How Influencers Ruined The Internet

#influencers #overconsumption #consumerism

In this video, I break down how influencers ruined the internet.
From the raw, weird chaos of 2000s message boards and LiveJournal blogs to the pink-washed algorithm hellscape we live in now. We’ve gone from subcultures to Sephora hauls, from fandoms to filters, from DIY weirdos to Amazon storefront clones.

I talk about the rise of influencer culture, the corporatization and commodification of selfhood, and how TikTok aesthetics like “that girl,” clean girl, old money, and coastal granddaughter are just soft power tools of late-stage capitalism. I get into how aesthetic labor, hyper-feminized branding, and performative luxury are keeping people broke, burnt out, and distracted from real issues like wage theft, global inequality, and gentrification.

Sources:
Viral Bride Wears No Makeup on Her Wedding Day Controversy
https://www.newsweek.com/bride-walks-down-aisle-without-makeup-tiktok-2054323

Privatization of the Internet
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/24/business/us-begins-privatizing-internet-s-operations.html

The Privatized Internet Failed Us
https://jacobin.com/2022/06/internet-privatization-profit-centralization-democracy

Waste Colonialism

Climate Change & Fashion Waste Colonialism

The “Dot Com” Crash
https://www.goldmansachs.com/our-firm/history/moments/2000-dot-com-bubble

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*Disclaimer: Information presented in this video is my opinion and mine alone.

Business inquiries: ashleyviolamedia@gmail.com

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