This week, things have been pretty varied in the creator economy news cycle, but of the five articles listed here, there are two that stand out. This is because they both show how politically charged the internet can be: whether that be streaming left-wing views or creating a chatbot that goes haywire by spewing right-wing misinformation.
So, if you want to learn about the vast political spectrum of the creator economy (as well as a lot of other stuff too), read on.
How Does Mobygratis Work and When Do You Need To Pay for Free-to-Use Music?
Recently, musician Moby re-launched mobygratis: a library of royalty-free music for creators to use in their projects (provided that they are not right-wing). However, you might have some questions on how exactly you’re meant to use this online library — and fortunately for you, Passionfruit has all the answers. In this guide, we explore some of the rules surrounding the feature. Most prominently, we examine the difference between mobygratis tracks and restricted tracks. So, to get your head around all this jargon, click here.
Hasan Piker Says He Was Detained At US Airport
Hasan Piker was in for a shock after traveling home from France, when he was detained in Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Discussing the event in a stream, Piker claims that he was pressed on topics like Trump, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Gaza. Despite the precarious situation, Piker said he “yapped away” to the enforcement officer about Trump and Gaza, noting that his freedom of speech is protected under the First Amendment. For more on Piker’s plight and the airport’s response, click here.
Grok Won’t Stop Talking About White Genocide
Grok, X’s AI chatbot, has a problem. Like many AI chatbots, it isn’t exactly fit for purpose, but not for the reason you might think. The thing is, Grok just can’t stop talking about white genocide. In innocuous tweets about HBO’s streamer’s name change and even scaffolding Grok somehow managed to relate the conversation to white genocide. As writer Taylor Lorenz points out, white genocide isn’t real, making Grok’s content both misinformed and racist. So, what is Musk going to do about it? For more, check out the full article here.
We’re All Speaking Like Incels Now
Despite their disturbing ideologies, we have taken a lot of lingo from incels. For instance, while the concept of “red pill” and “blue pill” comes from The Matrix, the idea of becoming “redpilled” has become popular in incel communities. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all might be a little red-pilled ourselves. As editor Andrew Fiouzi examines in this piece, we’re all more than a little obsessed with the term “maxxing.” For the full story, click here.
TikTok Is Giving Small Businesses $1 Million In Free Ads
Small businesses are a huge part of TikTok — and now, it looks like the platform is paying it forward. In a recent blog post, TikTok said that 500 small businesses will get $2,000 each in TikTok ad credits. The potential ban only served to reinforce that it isn’t just the small businesses that need TikTok: the app needs them too. Hopefully, this initiative reflects that TikTok is starting as it means to go on. For more, check out the full article here.
