🪧 People Over Profit

Issue #139 | June 1, 2023

Greetings, fellow humans. With science and tech leaders issuing apocalyptic robot warnings, teens bullying Snapchat’s new chatbot to make it whimper and call them “senpai,” and influencers multiplying into clones, it’s impossible to escape the AI craze these days. We’re flying fast into the unknown with no seatbelts on, and no one is safe—almost every field is threatened by AI, but little regulation has come forward to address our concerns.

In one of the first widespread attempts from a union to pressure industry leaders toward AI regulation, the Writers Guild of America is demanding studios stop the use of AI and prioritize human writers. We’re delving into how this move has far-reaching implications for creators across the board, with our resident creator-advocate and AI-skeptic, Lon Harris, penning a thoughtful analysis piece that will make you ponder the future of creativity in a world full of machines.

And remember: AI may be impressive. It may help you take notes, sort through hours of footage, and write bad jokes. But it doesn’t compare to the real deal.

– Grace Stanley, Newsletter Editor

THE HIGHLIGHT

What creators can learn from the Writers Strike, Part 4: People Over Profit

The arrival of AI chatbots is just the latest in a long line of industry attempts to sideline actual humans in favor of profit.

By Lon Harris, Passionfruit Contributor

→ READ THE FULL STORY

FROM ONE CREATOR TO ANOTHER

“Yo content creators. Make sure you have a support system for your streaming issues. Streaming can cause your mental health to spiral. It’s important to have healthy ways of coping with all the negativity you see and hear.”
—Twitch streamer Mrs Swiss Roll (@Mrs_SwissRoll) on the importance of support systems and healthy coping skills for streamers.

TIPS AND TRICKS

hand holding phone with YouTube on screen in front of desk with YouTube open on laptop with red overlay Passionfruit Remix

The power of thumbnails and titles: Tips for click-worthy videos

The best tips and tricks for optimizing YouTube titles and making good video thumbnails.

By Rachel Kiley, Passionfruit Contributor

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A TIME SAVER

20 time-saving video editing tips

Here are 20 basic, time-saving video editing tips for beginners and pros alike.

By Rachel Kiley, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

woman editing videos on computer with editing icons green to blue vertical gradient background Passionfruit Remix

IN THE BIZ

After being banned multiple times on Twitch, the notorious streamer “BruceDropEmOff” has decided to take his edgy antics to alt-right pipeline platform Kick—because apparently, there’s no better way to handle content moderation than to “kick” it to the curb (ba dum tss).
A once-banned parody account mocking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got reinstated with a blue checkmark on Twitter and even got a boost in following from Elon Musk interacting with it this month. Just the latest in Twitter becoming a misinformation hellscape (I highly doubt these new crowdsourced fact-check notes will help things out).
Seems like actions have consequences. Co-investor Fidelity released an estimate that Twitter is now worth just one-third of what Elon Musk paid for it, due to a fall in advertising revenue and not enough money incoming from Twitter Blue sales. Yikes.
Also, after Twitter increased the price of its API this year, beloved third-party tools have been dropping like flies. The latest is an anti-harassment tool for creators, known as Block Party, which no longer seems to be working in tandem with Twitter.
Fortnite developer Epic Games added a “time played” metric to determine how much creators are paid for the in-game experiences known as “islands” that they make. The new monetization system gives 40% of revenue back to creators based on engagement, and was formerly criticized for not factoring in playtime. It seems to be a step in the right direction for compensating creators fairly.
The Publish Press brings you the news from the creator’s point of view. Sign up now to get the latest creator economy news stories—plus why it matters—delivered straight to your inbox.