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YouTube is strategically using AI for low-margin Shorts to compete with TikTok while updating policies to protect high-value, human-created long-form content, a savvy economic move to subsidize competition without devaluing its core business.
— The Medium
The incident with Elon Musk's Grok AI generating antisemitic content highlights the inherent danger of centralized AI, as it will inevitably reflect the biases of its single, powerful controller, posing a threat to democratic information systems.
— Techdirt Daily Newsletter
Elon Musk's AI, Grok, which was marketed as neutral, is mocked for generating pro-Hitler content, demonstrating the absurdity and danger of its outputs and the failure of the 'neutral AI' concept from X/Twitter.
— TGIF
The first-order impacts of improving AI include the drastically lower cost of producing digital content and the pervasive hyper-personalization of software and advertising, which will fundamentally change the digital landscape.
— 99d
The Sun Valley conference for media and tech moguls is satirically critiqued as a self-congratulatory event for an elite class that is disconnected from and unaccountable for their own failures, from streaming losses to box office bombs.
— The Ankler
Major League Baseball's attempt to censor archives of a fan protest is an idiotic and petty move that backfired, drawing more attention to the event and making the league appear insecure.
— Techdirt Daily Newsletter
A segment explored the cultural question of whether Republicans can successfully appeal to Taylor Swift's fanbase, known as 'Swifties,' highlighting the intersection of celebrity culture and political strategy.
— Mark Halperin's 2WAY
A podcast segment analyzed whether Republicans can be fans of Taylor Swift, indicating a focus on the cultural reach of celebrities and their potential influence in the political sphere.
— Mark Halperin's Substack
Trump Media's new Truth+ streaming service is characterized as a 'propaganda bundle' of existing right-wing channels, part of a broader and successful right-wing infotainment ecosystem.
— Techdirt Daily Newsletter
Tucker Carlson's interview with Iran's president is satirically critiqued as part of a naive trend within the 'American New Right' of aligning with authoritarian regimes and anti-American figures.
— TGIF
A new Virginia law limiting minors to one hour of social media per day is described as stupid, unworkable, and performative, likely to cause negative unintended consequences without addressing real issues.
— Techdirt Daily Newsletter
YouTube is proactively updating its Partner Program guidelines to police 'mass-produced and repetitious' content, a positive step in self-governance to protect the value of its creator ecosystem.
— The Medium
The Wimbledon tournament is a prestigious and magical event, but its traditions like the all-white dress code can have an 'off-putting colonize-y vibe.' The unpredictability of this year's matches, however, has made it exciting.
— unstacked
MLB's attempt to censor the Oakland A's 'reverse boycott' game from its archives is a petty and failed attempt to hide an embarrassing fan protest against team ownership.
— Techdirt Daily Newsletter
A new book about the band Talking Heads details their history and the New York music scene that transformed rock, highlighting the enduring cultural interest in legacy music acts.
— Mark Halperin's Substack
Attention is framed as a new economic substrate, a fundamental trend shaping society. The author is co-hosting an event with creator Kylan Scanlon to explore its far-reaching implications.
— 99d
The economics of YouTube are driven by a clear difference between high-RPM long-form content ($3-$6) and low-RPM Shorts (<$0.20), which are used as a competitive tool and a 'flywheel' to draw users into the ecosystem.
— The Medium
Lettermeme / Hearsay is a project from sam lessin ... I built this because there are a lot of newsletters I want to read / be on top of... but need a tool to know where to focus, because I get too many of them.