Taylor Lorenz’s Power User

The MLM industry has rebranded for the TikTok era. Now, instead of hawking LuLaRoe leggings, women are paying $500 for PDFs on how to become micro influencers. 
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The "hustle economy" is no longer about selling essential oils or leggings to your neighbors. A new wave of multi-level marketing-style schemes has taken over Instagram and TikTok.
Digital courses specifically targeting young mothers with the promise of "passive income" and "financial freedom" by becoming a content creator have become pervasive. 
In this episode, I sit down with Caroline Moss (founder of "Gee Thanks, Just Bought It") to break down how content creation became the new digital pyramid scheme. We expose the dark reality of the influencer economy, the rise of Faceless Marketing scams, and why so many women are buying $500 PDFs just to turn around and sell that same PDF to someone else.
We talk about influencer saturation, the use of ChatGPT to write generic "chaos mama" scripts, the rise of "course core" and the heartbreaking reality that most of these creators are making absolutely zero dollars.  
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In This Video:
The evolution of MLMs.

Why "Faceless Marketing" is the new trap for introverts.

Selling courses about selling courses.

The role of ChatGPT in generating low-quality influencer content.

Why viral views don't equal a paycheck.

The psychology of targeting stay-at-home moms.

The origins of the mommy blogger world, Heather Armstrong aka "Dooce"

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For a decade, r/LiveStreamFail (LSF) has been the "beating heart" of Twitch culture, but at what cost? 
One former reddit moderator went viral recently for posting a wild video addressed to Reddit's CEO, where he talks about the secret power he wielded in his role as moderator of Livestream Fail, a subreddit that catalogs news about the biggest streamers on Twitch for the parasocial fans who follow their every move. 
But how did the Livestream Fail subreddit emerge, how did it become so influential, and how has its role in online culture evolved? Journalist Steven Asarch joins me to answer these questions. He's been covering the world of Livestream Fail for a decade. 
From Destiny, to Asmongold, to Hasan Piker, LSF helps Twitch scandals break through on Elon Musk’s X ecosystem. Steven and I discuss how this viral clip culture actually works and how it can be weaponized. We talk about how the subreddit evolved from an "edgelord paradise" centered on Ice Poseidon to a political weapon used against progressive and women creators. 
Steven explains the subreddit's origins and lore, and we reveal the truth about "clip farming," how billionaires are paying for right-wing rage bait, and how 30-second clips are fueling the alt-right pipeline. 
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The Internet as we know it is on trial. A major suit claiming social media addiction could give the government unprecedented power.
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A landmark lawsuit in California claims that social media giants like Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat are intentionally designing their platforms to be addictive, causing severe mental health issues in minors. But is this really about protecting children, or is it a backdoor to destroy the free and open web? Experts say this lawsuit would set a dangerous legal precedent that gives the government total authority to regulate, censor, and control online content.
I sat down with journalist Liz Nolan Brown to break down the bellwether case that could end Section 230 protections and force Big Tech to work with the government to censor the internet like never before. We discuss the controversial claims of "social media addiction," the lack of scientific evidence linking apps to depression, and why this moral panic is similar to that surrounding the telephone decades ago.
Ultimately, this lawsuit is about who controls the internet and whether the government should have the power to control 100% of what we see and read online. 
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Topics covered:
The "Kagome" lawsuit against Meta, Google, and TikTok

Does social media cause depression and anxiety?

The threat to Section 230 and free speech

Why "design defects" are the new legal weapon

The history of moral panics in technology

 online privacy and surveillance

government control of the internet

China is winning the culture war: From "galvanized square steel" to drinking hot water, why is the entire internet suddenly looking more Chinese?
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Over the past year, a massive cultural shift has taken place. From China-maxxing memes to TikTok migrations, Chinese tech, culture, and lifestyle have become aspirational in a way no one could have predicted a decade ago. 
Twitch streamer and pop culture commentator Caroline Kwan joins me to break down how and why the internet became Chinese.
We discuss what these memes actually mean, and why US politicians are panicking. We talk about the TikTok ban, RedNote, Chinese tech dominance, cultural soft power, high speed rail, American decline, surveillance hypocrisy, and why Gen Z no longer believes what they were told.
We also talk about why American propaganda on China is collapsing in real time, and what that says about the future of politics, culture, and power in the 21st century.
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Topics Covered:
"China Maxxing" and "You met me at a very Chinese time" memes.

Why Gen Z is moving to Red Note (Xiaohongshu) after the TikTok ban.

The contrast between US infrastructure (crumbling) and China (high-speed rail).

The truth about the "Made in China" stigma vs. modern quality.

Why US anti-China propaganda is backfiring.

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Last week, Brooklyn Beckham, the 26 year old son of Victoria and David Beckham, posted a 7 slide essay on Instagram Stories, accusing his parents of controlling his entire life and disrespecting his wife Nicola Peltz. Immediately, he was hit with a tidal wave of backlash.
Right wingers have pounced on this drama, with Candace Owens, House in Habit, and others pushing the idea that Nicola Pelz is yet another "Meghan Markle" and that Brooklyn is "Prince Harry 2.0," yet another privileged son being manipulated by an evil woman into betraying his family.
Kat Tenbarge joined me to break down what Brooklyn actually said, how tabloids and influencers are distorting the story, why Nicola Peltz was instantly cast as the villain, and what it reveals about how society reacts when men set boundaries with powerful families.
We discuss boy mom culture, media manipulation, and why cutting off family still triggers moral panic. We also talk about how PR machines operate, how smear campaigns are constructed, and why the public constantly blames women for men's choices. 
While this seems like your standard celebrity drama, it actually reveals a lot about how our culture treats men, the normalization of gender-based violence and how propaganda works in the digital age. 
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