Handling a Trump Presidency

CREATOR NEWSLETTER


It’s times like these that words fail, and I think it’s safe to say everyone at Passionfruit is trying to shake themselves out of a bit of a catatonic state right now. We’re all processing what this means for us, our families, our friends, our careers, our cities, states, and countries. It feels like a million shoes are about to drop.

It’s a dark week, and this is the time and place for grief, nihilism, pessimism, despair, fear, disgust, sadness, and fury. It’s a time to process your anger and disappointment for your fellow peers — like Adin Ross, Jake Paul, and the Nelk Brothers — and the billionaires who control our social media platforms — like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Jeff Bezos — who made this happen.

But for creators, now is not the time for complacency or performative politics. First off, it’s time to take care of our health and ensure we can sustain ourselves and our families during this time — financially, emotionally, and physically.

Secondly, it’s time to reevaluate the institutions and organizations we want to work with, the support networks we want to build, and the stories we want to tell as artists. For the advertisers, influencers, and tech workers in the audience, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate who you choose to do business with.

As for us at Passionfruit, as independent journalists, it’s our time to reexamine how we question and cover the online noise — be it the echo chambers and algorithms crafted by Trump’s biggest backers, the zealot influencers fanning QAnon conspiracies and pedaling misinformation, or the creative middle class that feels just as squeezed as the rest of the workers in this country — and hold power to account.

If there are questions you need answered or dark corners of the internet that need to be investigated, we will be here. Whether it’s changes in the tech industry, tax concerns, cultural issues, abuses of power, or regulations that impact your work as creators, we want to unpack it all and provide you with resources to help. The media ecosystem needs independent creators, writers, journalists, and artists to continue organizing and imagining a new future.

Time for a deep breath, y’all. *sigh* We’ll see you around.


CULTURE

The Rise of Creator-Led Product Lines in Mainstream Retail

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CULTURE

‘Now Is the Time To Get Politically Engaged’: Creators React to Election Result

Influencers across the political spectrum are making their feelings known.

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

influencers Adin Ross and Hasan Piker over american flag

PERSONALITIES

4 panel image showing Joe Rogan, Adin Ross, one of the Nelk Boys, and Donald Trump.

Donald Trump’s Chronically Online A-Team Explained

Would Trump have won without the help of creators?

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor


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