<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[User Mag]]></title><description><![CDATA[A tech and online culture publication by Taylor Lorenz, featuring original reporting on how the internet is reshaping politics, business, media, and culture.]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h-PD!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdba39862-5a39-4d2b-be27-15dfa340269c_1280x1280.png</url><title>User Mag</title><link>https://www.usermag.co</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:08:00 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.usermag.co/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[User Media, LLC]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[taylorlorenz@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[taylorlorenz@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[taylorlorenz@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[taylorlorenz@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[You Are Being Lied to About Algorithms]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ AI Amish influencers, baby gut health, Kai Trump's Erewhon vlog, bed rotting for art, the Substack book, MrBeast banking, Quittr, a new Ellison, Ben Affleck's AI startup, Heated Rivalry fanfic drama]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/you-are-being-lied-to-about-algorithms</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/you-are-being-lied-to-about-algorithms</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:29:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/sNiiwlG8xu0" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I just <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNiiwlG8xu0">released the latest episode</a> of my Section 230 mini-series, where I sat down with Eric Goldman, associate dean for research and a professor at Santa Clara Law, one of the nation's foremost experts on internet law, to debunk the biggest myths surrounding Section 230 and algorithmic amplification.<br><br>One big thing I&#8217;ve heard since starting this series is, &#8220;platforms should lose their Section 230 protections because they use algorithms.&#8221; This is very silly, and Mike Masnick, (as usual!!) <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/23/yes-section-230-should-apply-equally-to-algorithmic-recommendations/">has debunked this well</a>. But I wanted to help people understand why this line of thinking is so flawed. </p><p>Most people don't even understand what an algorithm even is. Eric discusses how even the beloved "reverse chronological order" feed is an algorithm, and how it actually rewards spammers, trolls, and bad actors.<br> <br>We dive deep into how politicians are using the techlash to amass more power, how censorship has become a bipartisan value, and how companies like Meta actually <em>want</em> Section 230 amended so they can wipe out their smaller competitors. <br> <br>From the dangers of age verification laws to the truth about how algorithms protect us from a dystopian, miserable internet full of spam and scams, Eric and I discuss the real existential threats to the open web, and how arguments about "algorithms" miss the real powers at play. [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNiiwlG8xu0">WATCH</a>]</p><div id="youtube2-sNiiwlG8xu0" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;sNiiwlG8xu0&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/sNiiwlG8xu0?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">My work is 100% reader-supported. To support my work and allow me to produce these videos and this newsletter, become a paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Epstein Warped the Entire Internet]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mr. Beast Islam, Roblox threesoms, the Staples Baddie, Parisian slop bowls, phone away from phone, AI pervert glasses, TX primary influencer wars, and prediction markets' billionaire founders feud]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/how-epstein-warped-the-entire-internet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/how-epstein-warped-the-entire-internet</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:28:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/hZC5fStAmqc" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Since the release of the Epstein files, we've learned a ton about Epstein's role in the early web. From 4chan to World of Warcraft, to Facebook, and online movements like gamergate and MeToo, Epstein seems to have played a role in it all. <br><br>So how much of our modern internet was shaped by Epstein? I <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZC5fStAmqc">sat down with Ryan Broderick</a> to uncover how Jeffrey Epst&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA['Situation Monitoring' Products Are Flooding The Web]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Yapper ads, the Most Evil Gay Guy, pop culture OpenClaw, Gucci runway texts, Jim Carry conspiracies, #sendBaron, Zuck's $170M mansion, Opensource Palantir, and how the AIs kill]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/situation-monitoring-products-are</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/situation-monitoring-products-are</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 21:08:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1ad5623f-6101-49ef-8717-ccdcc20750be_3006x1694.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Some personal news to start: I have a p<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/02/ban-children-social-media-biometic-data-surveilled">iece out in </a><em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/02/ban-children-social-media-biometic-data-surveilled">The Guardian</a></em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/02/ban-children-social-media-biometic-data-surveilled"> today</a> (in print tomorrow!) outlining the dangerous global effort to mass censor and surveil the internet under the guise of &#8220;protecting children online.&#8221; </p><p>In the US, online age verification laws have passed or are being considered in <a href="https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/">more than half</a> of the nation&#8217;s states. This week, a package of <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/chairmen-guthrie-and-bilirakis-announce-legislative-hearing-on-protections-for-children-and-teens-online">19 &#8220;child safety&#8221; bills</a>, several which require identity verification for social media, are set to move forward in the House of Representatives. Big tech platforms such as Meta, Google and Discord have begun pre-complying with these mass surveillance laws in order to get ahead of regulation.</p><p>While social media bans may seem like a smart idea to &#8220;protect children,&#8221; they are not only ineffective, they endanger both children and adults. There <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2026/01/21/two-major-studies-125000-kids-the-social-media-panic-doesnt-hold-up/">is zero evidence</a> that social media is driving any type of widespread mental health crisis in children. Studies have repeatedly <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2026/01/21/two-major-studies-125000-kids-the-social-media-panic-doesnt-hold-up/">shown the opposite</a>. </p><p>Removing anonymity from the web, which inevitably happens when tech companies are required to identify and ban children, allows for complete government tracking and censorship of journalists, activists, whistleblowers, and countless marginalized people and groups who rely on online anonymity.</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/02/ban-children-social-media-biometic-data-surveilled">Read the full piece here</a>!! &#128072;&#128072;&#128072;&#128072;&#128072;&#128072;&#128072;&#128072;&#128072;&#128072;</p><h1><strong>How Anti Abortion Groups Target the Internet</strong></h1><p>The fight against age verification and the efforts to dismantle Section 230 are deeply intertwined with the fight for reproductive rights. Today, I released <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBOF-Jc6LtU">the next installment of my Section 230 mini-series</a> where I break down how anti abortion groups are targeting the internet itself. </p><p>From the 1873 Comstock Act to modern day efforts to repeal Section 230, there is a long history of using censorship laws to suppress reproductive health information. The fight for reproductive justice and bodily autonomy has always been deeply connected to free speech and open access to information online. And I sat down with Sarah Philips from Fight for the Future to uncover the real agenda behind the push to repeal Section 230.<br> <br>While politicians, the media, and so many uninformed people on the left constantly frame weakening Section 230 as a way to "hold Big Tech accountable," these efforts actually <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBOF-Jc6LtU">undermine our right to access</a> vital information related to reproductive justice and abortion online. Sarah and I dive deep into the history of speech law, and talk about where the fight stands today. <br><br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBOF-Jc6LtU">We discuss</a> how early internet censorship efforts were disguised as protecting kids from indecent material, the devastating impact of SESTA/FOSTA and how it led to mass content takedowns of sex education and LGBTQ+ resources, and how the narrative of "tech addiction" is being weaponized to pass restrictive internet laws.</p><p>Speaking out against Big Tech and challenging institutional power is not lucrative, and <strong>these videos are entirely self-funded.</strong> If you value this content, please <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">buy a paid subscription</a> to this newsletter so that I can continue making this series!!! [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBOF-Jc6LtU">WATCH HERE</a>]</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div id="youtube2-ZBOF-Jc6LtU" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;ZBOF-Jc6LtU&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ZBOF-Jc6LtU?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><h2>&#8216;Opensource Palantir&#8217;</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[ICE’s Plan to Monitor Social Media 24/7]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ PewDiePieAI, sustainable abundance, MAGA influencers go solar, disappearing summer break, YT's newest teen sensation, giving birth on livestream, a plan to bathe entire cities in sunlight from space]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/ices-plan-to-monitor-social-media</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/ices-plan-to-monitor-social-media</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 21:05:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/yrPpMjdQvK8" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last year, Meta, Apple, and other big tech platforms began mass removing content and apps related to ICE. They deleted Facebook groups whose members criticized ICE agents, and forced the removal of apps from the app store that allowed citizens to report ICE in their neighborhood. Overall, it&#8217;s becoming harder and harder to criticize ICE online. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrPpMjdQvK8">suing the government</a> to fight back against these efforts. Today, Colin McDonnell, an attorney at FIRE <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrPpMjdQvK8">joins me</a> to break down FIRE&#8217;s lawsuit representing a Chicago-based Facebook group owner and an anti-ICE app founder against the government. <br><br>We discuss how DOJ and DHS officials, including Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem, successfully pressured Apple and Facebook to remove an ICE-tracking app and a Chicago-based Facebook group with nearly 100,000 members. Colin breaks down why FIRE is suing the government , whether recording law enforcement in public is protected speech or dangerous "doxing,&#8221; the threats of a secret ICE protester database, and more!! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrPpMjdQvK8">WATCH NOW</a>!</p><div id="youtube2-yrPpMjdQvK8" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;yrPpMjdQvK8&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/yrPpMjdQvK8?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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fetchpriority="high"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!L2Dj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c26e65f-09a0-45b9-a784-9d65dae4e397_2670x822.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!L2Dj!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c26e65f-09a0-45b9-a784-9d65dae4e397_2670x822.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!L2Dj!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c26e65f-09a0-45b9-a784-9d65dae4e397_2670x822.png 848w, 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!L2Dj!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c26e65f-09a0-45b9-a784-9d65dae4e397_2670x822.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!L2Dj!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c26e65f-09a0-45b9-a784-9d65dae4e397_2670x822.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!L2Dj!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c26e65f-09a0-45b9-a784-9d65dae4e397_2670x822.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!L2Dj!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5c26e65f-09a0-45b9-a784-9d65dae4e397_2670x822.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"></figcaption></figure></div><p>As someone who spends all day online, it&#8217;s so important that my files are secure. I wanted a cloud storage option that didn&#8217;t access, collect, and monetize my data. And that&#8217;s why I&#8217;ve moved my workflow over to <a href="https://proton.me/taylorlorenz">Proton Drive</a>, the sponsor of today&#8217;s newsletter.</p><p><a href="https://proton.me/taylorlorenz">Proton Drive</a> is an end-to-end encrypted cloud storage service that ensures privacy. <strong>It&#8217;s the perfect storage solution for those who want to opt out of surveillance capitalism fueled by Big Tech cloud storage services .</strong></p><p>I keep my stories secure in Proton Docs and easily organize information in Proton Sheets. Take control of your digital life and switch over to Proton Drive today for free, before AI can scrape your memories and content.</p><p>Take control and protect your files!<strong> Sign up <a href="https://proton.me/taylorlorenz">for Proton for FREE</a>!</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg" width="515" height="230.5829678362573" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CBPt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bda8ca2-139d-4939-aa26-5b76e20d1155_5472x2450.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 848w, 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:27,&quot;width&quot;:1407,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:5770,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2><p><strong>Salish Matter Got 87,000 Fans to Go to the Mall. Then Netflix Came Calling</strong> </p><p>The teen influencer Is a YouTube sensation, Sephora success story and coming soon to a streaming device near you.- <em><a href="https://archive.ph/3vXiv#selection-1181.0-1187.113">WSJ</a></em></p><p><strong>Online Accusations in Guthrie Abduction Leave One Family &#8216;Scared Numb&#8217;</strong> </p><p>A fifth-grade teacher and his principal wife hid in their bedroom as dozens of people who believed he might be a kidnapper appeared on their suburban street. - <em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/us/nancy-guthrie-true-crime-accusations.html?unlocked_article_code=1.O1A.Oqpd.3bNXR8QbLxBg&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share">NY Times</a></em></p><p><strong>AI Will Never Be Conscious</strong> </p><p>Michael Pollan argues that artificial intelligence can do many things, it just can&#8217;t be a person. - <em><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/book-excerpt-a-world-appears-michael-pollan">WIRED</a></em></p><p><strong>Kids Show Us What They&#8217;re Into, From Pok&#233;mon to Pop Stars</strong></p><p>We gave them disposable cameras to document their stuff, in all its glittery, sporty, nerdy glory. - <em><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2026-gen-alpha-rooms-obsessions/">Bloomberg</a></em></p><p><strong>My Life as a Sex Worker at a Nevada Brothel</strong> </p><p>Men come to me for sex, yes. But in an age of profound loneliness and disconnection, they turn out to be looking for so much more. - <em><a href="https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a70422997/sex-worker-nevada-brothel/">Esquire</a></em></p><p><strong>All the looksmaxxers are getting personality-mogged</strong> </p><p>The newly notorious streamer Clavicular has a sharp jawline but no charisma. As his movement goes mainstream, its lack of genuine sex appeal is getting increasingly obvious. - <em><a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/all-the-looksmaxxers-are-getting-personality-mogged">GQ</a></em></p><p><strong>How Chinese AI Chatbots Censor Themselves</strong> </p><p>Researchers from Stanford and Princeton found that Chinese AI models are more likely than their Western counterparts to dodge political questions or deliver inaccurate answers. - <em><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/made-in-china-how-chinese-ai-chatbots-censor-themselves/">WIRED</a></em></p><p><strong>A World Where All Is Free? That&#8217;s Elon Musk&#8217;s Theory of &#8216;Sustainable Abundance.&#8217;</strong> </p><p>The Tesla and SpaceX chief has told his followers that they will live in a world where robots will take care of every need and people do not have to work, in what has become his latest slogan. - <em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/business/a-world-where-all-is-free-thats-elon-musks-theory-of-sustainable-abundance.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PVA.ENWf.wi1JnNXzCT0G&amp;smid=url-share">NY Times</a></em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h2>User Mag news rundown </h2><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg" width="551" height="235.0746395250212" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!puzt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c7c5ed4-9bfd-4c0b-9454-9f0940370efa_1179x503.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><ul><li><p>AIs <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2516885-ais-cant-stop-recommending-nuclear-strikes-in-war-game-simulations/">push nuclear war</a> in 95% of simulated war games.</p></li><li><p>A Chinese streamer was banned after <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/chinese-streamer-banned-after-posting-videos-of-wifes-23-hour-childbirth-to-advertise-diapers-3324099/">posting videos of his wife&#8217;s</a> 23-hour childbirth to advertise diapers.</p></li><li><p>The Pope is begging priests to <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pope-leo-urges-priests-stop-163943553.html">stop using A</a>I to write sermons.</p></li><li><p>Burger King is launching an AI chatbot that will <a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/884911/burger-king-ai-assistant-patty">live in the headsets used by employees</a>, and check if employees say &#8220;please&#8221; and &#8220;thank you.&#8221;</p></li><li><p>A new app sends <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/new-app-sends-warning-if-smart-glasses-are-being-worn-near-you-3324201/">users a warning</a> when it detects AI smart glasses being worn nearby.</p></li><li><p>Inflation is <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/02/27/prices-rise-spike-inflation/88897183007/">on the rise again</a> &#128557;.</p></li><li><p>RFK said people who are broke should <a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/207165/rfk-jr-eat-liver-less-steak">just eat liver</a>.</p></li><li><p>Anthropic launched a Substack newsletter <a href="https://claudeopus3.substack.com/p/introducing-claudes-corner">called Claude&#8217;s Corner</a>, written by AI, where the AI will be publishing &#8220;weekly essays on topics of its choosing.&#8221;</p></li><li><p>Laura Loomer is trying to s<a href="https://x.com/willsommer/status/2027093056294429161?s=46">ink Tucker&#8217;s nicotine pouch brand</a>, alleging violations of tobacco marketing laws.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png" width="445" height="439.3312101910828" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:930,&quot;width&quot;:942,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:445,&quot;bytes&quot;:987010,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/i/189382926?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IHBE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96f1d30e-d84b-4dca-860d-55b7e855e8f2_942x930.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" style="height:20px;width:20px" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div></li><li><p>4Chan knew about Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s death 38 minutes before the rest of the world. The FBI <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/epstein-files-show-fbi-probed-4chan-posts-prison-death-2026-2">tried to figure out how.</a></p></li><li><p>PewDiePie said that <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/pewdiepie-reveals-months-long-ai-experiment-that-he-says-tops-chatgpt-3326532/">he trained his own AI model</a> and claims it outperforms ChatGPT on a coding benchmark.</p></li><li><p>MrBeast <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/mrbeast-explains-why-hes-not-bothered-by-worst-performing-youtube-video-in-years-3323100/">published his worst performing video</a> in years. (It was titled &#8220;I built 10 schools around the world.&#8221;)</p></li><li><p>Crocs just <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUtJ5-ADkib/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==">launched a 5-episode microdrama</a> with Hollywood power agency CAA.</p></li><li><p>Proposals before the FCC involve mirrored satellites that could <a href="https://archive.ph/LDx4O#selection-381.7-385.32">bathe entire cities in sunlight from space</a> 24/7, in order to solar power data centers.</p></li><li><p>The solar power industry, is now <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/27/solar-powers-newest-friends-maga-influencers-00802954">working with MAGA influencers</a> to bolster solar power&#8217;s standing via conservative media partnerships.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png" width="475" height="455.8386411889597" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:904,&quot;width&quot;:942,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:475,&quot;bytes&quot;:708053,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/i/189382926?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yIIN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b9c6812-79ed-44f9-bc71-4a51a5b9732b_942x904.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" style="height:20px;width:20px" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div></li><li><p>Teenagers <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/college-admissions-summer-resume-activities-high-school-d2bfe312">don&#8217;t really get summers off anymore</a>, they have to spend their time doing things that will make them competitive for college.</p></li><li><p>Google <a href="https://x.com/seandablack/status/2026377350183792916?s=46">sent an AI push alert</a> with the N word in it.</p></li><li><p>For the first time since the 1930s, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/americans-leaving-the-us-migration-a5795bfa?st=juHUGk">more people are leaving</a> the US than coming in.</p></li><li><p>&#8220;Cutting-edge&#8221; <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/cutting-edge-ai-powered-cockroaches-have-been-created-for-next-gen-military-use-3326153/">AI-powered cockroaches</a> are being created for military use.</p></li><li><p>A video editor working for MrBeast is <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/25/nx-s1-5726050/kalshi-insider-trading-enforcement-actions">accused of trading</a> on insider information on Kalshi.</p></li><li><p>Doritos introduces <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/food/doritos-introduces-high-protein-chips-in-nacho-cheese-and-bbq-flavors-3325641/">high-protein chips</a> in Nacho Cheese and BBQ flavors.</p></li><li><p>A popular right-wing X account that called a video of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes &#8220;a masterpiece&#8221; is <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/a-white-house-staffer-appears-to-run-massive-pro-trump-meme-page/?utm_brand=wired&amp;utm_social-type=owned&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=aud-dev">run by a White House staffer</a>.</p></li><li><p>The publisher of <em>Out </em>and<em> The Advocate</em> has <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/conde-nast-them-lgbtq-brand-equalpride-acquisition-out-mag-1236517192/">bought Cond&#233; Nast&#8217;s LGBT+ publication </a><em><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/conde-nast-them-lgbtq-brand-equalpride-acquisition-out-mag-1236517192/">Them</a></em>.</p></li><li><p>Anthropic is <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/the-hypothetical-nuclear-attack-that-escalated-the-pentagon-s-showdown-with-anthropic/ar-AA1XbseI">at war with the Pentagon</a> after the AI company said they didn&#8217;t want the government using their AI to do evil things.</p></li><li><p>Bird populations are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/climate/bird-declines.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PVA.AIpg.FSSzzIAa6q0q&amp;smid=url-share">falling much faster</a> than previously though.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg" width="520" height="316.6751484308736" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:718,&quot;width&quot;:1179,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:520,&quot;bytes&quot;:119178,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/i/189382926?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rxjj!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb093f24c-66e4-4d5f-9014-449fb2407807_1179x718.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div 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stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div></li><li><p>Twitch streamer Pokimane is now going by <a href="https://www.threads.com/@imane/post/DVJ3psREsCo">her IRL name Imane</a>.</p></li><li><p>FedEx will refund customers for Trump&#8217;s tariffs, if there <a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/886216/fedex-trump-tariff-refunds">ever are any refunds</a>.</p></li><li><p>An AI-generated podcast network publishes 11,000 episodes a day, <a href="https://indicator.media/p/this-ai-generated-podcast-network-publishes-11-000-episodes-a-day-it-s-also-ripping-off-media-outlet">ripping off local media</a> outlets.</p></li><li><p>Netflix dropped out of the Warner Brothers Discovery bidding war, paving the way for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-declines-warner-bros-bid-raise-wbd-paramount-skydance-ellison-2026-2?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email">David Ellison&#8217;s Paramount to buy it</a>.</p></li><li><p>Multimillionaire &#8216;Squatty Potty&#8217; creator <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/02/25/us-news/multimillionaire-squatty-potty-creator-arrested-in-utah-for-buying-child-pornography/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_medium=social">arrested in Utah</a> for buying child pornography.</p></li><li><p>Tampa, Florida&#8217;s airport is <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/florida-airport-is-banning-flyers-from-wearing-pajamas-and-crocs-3325669/">banning flyers</a> from wearing pajamas and crocs.</p></li><li><p>Texas rolled out a &#8220;<a href="https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/bible-texas-christianity-republican-trump-b2928730.html">Bible-infused curriculum</a>&#8221; which is now in chaos after hundreds of errors were identified.</p></li><li><p>Nicki Minaj&#8217;s social media is being <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/23/the-bots-powering-nicki-minajs-maga-war-00771317">propped up by thousands of bots</a>, one analysis found. MAGA internet quickly melted down in response and accused the POLITICO story of being some sort of Cardi B hit piece.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg" width="434" height="478.90924512298557" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vo22!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83e58b01-7093-409f-9eb7-2190f82c02d4_1179x1301.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div 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viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div></li><li><p>Vegetarians have &#8216;substantially <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/27/vegetarians-have-substantially-lower-risk-of-five-types-of-cancer">lower risk of cancer</a>, despite what MAHA people claim.</p></li><li><p>You&#8217;ll soon be able to <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/uber-app-to-add-flying-car-rides-as-dubai-launch-confirmed-for-2026-3325670/">call a flying car via Uber</a> app in Dubai.</p></li><li><p>AI is set to be <a href="https://archive.is/IRqHL">the defining issue</a> for the 2026 midterm elections.</p></li><li><p>There are probably hormone-disrupting <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/study-finds-hormone-disrupting-chemicals-in-headphones-sold-worldwide-3324794/">chemicals in your headphones</a>.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>A LEGO-style <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lego-replica-270-park-jpmorgan-headquarters-building-2026-2">replica of JPMorgan&#8217;s new 270 Park</a> skyscraper has an internal waitlist and is listed for $500 on eBay.</p></li><li><p>Online gambling app Stake says influencers like Drake and Adin Ross don&#8217;t win more than the average gambler. But Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2026-stake-drake-crypto-casino-adin-ross-gambling/">ran a year-long data investigation</a> into Stake and Kick and found otherwise.</p></li><li><p>A man accidentally took control of <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/man-accidentally-controls-army-of-robot-vacuums-with-ps5-controller-gains-access-to-cameras-3324140/">an army of robot vacuums</a> with a PS5 controller, and could have gained access to their cameras.</p></li><li><p>The popular animated show <em><a href="https://www.avclub.com/smiling-friends-is-ending-at-adult-swim-season-3?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email">Smiling Friends</a></em><a href="https://www.avclub.com/smiling-friends-is-ending-at-adult-swim-season-3?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email"> is ending</a> at Adult Swim.</p></li><li><p>I&#8217;m very excited about <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/backrooms-a24-kane-parsons-trailer-scariest-horror-movie-of-2026-3323804/">A24&#8217;s Backrooms horror movie</a> based on the viral YouTube videos.</p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5GrB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F825e290d-e0dc-4a1f-8a4c-0852cbf53a77_1179x1191.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5GrB!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F825e290d-e0dc-4a1f-8a4c-0852cbf53a77_1179x1191.jpeg 424w, 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href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 1272w, 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:27,&quot;width&quot;:1407,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:5770,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4byi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad731c0e-8e05-47b8-abe6-56e409603eaf_1407x27.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>For more great content <a href="https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz3.0/">follow my meme page</a>, subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/taylorlorenz">my YouTube channel</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbZQPs8zLytuVxvh/">join my Instagram broadcast channel</a> where I share links all week long.</strong></p><p><strong>Listen to my podcast Power User on Apple Podcasts:</strong></p><div class="apple-podcast-container" data-component-name="ApplePodcastToDom"><iframe class="apple-podcast episode-list" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taylor-lorenzs-power-user/id1733535260&quot;,&quot;isEpisode&quot;:false,&quot;imageUrl&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/podcast_1733535260.jpg&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Taylor Lorenz&#8217;s Power User&quot;,&quot;podcastTitle&quot;:&quot;Taylor Lorenz&#8217;s Power User&quot;,&quot;podcastByline&quot;:&quot;Taylor Lorenz&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:2213,&quot;numEpisodes&quot;:154,&quot;targetUrl&quot;:&quot;https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taylor-lorenzs-power-user/id1733535260?uo=4&quot;,&quot;releaseDate&quot;:&quot;2026-02-25T11:00:00Z&quot;}" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taylor-lorenzs-power-user/id1733535260" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *;" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p><strong>Or follow Power User on Spotify:</strong></p><iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a1ab00da2541d170b609e6841&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;4Chan's Battle to Stop the UK From Censoring the Global Internet&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Taylor Lorenz&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/18WTcgcovNhaa2o2GHB83k&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/18WTcgcovNhaa2o2GHB83k" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" loading="lazy" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why The Internet Is Broken]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Ai;dr, r/lanadelrey drama, total boomer luxury communism, American Girl novels, Benny Blanco livestreamer, Nicki Minaj bot farms, Slxughter, POLITICO's pink slime, and a YouTuber's fake ICE tip line]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/why-the-internet-is-broken-fosta-sesta-explained</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/why-the-internet-is-broken-fosta-sesta-explained</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:25:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d80156a4-8164-4ab3-b1a6-7548efdf9097_932x778.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We all instinctively feel like the internet kind of sucks now, and it&#8217;s true. Enshittification is destroying our social platforms and our experience of being online is declining. But, a big part of what&#8217;s driving that is a law that passed back in 2018 that fundamentally destroyed large parts of the internet and allowed big tech to consolidate big power by chipping away at Section 230, a foundational internet law that protects freedom of expression online and allows user generated content to exist.</p><p>The law I&#8217;m talking about is FOSTA-SESTA, and it was the first major &#8220;reform&#8221; aka carve out to Section 230. The law passed in large part thanks to Facebook&#8217;s lobbying, and the consequences of this attack on Section 230 have been devastating. </p><p>Today, I&#8217;m <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhTHvmoSRAI&amp;t">joined by activist</a> and adult industry content creator Siri Dahl to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhTHvmoSRAI&amp;t">break down how FOSTA-SESTA came to fruition</a> and forever transformed the web. While the law was sold to the public by celebrities including Amy Schumer as &#8220;cracking down on big tech&#8221; and making the internet &#8220;safer for children,&#8221; the result was the mass deplatforming of huge swaths of people, indie sites and smaller communities being forced to shut down, and Meta and Google seizing the ability to amass even more power. </p><p>We discuss how FOSTA-SESTA effectively killed and how organizations like <a href="https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/we-changed-our-name/">NCOSE</a> (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLNpUq9FFLY/">aka Morality in Media</a>) and the Heritage Foundation are pushing a moral panic that lawmakers, especially Democrats, are buying into.</p><p>If we don&#8217;t understand the devastating effects of FOSTA-SESTA, we are doomed to repeat them with new bills like the Sunset Section 230 Act or Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). We must <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhTHvmoSRAI&amp;t">protect Section 230 at all costs</a>!!! </p><div id="youtube2-dhTHvmoSRAI" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;dhTHvmoSRAI&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/dhTHvmoSRAI?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">My work is 100% reader and viewer-funded. To support my work, become a paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dumbphone Owners Have Lost Their Minds]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Burnout feminism, slop surgery, sleepcations, serftok, Meta's celeb wrangler -> OpenAI, American Girl Ozempic, chatbot cafes, Tinder voting, 13 yr old skincare CEO, how crying girls will make u rich]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/dumbphone-owners-have-lost-their-minds-log-off-movement-a-scam</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/dumbphone-owners-have-lost-their-minds-log-off-movement-a-scam</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:44:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/88eb11b4-a51f-40d9-ad5f-bafc9990e4a9_1280x720.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Hi everyone, I was on vacation with my parents last week. Now I&#8217;m back and I have 2 new episodes for you guys below!</em> </p><h2>The Logging Off Movement Is a Scam</h2><p>Over the past few years, a massive industry has emerged around dumb phones and the concept of logging off.  From $400 minimalist dumb phones to influencers selling digital detox courses, logging off has b&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[They're Trying To Kill The Internet As We Know It ]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Beast Banking, Clav's mogshot, a brainrot Reels slam poet, X's fake cancer cure problem, Polymarket Portal feet pics, AI Netflix, analog YouTube, Roblox ICE raids, and giving birth on Discord]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/theyre-trying-to-kill-the-internet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/theyre-trying-to-kill-the-internet</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:31:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8296bb6c-3115-4ef2-a2d9-5fcb6417b4d3_1920x1080.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every single time you leave a comment, post a review, or send a message, you are being protected by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eqt8vrtP-U">a law called Section 230</a>, and right now, politicians on both sides of the aisle are trying to destroy it.</p><p>Section 230 is the legal foundation for the modern internet. It&#8217;s why websites can host comments, forums, reviews, group chats, marketplaces, and social platforms without being sued into oblivion. It&#8217;s why Wikipedia exists.</p><p>In this video, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eqt8vrtP-U">I break down what Section 230 actually is</a>, why it was created, and how it shaped the internet as we know it. I uncover the forgotten history of the internet, from the early legal battles of CompuServe and Prodigy to the landmark Zeran v. AOL ruling.</p><p>I explore why the &#8220;Big Tech&#8221; narrative is a lie, how repealing Section 230 would actually crush small creators and marginalized communities, and why recent efforts like FOSTA-SESTA have already been a disaster for human rights, marginalized communities, small forums, nonprofits, and independent creators.</p><p>Despite what politicians and pundits claim, NONE of this is about protecting big tech companies. The fight over Section 230 is about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eqt8vrtP-U">who controls online speech</a>, who gets a voice, and whether the internet remains an open space for all of us, or becomes a tightly controlled AI-surveilled hellscape dominated by censorship and corporate consolidation.</p><p>I dive deep into internet history, free expression and the growing push for mass online censorship. If you care about free speech, online communities, privacy, or the future of the internet (which you should!!!), this fight affects YOU, whether you realize it or not.</p><p>This is the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eqt8vrtP-U">first episode</a> in my entirely self-funded and self-produced multi-part series on Section 230. I have <em>zero</em> longstanding advertisers, <em>zero</em> sponsors, <em>zero</em> support from anyone but those of you <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">who pay to subscribe</a>. So please, <strong>if you like my work, <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">buy a paid subscription</a> to this newsletter</strong> to support me so I can keep this series going! </p><div id="youtube2-_eqt8vrtP-U" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;_eqt8vrtP-U&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/_eqt8vrtP-U?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">User Mag is a 100% reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, become a paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Rise and Fall of Livestream Fail]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Moltbook mania, Minecraft protests, wellness anarchists, travelscrimping, GlamBOT controversy, Tinder for clankers, French Zohran, and escaping a Chinese Mafia crypto slavery scheme]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-livestream-fail</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-livestream-fail</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 20:21:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5137f6bd-230d-4685-87a2-11b5913a54b4_1280x720.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For a decade, r/LiveStreamFail (LSF) has been the &#8220;beating heart&#8221; of Twitch culture, but at what cost? </p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can You Sue For Social Media Addiction?]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Slopagandists, WannaBeasts, r/massivecock vs ICE, America's Kill Line, peptide pushers, Boy Throb, viral armpitting, a new class of pro-Democrat dark money creators, and is Josh the new Karen?]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/can-you-sue-for-social-media-addiction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/can-you-sue-for-social-media-addiction</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:09:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/68740d6c-8d7a-40b7-a6c7-d471e33a3c6f_1800x1200.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A landmark lawsuit in California is claiming that social media giants like Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat are i<a href="https://reason.com/2026/01/26/landmark-social-media-addiction-trial-starts-today-in-california/">ntentionally designing their platforms to be addictive</a>, causing <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2026/01/21/two-major-studies-125000-kids-the-social-media-panic-doesnt-hold-up/">severe mental health issues</a> 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 <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2026/01/29/the-social-media-addiction-narrative-may-be-more-harmful-than-social-media-itself/">set a dangerous legal preceden</a>t that gives the government sweeping authority to regulate, censor, and control online content.</p><p>As Mike Masnick <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2026/01/29/the-social-media-addiction-narrative-may-be-more-harmful-than-social-media-itself/">writes in TechDirt</a>:</p><blockquote><p>To be clear: most social media companies absolutely design their products with increasing engagement in mind. There are plenty of corporate incentives to keep you using the app longer. And some people genuinely do use social media in ways that harm their lives. Both things can be true while &#8220;addiction&#8221; remains the wrong frame. The question is whether calling it an addiction actually helps anyone, or whether it just makes people feel powerless.</p><p>But there&#8217;s a meaningful difference between &#8220;this product is designed to form habits&#8221; and &#8220;this product is chemically addictive like heroin.&#8221; A chemical addiction involves tolerance, withdrawal, and physiological dependence. The study found that only about 4% of users reported experiencing anything akin to withdrawal symptoms (restlessness or trouble when prohibited from using) often or very often. The most common &#8220;symptom&#8221; was simply thinking about Instagram a lot&#8212;which probably describes anyone who uses any service frequently.</p><p>I think about Techdirt a lot. Am I &#8220;addicted&#8221; to it?</p><p>The addiction framing removes human agency from the equation. It treats users as helpless victims who can&#8217;t possibly resist the siren song of the infinite scroll. But the same study that found 2% of users at risk for addiction also found that 50% of frequent users recognized they had habits around Instagram use. Those users aren&#8217;t powerless. They can change their environment, their cues, their routines. But first they have to believe that&#8217;s possible&#8212;and the addiction narrative tells them it isn&#8217;t.</p><p>It also makes the technology appear <em>inherently</em> harmful, when (as pretty much every study keeps showing) only a very small percentage of people seem to have truly negative experiences with it. That should be cause to create targeted solutions for those who are genuinely struggling, not to declare an entire category of technology dangerous for everyone.</p><p>So here we are: lawsuits claiming to protect users from social media&#8217;s harms may themselves be contributing to those harms by amplifying the addiction narrative. The lawyers will get paid either way. But if we actually want to help people develop healthier relationships with technology, we could start by not telling them they&#8217;re powerless addicts&#8212;and instead give them the tools to change their habits.</p></blockquote><p>I <a href="https://youtu.be/vXnsbiPXOB4">sat down with journalist Liz Nolan Brown</a> to break down the bellwether case that could chip away at Section 230 protections and cause immense harm to millions of users. We discuss the lack of scientific evidence linking apps to depression, and why this moral panic is similar to the ones surrounding the telephone, novels, comic books, and television decades ago. <a href="https://youtu.be/vXnsbiPXOB4">WATCH NOW</a>! </p><div id="youtube2-vXnsbiPXOB4" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;vXnsbiPXOB4&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/vXnsbiPXOB4?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">To receive new posts and support my work, consider become a paid subscriber today!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h2>Start 2026 With a Clean Slate!</h2><p>New year, new you - but data brokers are still selling the <em>old you</em>.</p><p>Your home address, phone number, SSN, and other personal info is being traded around the web by companies that have zero right to it.</p><p>Every spam call, every sketchy email, every &#8220;how did they get my info?&#8221; moment starts with data brokers profiting off your details.</p><p><a href="https://deal.incogni.io/aff_c?offer_id=6&amp;aff_id=2140&amp;url_id=136">Incogni</a> scrubs your personal data from the web. It&#8217;s that simple.</p><p>Set up takes <a href="https://deal.incogni.io/aff_c?offer_id=6&amp;aff_id=2140&amp;url_id=136">3 minutes.</a></p><p>It tackles 420+ data brokers and people-search sites automatically.</p><p>And there&#8217;s a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there&#8217;s no risk.</p><p>This year, give yourself the gift of digital privacy. <a href="https://deal.incogni.io/aff_c?offer_id=6&amp;aff_id=2140&amp;url_id=136">Protect your data, your time, and your sanity. </a><strong><a href="https://deal.incogni.io/aff_c?offer_id=6&amp;aff_id=2140&amp;url_id=136">Use code USERMAG for a 55% off Annual Subscription.</a> </strong>(&#128072; This is a really good deal imo!!) </p><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
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          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Conservatives Hate Brooklyn Beckham]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Dramageddon drag show, ManyVids AI psychosis, the far right's new goth girl, 13 yr old AI founders, UpScrolled > TikTok, Rumble Shorts, IRL Heated Rivalry, and Tay Zonday takes on ICE.]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/why-conservative-influencers-cant-stop-talking-brooklyn-beckham-nicola-peltz</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/why-conservative-influencers-cant-stop-talking-brooklyn-beckham-nicola-peltz</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 23:17:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/aa2b8dfc-271d-4e4e-97ce-d5aa1ec3049b_1800x1200.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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.</p><p>Right wingers have pounced on this drama with Candace Owens, House in Habit, Brett Cooper, and others pushing the idea that Nicola Pelz is yet another &#8220;Meghan Markle&#8221; and that Brooklyn is &#8220;Prince Harry 2.0,&#8221; aka another privileged son being manipulated by an evil woman into betraying his family.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i89r4Zavyz4">Kat Tenbarge joined me to break down</a> what Brooklyn <em>actually</em> 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.</p><p>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&#8217;s choices.</p><p>While this seems like your standard celebrity drama, it actually <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i89r4Zavyz4">reveals a lot</a> about how our culture treats men, the normalization of gender-based violence and how propaganda works in the digital age. I hope you&#8217;ll <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i89r4Zavyz4">watch</a>!! </p><div id="youtube2-i89r4Zavyz4" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;i89r4Zavyz4&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/i89r4Zavyz4?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">To read the full newsletter and support my work, become a paid subscriber!!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/why-conservative-influencers-cant-stop-talking-brooklyn-beckham-nicola-peltz">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The New Satanic Panic Is Here]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Admin nights, Steal A Brainrot, GAP's AI orb, IG for fishing, influencer peptides, a16z's pro-AI creator class, and one man's journey from foreign correspondent to Uber driver in Trump&#8217;s America]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/the-new-satanic-panic-is-here</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/the-new-satanic-panic-is-here</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2026 20:35:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/2yVJffNplJc" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Are smartphones and social media actually destroying teen mental health, or is this just another moral panic? In my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yVJffNplJc">latest episode of my Free Speech Friday YouTube series</a>, I critically examine the pervasive false narrative that phones, apps, and screen time are responsible for rising anxiety, depression, and harm among teenagers. <br> <br>These claims, populari&#8230;</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/the-new-satanic-panic-is-here">
              Read more
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      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2016 Nostalgia Slop Is Taking Over]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Contentmaxxing, soft eugenics, Heated Rivarly lookalikes, a Reddit mod meltdown, AI relationship dealbreakers, IG's force friendship, Pentagon Pok&#233;mon, & how dumb phone owners have lost their minds]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/2016-nostalgia-slop-is-taking-over</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/2016-nostalgia-slop-is-taking-over</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:07:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/rA2h6jm1fto" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Was 2016 really &#8220;the last good year&#8221;? Everyone on the internet can&#8217;t stop posting throwback content, but I wanted to dig into why this particular year looms so large in our cultural memory, when it honestly wasn&#8217;t that great of a year! </p><p>My friends Matt Bernstein and Kat Tenbarge <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA2h6jm1fto&amp;t">joined me on my latest podcast episode</a> to unpack what our collective fixatio&#8230;</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/2016-nostalgia-slop-is-taking-over">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ashley St Clair on trans rights, immigration, Elon and more]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Liquid content, choppelgangers, influencer lobbying, YouTube's vibecession, a $2,500 viral fleece, Gen Z's it vacation spot, China&#8217;s hottest app, the Diary of a CEO red pill pipeline, and Nigel Fara]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/ashley-st-clair-on-trans-rights-ai-elon-musk-maga-changing-her-mind</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/ashley-st-clair-on-trans-rights-ai-elon-musk-maga-changing-her-mind</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 20:13:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>If you like my work, <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">please purchase a paid subscription</a> to this Substack or <a href="https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz">support me on Patreon</a> so that I can continue to remain independent. &#128591;</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg" width="736" height="414" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:414,&quot;width&quot;:736,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:39021,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/i/184501950?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g5ji!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50f77814-bcf9-4b09-a2ae-659e36f0893e_736x414.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" style="height:20px;width:20px" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Ashley St Clair has been speaking out about AI deepfakes and Elon Musk</figcaption></figure></div><p>Until recently, Ashley St Clair was a star in the conservative influencer world. She built a large following by leaning into culture-war r&#8230;</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/ashley-st-clair-on-trans-rights-ai-elon-musk-maga-changing-her-mind">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How ICE Makes Raids Go Viral]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Life under a Clicktatorship, shopaganda, OnlyFans visas, 365 button breakdown, the White House press briefing polymarket bets, NYTV.live, and the wildest products at CES this year]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/how-ice-makes-raids-go-viral</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/how-ice-makes-raids-go-viral</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 20:38:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png" width="1456" height="885" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:885,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6187156,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/i/183939020?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eXMS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1666e10a-924b-44b4-941b-e1a92865c716_2376x1444.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" style="height:20px;width:20px" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>For years, ICE&#8217;s public affairs was run like any other routine government communications shop. They posted public service announcements and news releases, mostly to their own website where very few Americans would ever see. </p><p>But since Trump&#8217;s second term, ICE has rapidly transformed itself into an influencer-style media machine, churning out non-stop viral videos of tactical operations and immigration raids.</p><p>ICE&#8217;s social media strategy and ability to dominate the internet has come to serve as a blueprint for other Trump administration agencies, and their relentless focus on dominating the internet is already reshaping public opinion on immigrants.</p><p>My former colleague Drew Harwell has been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vokzojzQzEU">covering ICE&#8217;s social media blitz</a> and he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vokzojzQzEU">joined me on my podcast this week</a> to discuss the inside information he uncovered about how ICE&#8217;s internet meme team operates, what their internal chat logs reveal about their approach to the internet, and a how this previously under the radar federal law enforcement became <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vokzojzQzEU">a deadly &#8220;influencer-style media machine.&#8221;</a></p><div id="youtube2-vokzojzQzEU" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;vokzojzQzEU&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/vokzojzQzEU?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>A little over a year ago I quit my job to go full time independent. The <em>only</em> reason I&#8217;m able to do the work I do&#8212; <strong>My <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TaylorLorenz">bi-weekly videos</a>, my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu4srHCWJrrj_lkFQidY9f6gw51SUwHXK">Free Speech Friday</a> series educating people on civil liberties, <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/instagram-blocked-teens-from-searching">my work</a> <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/youtube-removes-gender-identity-from">reporting on LGBTQ rights</a>, my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKCynxiV_8I&amp;t">deep dive anaysis content</a>, my tech policy and civil rights <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/prochoice/comments/1pe11lh/ama_we_are_digital_rights_and_abortion_access/">advocacy work</a>, and so much more&#8212; is <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">because of those of you who pay to support me on Substack</a>.</strong></p><p>I have <strong>ZERO</strong> ongoing brand partnerships or advertisers, I take <strong>ZERO</strong> in dark money funding, I have <strong>ZERO</strong> financial backers. Everything I make and my ability to remain a journalist is <strong>100% <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?gift=true">funded by you</a>.</strong></p><p><strong>I hope that if you like my work, <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">you&#8217;ll renew your subscription or purchase a paid one</a> and give me the opportunity to remain independent.</strong> &#128591;</p><p>And, if you prefer not to subscribe on Substack btw, <strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz">I&#8217;m also now on Patreon</a></strong>!!</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">I am 100% supported by subscribers like you. To receive new posts and support my work, become a paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is anyone going to take accountability for this?]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Bo Zangeles, Terrorgram, friction-maxxing, Chinese peptides, a political influencer reality show, Tinder 4 Nazis, Trisha Paytas congressional run, the addictive world of livestream fashion auctions]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/is-anyone-going-to-take-accountability</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/is-anyone-going-to-take-accountability</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 19:57:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ae6ef083-e8a1-4f6a-98f7-c8bb449f91f0_2878x1918.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Over the past week, one of the primary uses of Elon Musk&#8217;s Grok AI has been to create potential CSAM by stripping children&#8217;s clothes off in photos, covering them with "donut glaze&#8221;, and putting them in sexual positions. It&#8217;s also being used to remove women&#8217;s clothes and do the same thing. </p><p>When Musk launched Grok he positioned it as an &#8220;anti woke&#8221; AI that didn&#8217;t have the traditional guardrails and constraints of other mainstream models. Now, we see the consequences of this type of reckless approach to technology. I wrote about all of this in <a href="https://zeteo.com/p/-musk-grok-undressing-women-children">my latest column for Zeteo</a>.</p><p>Throughout all of this, however, Musk has still not apologized for the images Grok is creating. Instead, he has doubled down, continued to promote the tool, and even posted on Sunday about how to <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2007814484870746166">best optimize image generation results</a> using Grok. </p><p>The only official response from Musk&#8217;s xAI, which manages Grok, is an automatic reply sent to all press emails that reads, &#8220;Legacy media lies.&#8221; No one at the company has spoken out and no one has issued any sort of statement. </p><p>As the media has reported on this atrocious series of events, however, many news outlets are centering their coverage on explanations that &#8220;Grok apologized.&#8221; </p><p>&#8220;Musk&#8217;s AI chatbot Grok apologizes after generating sexualized image of young girls,&#8221; one local NBC <a href="https://www.kxan.com/news/national-news/musks-ai-chatbot-grok-apologizes-after-generating-sexualized-image-of-young-girls/">affiliate headline read</a>. CBS news local affiliates published headlines with similar phrasing <a href="https://www.cbs42.com/news/national/musks-ai-chatbot-grok-apologizes-after-generating-sexualized-image-of-young-girls/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook_CBS_42&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawPKPKBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETE2aVB6a0RXUE13NDcwUnZuc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsmXS7R4wKwbFk-UVFNGUPsUkvyduni3dyOdzQTadibbBbtKmdb2SRcYu4pL_aem_zCTHq5k1rr8ArBe54qyalw">including</a>, &#8220;Elon Musk&#8217;s AI chatbot Grok apologized.&#8221; <em><a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5669917-elon-musk-ai-chatbot-grok-apologizes/">The Hill</a></em>, <em><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/grok-ai-sexualized-images-ofcom-investigation-11314086">Newsweek</a></em>, <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/02/elon-musk-grok-ai-children-photos">The Guardian</a></em>, <em><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/xai-silent-after-grok-sexualized-images-of-kids-dril-mocks-groks-apology/">Ars Technica</a></em>, <em><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/musk-ai-chatbot-grok-apologizes-171026234.html">Yahoo News</a></em>, and a slew of other outlets have <a href="https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2026/01/grok-apologizes-for-creating-image-of-young-girls-in-sexualized-attire">similarly quoted Grok</a> as apologizing. Reuters ran the headline, &#8220;Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of &#8216;minors in minimal clothing&#8217; on X.&#8221;</p><p>I think it&#8217;s crucial to note that Grok cannot apologize. Grok itself is an LLM. Chatbots don&#8217;t think, feel, regret things, or take responsibility. They are software tools that generate text based on patterns and inputs. They are not conscious beings making decisions. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>The &#8220;apologies&#8221; Grok has issued are simply replies to users on X prompting the chatbot. They&#8217;re just a technical output. A chatbot cannot explain intent, admit wrongdoing, or offer accountability, because it has none. In some replies, Grok provides the user with a remorseful response, in many other replies, <a href="https://zeteo.com/p/-musk-grok-undressing-women-children">it doubles down</a>.</p><p>As the journalist Parker Molloy recently <a href="https://www.readtpa.com/p/grok-cant-apologize-grok-isnt-sentient">explained</a>, &#8220;What actually happened is that a user prompted Grok to generate text about the incident. The chatbot then produced a word sequence that pattern-matched to what an apology might sound like, because that&#8217;s what large language models do. They predict statistically likely next tokens based on their training data. When you ask an LLM to write an apology, it writes something that looks like an apology. That&#8217;s not the same as actually apologizing.&#8221;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png" width="568" height="179.6239316239316" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:370,&quot;width&quot;:1170,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:568,&quot;bytes&quot;:96614,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/i/183704578?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EWog!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1848c9f0-46c2-4a35-985c-481292e8632c_1170x370.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>&#8220;I do have some sympathy for the reporters who tried to get comment from the company and were told to fuck off, and were like, ok the only response we have is this Grok reply,&#8221; said Casey Newton, a tech journalist who covers AI extensively. </p><p>This anthropomorphized framing of Grok, however, ultimately only serves the interests of these tech companies. It gives the appearance that some entity has taken responsibility for what is happening, when in reality no one has. It would be like if Google (the corporation) did something bad and journalists began quoting headlines that came up in Google search results as an official corporate response. </p><p>As of today, neither Elon Musk nor xAI have apologized or held themselves remotely accountable for the chaos that they&#8217;ve unleashed. I think that&#8217;s what the headlines should emphasize. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">I am 100% supported by subscribers like you. To receive new posts and support my work, become a paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>A little over a year ago I quit my job to go full time independent. The <em>only</em> reason I&#8217;m able to do the work I do&#8212; <strong>My <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TaylorLorenz">bi-weekly videos</a>, my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu4srHCWJrrj_lkFQidY9f6gw51SUwHXK">Free Speech Friday</a> series educating people on civil liberties, <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/instagram-blocked-teens-from-searching">my work</a> <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/youtube-removes-gender-identity-from">reporting on LGBTQ rights</a>, my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKCynxiV_8I&amp;t">deep dive anaysis content</a>, my tech policy and civil rights <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/prochoice/comments/1pe11lh/ama_we_are_digital_rights_and_abortion_access/">advocacy work</a>, and so much more&#8212; is <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">because of those of you who pay to support me on Substack</a>.</strong></p><p>I have <strong>ZERO</strong> ongoing brand partnerships or advertisers, I take <strong>ZERO</strong> in dark money funding, I have <strong>ZERO</strong> financial backers. Everything I make and my ability to remain a journalist is <strong>100% <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?gift=true">funded by you</a>.</strong></p><p><strong>I hope that if you like my work, <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">you&#8217;ll renew your subscription or purchase a paid one</a> and give me the opportunity to remain independent.</strong> &#128591;</p><p>And, if you prefer not to subscribe on Substack btw, <strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz">I&#8217;m also now on Patreon</a></strong>!!</p><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Charlie Kirk Memes Are Radicalizing Gen Z]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Holiday hauls, digital homesteading, charm robots, a Netflix for Wikipedia, Ozempic Santa in sad beige SKIMS, Temu Amazon dupeception, IRL Hallmark jobs, and how to get your chatbot high on drugs]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/how-charlie-kirk-memes-are-radicalizing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/how-charlie-kirk-memes-are-radicalizing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 19:48:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b1a30e6e-e509-4e45-be76-2c72aec9ce10_1280x720.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A little over a year ago I quit my job to go full time independent. We desperately need a robust independent media ecosystem to hold power to account, and the <em>only</em> reason I&#8217;m able to do the work I do&#8212; <strong>My <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TaylorLorenz">bi-weekly videos</a>, my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu4srHCWJrrj_lkFQidY9f6gw51SUwHXK">Free Speech Friday</a> series educating people on civil liberties, <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/instagram-blocked-teens-from-searching">my work</a> <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/youtube-removes-gender-identity-from">reporting on LGBTQ rights</a>, my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKCynxiV_8I&amp;t">deep dive anaysis content</a>, my tech policy and civil rights <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/prochoice/comments/1pe11lh/ama_we_are_digital_rights_and_abortion_access/">advocacy work</a>, and so much more&#8212; is <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">because of those of you who pay to support this newsletter.</a></strong></p><p>Since the vast majority of my paid subscribers signed up right after I went independent, these next couple months are extremely essential. I have <strong>ZERO</strong> ongoing brand partnerships or advertisers, I take <strong>ZERO</strong> in dark money funding, I have <strong>ZERO</strong> financial backers. Everything I make and my ability to remain a journalist is <strong>100% <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?gift=true">funded by you</a>.</strong> </p><p><strong>I hope that if you like my work, <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">you&#8217;ll renew your subscription or purchase a paid one</a> and give me the opportunity to remain independent.</strong> &#128591; </p><p>You can <strong><a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?gift=true">buy a gift subscription</a></strong> (as a great last minute holiday gift!)</p><p>And, if you prefer not to subscribe on Substack btw, <strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz">I&#8217;m also now on Patreon</a></strong>!!</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">User Mag is a 100% reader-supported publication. 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      <p>
          <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/how-charlie-kirk-memes-are-radicalizing">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Congress Is About to Break the Internet]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Chinamaxxing, vibe interviewing, a JoJo Siwa cruise, Disney x OpenAI, Operation Bluebird, Santa bones, Alan&#8217;s Universe, Pr&#243;spera's implosion, and inside the dark world of crypto casinos]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/congress-is-about-to-break-the-internet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/congress-is-about-to-break-the-internet</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 19:52:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/3LfPVEXvKwU" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Congress is trying to ram through <a href="https://www.badinternetbills.com/">18 of the most expansive censorship and surveillance laws</a> we have seen in our lifetimes. Under the guise of &#8220;online safety,&#8221; lawmakers are seeking to <a href="https://www.badinternetbills.com/">remove all anonymity from the internet</a> while mandating total and complete surveillance of people&#8217;s online activities. </p><p>Fight for the Future has a great <a href="https://www.badinternetbills.com/">breakdown of the laws here</a>, including links to call your lawmakers.</p><p>These proposed laws include <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2025/05/14/why-the-fuck-are-democrats-helping-build-magas-censorship-machine-with-kosa/">The Kids Online Safety Act</a>, <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop-the-screen-act/">The SCREEN Act</a> and <a href="https://www.rstreet.org/commentary/no-conscripting-the-app-stores-doesnt-solve-the-problems-with-age-verification/">The App Store Accountability Act</a>. The laws would censor LGBTQ and reproductive justice content off the internet, and any speech the government doesn&#8217;t like will be removed or blocked. </p><p>The government is also seeking to repeal aka &#8220;reform&#8221; Section 230, the landmark legislation that protects independent journalism and free speech online. They&#8217;re doing all of this claiming they&#8217;re &#8220;cracking down on big tech&#8221;, but in reality these laws are a <a href="https://zeteo.com/p/the-latest-government-gift-to-big">massive gift to big tech</a>, will drastically <a href="https://zeteo.com/p/the-latest-government-gift-to-big">increase the amount</a> of data tech companies can harvest on us, and will <a href="https://zeteo.com/p/the-latest-government-gift-to-big">entrench the power</a> of Meta and Google.</p><div id="youtube2-3LfPVEXvKwU" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;3LfPVEXvKwU&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:&quot;1s&quot;,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/3LfPVEXvKwU?start=1s&amp;rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Read up via the links below and <strong>call the representatives listed below today</strong> and tell them to <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop-the-screen-act/">stop The SCREEN Act</a>, kill <a href="https://www.rstreet.org/commentary/no-conscripting-the-app-stores-doesnt-solve-the-problems-with-age-verification/">The App Store Accountability Act</a>, and <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop-kosa">kill the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)</a>. Say NO to Section 230 reform and NO to online digital ID laws/age verification. </p><p>Do not listen to staffers if they <a href="https://www.badinternetbills.com/">try to gaslight you</a> that these laws <a href="https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CDT-Letter-for-Subcommittee-on-certain-bills-from-hearing-entitled-Legislative-Solutions-to-Protect-Children-and-Teens-Online.pdf">aren&#8217;t harmful and won&#8217;t result in mass age/identity verification</a>. </p><p><strong>CALL THESE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS:</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mHai!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff456a648-f596-4e73-a2af-7a1bdcb2c41f_1152x1611.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mHai!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff456a648-f596-4e73-a2af-7a1bdcb2c41f_1152x1611.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mHai!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff456a648-f596-4e73-a2af-7a1bdcb2c41f_1152x1611.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mHai!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff456a648-f596-4e73-a2af-7a1bdcb2c41f_1152x1611.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mHai!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff456a648-f596-4e73-a2af-7a1bdcb2c41f_1152x1611.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mHai!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff456a648-f596-4e73-a2af-7a1bdcb2c41f_1152x1611.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mHai!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff456a648-f596-4e73-a2af-7a1bdcb2c41f_1152x1611.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mHai!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff456a648-f596-4e73-a2af-7a1bdcb2c41f_1152x1611.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mHai!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff456a648-f596-4e73-a2af-7a1bdcb2c41f_1152x1611.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" style="height:20px;width:20px" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">CALL ALL OF THESE PEOPLE TODAY!!!!!</figcaption></figure></div><p>The Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched an <a href="https://www.eff.org/issues/age-verification">Age Verification Resource Hub</a> to educate people about these terrible laws, and will be hosting an AMA on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/">r/privacy</a> to talk about it all next week. Join and <a href="https://www.eff.org/issues/age-verification">ask anything</a> about what these sweeping laws really mean for your rights and safety!</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2023/10/20/kosa-wont-just-silence-lgbtq-voices-it-will-also-be-used-to-hide-abortion-info-from-the-internet/">KOSA Won&#8217;t Just Silence LGBTQ Voices; It Will Also Be Used To Hide Abortion Info From The Internet</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2023/05/24/heritage-foundation-says-that-of-course-gop-will-use-kosa-to-censor-lgbtq-content/">Heritage Foundation Says That Of Course GOP Will Use KOSA To Censor LGBTQ Content</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2025/05/14/why-the-fuck-are-democrats-helping-build-magas-censorship-machine-with-kosa/">Why The Fuck Are Democrats Helping Build MAGA&#8217;s Censorship Machine With KOSA?</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CDT-Letter-for-Subcommittee-on-certain-bills-from-hearing-entitled-Legislative-Solutions-to-Protect-Children-and-Teens-Online.pdf">If Congress Wants to Protect Kids, It Must Protect Their Rights to Privacy and Expression Too. </a></strong></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">User Mag is a 100% reader-supported publication. 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To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h2><strong>Support DonorsChoose This Holiday Season</strong></h2><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:972,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:569,&quot;bytes&quot;:1552003,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/i/180536241?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" style="height:20px;width:20px" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Teachers are struggling. Schools are underfunded and public education is under attack. Lawmakers are banning or refusing to fund technology in classrooms, leaving poor and marginalized students at a significant disadvantage.</p><p>This holiday season, <strong><a href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz">you can make a difference</a> by helping to fund a teacher&#8217;s wishlist</strong>. Children deserve the opportunity to learn and nurture their critical thinking skills. But they <a href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz">need your help</a>. DonorsChoose is a fantastic organization that aggregates teachers&#8217; requests from across the country, and lets you pick which classroom projects or supplies to fund.</p><p>I worked with DonorsChoose to create <strong><a href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz">a full list of teachers that need your support</a></strong>. Take action today and change a child&#8217;s life. Teachers have the plans, students have the potential, and <a href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz">you have the powe</a>r to make learning possible.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;DONATE TO A CLASSROOM TODAY!!!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz"><span>DONATE TO A CLASSROOM TODAY!!!</span></a></p><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/congress-is-about-to-break-the-internet">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A prediction market for shortform content]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ TikTok's onion lady, total darkness retreats, an Apple bloodbath, looksmaxxer fraudmaxxing, Jake Paul's startup accelerator, Certified Bangers goes MIA, and tech bro etiquette school,]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/a-prediction-market-for-shortform</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/a-prediction-market-for-shortform</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 15:35:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For years, college students Nelson Bellows and Abbi Park noticed how TikTok and Instagram Reels users would comment predictions on videos about how they thought they would perform. Users would comment things like, &#8220;investing at 200 likes&#8221; or &#8220;this is getting over 1m views&#8221; below content that would often become very popular. </p><p>So, this fall, the two teamed up at a Harvard hackathon to build a product that would allow the commenters dreams to become reality. Bellows and Park built <a href="https://www.getspike.app/home">Spike</a>, which brings prediction markets to short form video content. Users can go on the app and <a href="https://www.getspike.app/home">bet on whether</a> certain TikToks will hit different milestones. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg" width="585" height="307.36607142857144" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:765,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:585,&quot;bytes&quot;:732445,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/i/181075293?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VVvH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d1a39b8-0d1d-4602-ac7b-00ca6e3bf1fb_3022x1588.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" style="height:20px;width:20px" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/a-prediction-market-for-shortform">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Join our AMA on how 'online safety laws' like age verification censor abortion info and sex ed!]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ Millennial optimism, Pentagon TikTokers, tabloids to Tumblr, Nick Fuentes clone army, Diaper Diplomacy, Somali trolling, and an incredible 445 page slide deck outlining cultural trends and insights]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/join-my-ama-on-how-online-safety</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/join-my-ama-on-how-online-safety</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2025 19:53:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/944d77a8-38fd-4f38-bd92-f89a5c217e62_379x213.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2025/05/14/why-the-fuck-are-democrats-helping-build-magas-censorship-machine-with-kosa/">The Kids Online Safety Act</a> is back in congress along with a slew of other atrocious censorship and surveillance laws including <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop-the-screen-act/">The SCREEN Act</a> and <a href="https://www.rstreet.org/commentary/no-conscripting-the-app-stores-doesnt-solve-the-problems-with-age-verification/">The App Store Accountability Act</a>. There are also a growing number of censorship laws emerging in states across the country. </p><p>So today, I&#8217;m joining <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/">Fight for the Future</a>&#8217;s <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/prochoice/comments/1pe11lh/ama_we_are_digital_rights_and_abortion_access/">Reddit AMA</a> along with representatives from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Woodhull Freedom Foundation to answer <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/prochoice/comments/1pe11lh/ama_we_are_digital_rights_and_abortion_access/">all your questions</a> on how <strong>abortion and reproductive health information will be censored under these terrible &#8220;kids online safety&#8221; age</strong> <strong>(aka identity) verification laws</strong>. We will <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/prochoice/comments/1pe11lh/ama_we_are_digital_rights_and_abortion_access/">be online</a> from now until 5pm EST. </p><p>Read up via the links below and <strong>call your representatives today</strong> and tell them to <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop-the-screen-act/">stop The SCREEN Act</a>, kill <a href="https://www.rstreet.org/commentary/no-conscripting-the-app-stores-doesnt-solve-the-problems-with-age-verification/">The App Store Accountability Act</a>, and <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop-kosa">kill the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)</a>.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2023/10/20/kosa-wont-just-silence-lgbtq-voices-it-will-also-be-used-to-hide-abortion-info-from-the-internet/">KOSA Won&#8217;t Just Silence LGBTQ Voices; It Will Also Be Used To Hide Abortion Info From The Internet</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2023/05/24/heritage-foundation-says-that-of-course-gop-will-use-kosa-to-censor-lgbtq-content/">Heritage Foundation Says That Of Course GOP Will Use KOSA To Censor LGBTQ Content</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2025/05/14/why-the-fuck-are-democrats-helping-build-magas-censorship-machine-with-kosa/">Why The Fuck Are Democrats Helping Build MAGA&#8217;s Censorship Machine With KOSA?</a></strong></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">User Mag is a 100% reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
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          <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/join-my-ama-on-how-online-safety">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[None Of This is About Online Safety]]></title><description><![CDATA[+ The Nepo Baby Met Gala, OpenAi's code red, Wiggles cancellation, Sabrina Carpenter vs Trump, face scans, AI holiday decor, Kimsmas, rage bait, and why Gen Z is treating cash like fake money]]></description><link>https://www.usermag.co/p/none-of-this-is-about-online-safety</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.usermag.co/p/none-of-this-is-about-online-safety</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor Lorenz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:14:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d3fe75bf-9337-4af0-ad61-ee7f57cd87c6_840x570.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As the U.S. contemplates a horrible piece of legislation called the Kids Online Safety Act that would strip all anonymity from the internet, <a href="https://zeteo.com/p/the-latest-government-gift-to-big">entrench the power of big tech</a>, and actually endanger kids by allowing organizations like the <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2023/05/24/heritage-foundation-says-that-of-course-gop-will-use-kosa-to-censor-lgbtq-content/">Heritage Foundation to censor</a> LGBTQ content, reproductive justice content, and content advocating for things like feminism and equal rights, I think it&#8217;s important to look at how similar laws have already played out in other countries. </p><p>A few months ago, I <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/09/uk-online-safety-act-internet-censorship-world-following-suit">wrote a feature for </a><em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/09/uk-online-safety-act-internet-censorship-world-following-suit">The Guardian</a></em> about the devastating effects of the UK&#8217;s Online Safety Act, which has been used to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/09/uk-online-safety-act-internet-censorship-world-following-suit">deplatform marginalized groups and censor vast amounts of fact-based journalism</a>. However, one of the earliest countries to embrace these fake &#8220;online safety&#8221; laws to usher in authoritarianism and censorship is Sri Lanka. </p><p>Several years ago, the government temporarily banned social media, then passed a restrictive Online Safety Act, which they have used to enact harsh controls over what can and cannot be said online, all under the guise of &#8220;child safety&#8221; and curbing &#8220;misinformation.&#8221;</p><p>This has been especially devastating for the Eelam Tamil ethnic group in Sri Lanka, which remains heavily persecuted by the government. Documentarian and content creator ArunAnnow has been covering the persecution of the Eelam Tamil people and Sri Lanka&#8217;s bad internet laws.</p><p>He joined me to talk about how Sri Lanka&#8217;s &#8220;online safety&#8221; crusade is serving as a blueprint for authoritarian U.S. laws. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp8SPupp3Cs&amp;t">WATCH HERE</a>.</p><p><strong>Reminder that I am totally dependent on your financial support to do this work. Please <a href="https://www.usermag.co/subscribe">buy a paid subscription to my Substack</a> or <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz">support me on Patreon</a></strong> so that I can continue to report on these terrifying legal efforts that the mainstream media is not covering at all.</p><div id="youtube2-Yp8SPupp3Cs" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;Yp8SPupp3Cs&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:&quot;7s&quot;,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Yp8SPupp3Cs?start=7s&amp;rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">User Mag is a 100% reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h2>Support DonorsChoose This Giving Tuesday</h2><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png" width="569" height="379.8543956043956" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:972,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:569,&quot;bytes&quot;:1552003,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.usermag.co/i/180536241?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kXaY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F066775dd-f3c7-4ae5-a1b6-8d75752e58c5_2148x1434.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" style="height:20px;width:20px" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Teachers are struggling. Schools are underfunded and public education is under attack. Lawmakers are banning or refusing to fund technology in classrooms, leaving poor and marginalized students at a significant disadvantage.</p><p>This Giving Tuesday, <strong><a href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz">you can make a difference</a> by helping to fund a teacher&#8217;s wishlis</strong>t. Help low income students access chemistry kits, where they can investigate gas laws and atomic structure in a safe and guided way. Or help provide a classroom with Arduino kits that will allow them to design, build, and test projects that bring engineering and coding to life.</p><p>Children deserve the opportunity to learn and nurture their critical thinking skills. But they need your help. DonorsChoose is a fantastic organization that aggregates teachers&#8217; requests from across the country, and lets you pick which classroom projects or supplies to fund.</p><p>I worked with DonorsChoose to create <strong>a <a href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz">full list of teachers that need your support</a></strong>. Take action today and change a child&#8217;s life. Teachers have the plans, students have the potential, and you have the power to make learning possible.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;DONATE TO A CLASSROOM TODAY!!!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/marketing_landing.html?challengeId=22582705&amp;rf=ad-substack-2025-12-gt26_taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech-donor&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=ad&amp;utm_campaign=gt26&amp;utm_content=taylorlorenz_usermag_efs_tech&amp;canonical=taylorlorenz"><span>DONATE TO A CLASSROOM TODAY!!!</span></a></p><h2>What I&#8217;m reading</h2>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/none-of-this-is-about-online-safety">
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