Tanya Chen (tanyachen) on BuzzFeed

Young People, Especially Young Women, Are Reporting Concerning Medical And Behavioral Changes Due To Social Media, And I Hope We’re Paying Attention

In part one of this week's newsletter: Why people are already dismissing a Wall Street Journal article about teens developing severe tics after watching numerous TikToks from influencers diagnosed with Tourette syndrome.

6 days ago

A Viral TikTok Can Be The First Step Of Real Policy Changes — But It Is Only A First Step

In one-part of this week's newsletter: Anna Sacks used a tongue-in-cheek "unboxing" video to galvanize people to tag @Coach and put pressure on the company to speak to its questionable practices. But she reminds us that social media activism is only a starting point.

13 days ago

A TikToker Has Some Comprehensive Theories About Mormonism And Instagram Influencers

In one-part of this week's newsletter: Emily Kim delivers an epic thesis about piety and a certain kind of lifestyle influencer in under three minutes.

27 days ago

A Small YouTube Account Believes A Much Larger Channel Is Gaming The System To Successfully Pull Down Videos That Criticize It

In this week's newsletter: Prank channel Nelk Boys has used "copyright" to successfully pull down a video about them twice, and how one man running a popular Peloton TikTok account has done the marketing work for the company.

1 month ago

TikTok’s Obsession With The Gabby Petito Case Is Sparking A Debate Over How Much True Crime Fans Are Really Helping

A woman who was impacted by a high-profile crime in the past is calling out online sleuths while police are questioning why some people with potentially key information are turning to social media first.

1 month ago

Investigators Found Gabby Petito’s Remains At A Wyoming Campground

Petito’s death has been ruled a homicide, but forensic testing is still underway to confirm the manner of death.

1 month ago

Instagram Sponsored The Met Gala, But Snubbed The Fashion Influencers Who Built Its Platform

In this week's newsletter: IG missed a big opportunity to mint its own creators on a worldwide stage, and imagining how Apple Fitness+ will learn from/come for Peloton.

1 month ago

The D’Amelios Need To Talk About Money

Wealth is omnipresent on the new Hulu reality series The D’Amelio Show, and in the lives of powerhouse influencer families generally. So why won’t they address it?

1 month ago

A 9-Month-Old Afghan Baby Died On An Evacuation Flight After Landing In The US

The infant was unresponsive when the flight landed in Philadelphia, and she was later pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities said.

1 month ago

Dear Influencers, Always Sign A Contract

In this week's newsletter: These misfortunes revealed how many handshake deals are still taking place between brand and influencer; And an ode to fitness YouTuber Chloe Ting, who said she feels like she's being chased off of the platform.

1 month ago

Influencers Say A Sex Toy Company Has Been Hiring Them To Market Its Products But Delaying Paying Them

Creators who have worked with Ooh! Companion on sponsored content deals told BuzzFeed News they have spent weeks or months chasing down payments from the brand, with some saying they were only paid after threatening legal action.

1 month ago

A Woman Re-Created The Iconic Nicole Kidman Divorce Look To Celebrate Her Own Divorce Being Finalized

Liz Maupin said the 2001 photo of Kidman represented "relief and freedom."

1 month ago

The OnlyFans Sex Ban — And Then The Reversal — Was A Huge Slap In The Face To Its Creators

In this week's newsletter: OnlyFans missed two opportunities to acknowledge the damage it caused to creators who helped bring them to investors' tables. Plus, Taylor Swift is on TikTok and I am optimistic about it.

2 months ago

Influencers Are Taking Desperate Measures To Recover Their Instagram Accounts

People who operate on the fringes of Instagram’s community guidelines say they’ve resorted to desperate measures after losing their accounts, turning to dealers who say they have a back door to the platform.

2 months ago

VidCon Has Been Canceled Again Due To Concerns Over COVID-19 And The Delta Variant

The conference was supposed to be hosted by TikTok for the first time. Organizers are still planning for a 2022 in-person event.

2 months ago

Will Everything On Social Media Be Shopping?

In this week's newsletter, I grapple with the industry moving toward faster lines of e-commerce, which is natural, for how unnaturally automaton-like the shopping experience will become.

2 months ago

Peloton Is Becoming A Surprisingly Good Pipeline To The Influencer Industry

In one part of this week's newsletter: The fitness company is prioritizing personalities first, and it's kind of brilliant, IMO.

2 months ago

An ASL Interpreter Performing "WAP" Has Gone Viral On TikTok

The concertgoer who shot the viral TikTok hopes viewers will take this as an opportunity to learn about sign language and the culture around it.

2 months ago

Influencer Hayes Grier Has Been Arrested For Robbery And Assault In North Carolina

The victim, a 24-year-old man, sustained serious injuries that left him hospitalized.

2 months ago

It Might Be Time To Retire “What I Eat In A Day” Videos

In one part of this week's newsletter: Why the popular YouTube genre feels more and more antiquated and more harmful than entertaining.

3 months ago