it seriously.
Traditional media often struggles to keep up with the evolving digital world and loses relevance.
insights INSIGHT
Evolution of Online Formats
The internet has progressed from text to photos to video, with each format often bringing new platforms.
The next format is unclear, but the integration of online and offline experiences is a likely direction.
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The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet
Taylor Lorenz
In 'Extremely Online,' Taylor Lorenz provides a comprehensive and deeply reported chronicle of the internet's impact on modern society. The book explores how social platforms' power users have radically altered our expectations of content, connection, purchasing, and power. Lorenz documents the rise of influencers, from 'mommy bloggers' who first monetized their personal brands to teens who reinvented fame through selfie videos and young creators on TikTok who are leveraging new opportunities. The book highlights the disruptive changes in modern capitalism, creating new sectors of the economy and empowering previously marginalized groups, while also discussing the darker aspects of this digital revolution, such as exploitation and disinformation.
We've covered the creator economy a few times on the podcast over the years, but this addition to our historical coverage is more than worth inclusion. Here's what we got into:
All the cool kids are pre-ordering Lorenz's book, which you can find here.
Why online work has always been treated like a sideshow: While culture is often created -- or born -- online, there's a disconnect between historical centers of authority and influence, and where it's bubbling up today.
The rise and fall of Vine: Vine's massive rise and later implosion is a technology story, a startup story, and the saga of how a platform's userbase and its leadership can often be on different pages. In a sense Vine was a warning of what we'd see later on when it came to platforms winding up at odds with the very folks driving attention their way.
New formats, new platforms: It's worth understanding the progression of online influence shifting from text (blogs) to pictures (social media) to video (TikTok, et al). When new formats have come to the fore, they often bring new platforms along with them, or vice versa. Alex wanted to know what might be next!
And we wrapped with quick notes about AI and Twitter, er X, whatever it's called. As always, we're back on Friday with your news rundown. Talk soon!
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.
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