Four essays on the future of influence by Caroline Busta, Geoffrey Mak, and Pierce Myers (and one by me!) available for free DL on Kaleidoscope Magazine's website. "Today, the real power to influence culture rests with the algorithm, and the algorithm always promotes the lowest common denominator of taste."

"Like the flailing venture-capital-backed businesses that support it (e.g., Outdoor Voices), the influencer economy has always been artificial. But it’s only now, with the rise of a global pandemic, that the democratizing force of social media has revealed itself as a farce, and the woke consumerism of influencers has been rendered obsolete. So what happens when we are all suddenly locked indoors? When there’s no more money for corporations to spend on ads. If we no longer have careers, or places to be — where will our cultural allegiances lay? Without money to spend, who if anyone, will dictate our desires?"