Taylor Lorenz’s Power User

Visa Could Ruin the Internet 29.05.2026 28мин

What if you woke up tomorrow and completely lost access to your bank account, credit cards, PayPal, and Venmo, all because of something you posted online? SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly Q&A livestreams, and more: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz In this episode of Free Speech Friday, Rainey Reitman, advisor at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and author of the new book "Transaction Denied" joins me to dive deep into the terrifying reality of financial censorship and how major banks and payment processors are quietly becoming the ultimate gatekeepers of internet speech. Reitman reveals how a handful of massive financial institutions are bypassing the First Amendment to act as privatized censors, deciding what journalism you can support, what political nonprofits you can donate to, and what ideas are considered "misinformation." From the early financial blockade of WikiLeaks to recent debanking scandals involving independent journalists and nonpartisan advocacy groups, this hidden digital infrastructure controls your life more than you realize. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM:This channel has ZERO sponsors, and speaking out on financial censorship isn't advertiser-friendly. If you get value from this show, support my work so I can keep making these videos!👉 Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/taylorlorenz 👉 Support on Substack: https://www.usermag.co/subscribe 👉 Pick up a copy of Rainey Reitman's "Transaction Denied" here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804543/transaction-denied-by-rainey-reitman/ *(Note: Half of all book proceeds go directly to the Freedom of the Press Foundation)*We discuss: The Nightmare of Financial CensorshipHow Payment Processors Got So Much PowerThe Rise of E-Commerce & Speech DependencyPayPal, WikiLeaks, and Chelsea ManningCensorship by Proxy: How the Government Pressures BanksThe Visa Lawsuit That Could Ruin the Internet

Why AI Doom Content Is Everywhere 27.05.2026 44мин

Have you noticed your social media feeds suddenly flooding with terrifying content about AI existential risk? From TikTok clips warning about "AI psychosis" to viral YouTube shorts claiming chatbots are pushing people to the brink, the anti-AI movement has taken over the internet... But what if these "anti-AI" influencers aren't actually what they seem?SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly Q&A livestreams, and more: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz In this week's episode of Power User, Washington Post journalist Natasha Tiku join me to pull back the curtain on the massive, billionaire-funded "anti-AI" astroturf campaign. We track the money and expose how the exact same millionaires and billionaires building the world's largest AI companies (like OpenAI and Anthropic) are quietly paying influencers thousands of dollars to promote AI doomsday scenarios.We dive deep into the 25-year history of the AI safety movement, from Eliezer Yudkowski’s rationalist blogs and Harry Potter fan fiction to Effective Altruism and the "paperclip maximizer" theory. We talk about how Silicon Valley elites are co-opting VERY genuine public anxieties about jobs and real-world harms related to AI technology in order to push their own pro-AI, anti-regulatory agendas.We also talk about how to spot the hidden corporate pipelines, dark money nonprofits, and staged research papers designed to control the narrative around AI. If you're seeing AI doomer videos all over your feed, please watch this one!✨ SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: 👉 Substack Newsletter: http://usermag.co 👉 Patreon: patreon.com/taylorlorenz Nitasha's WaPo story on all this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/04/18/ai-doom-influencers-safety/

Elon Musk’s Final Plan: A Dangerous Blueprint For World Domination 22.05.2026 36мин

Elon Musk has evolved far beyond a billionaire CEO. SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly Q&A livestreams, and more: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz According to political theorists Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, Musk has created an entirely new ideology called “Muskism” — a system where technology companies merge with state power, AI shapes politics, and billionaires become more powerful than governments.In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with Quinn Slobodian, co-author of the new book Muskism, to break down how Elon Musk’s worldview went from Silicon Valley optimism to tech authoritarianism. We discuss Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink, Neuralink, AI censorship, OpenAI, Grok, surveillance, DOGE, data centers, Silicon Valley’s shift toward defense tech, and why Musk’s influence now reaches into every part of society.We also unpack:Elon Musk’s political transformationThe rise of MuskismAI paranoia and “woke AI”Why Silicon Valley is embracing militarizationMusk’s obsession with reproduction and population declineHow SpaceX and Starlink could reshape global powerThe future of AI and surveillance capitalismWhy tech billionaires are becoming impossible to escape

The AI Job Apocalypse: Silicon Valley Is Bracing for a Permanent Underclass w/ Jasmine Sun 20.05.2026 51мин

What happens if AI becomes smarter than humans at most jobs?SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly Q&A livestreams, and more: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz Researchers, economists, and top AI executives are increasingly warning about the rise of a “permanent underclass”, a future where millions of workers lose not just their jobs, but their economic value altogether. In this episode of Power User, I sit down with writer Jasmine Sun to unpack the terrifying idea that artificial intelligence could permanently reshape class, wealth, labor, and power in America.We discuss OpenAI, Anthropic, AGI, automation, white collar layoffs, Silicon Valley ideology, AI job displacement, universal basic income, data center protests, populism, and whether society is prepared for what’s coming next.Could AI destroy upward mobility? Will automation create mass unemployment? Are tech companies being honest about the future they’re building?We cover:The permanent underclass theory explainedWho is actually pushing this ideaOpenAI's shifting stance on job displacementLeading the Future and AI lobbyingWhy AI is different from past tech hypePolicy failures and democratic backlashWhat China is doing differentlyWhat workers should actually do now#AI #Tech #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #AGI #OpenAI #Anthropic #SiliconValley #TechNews #JobAutomation #AIJobs #TechIndustry

Silicon Valley Is Losing Control w/ Brian Merchant 15.05.2026 41мин

What’s really driving the growing backlash against AI and Silicon Valley?Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co From burning data centers to celebrating an attack on Sam Altman’s house, the anti‑tech backlash has escalated. In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with journalist and author Brian Merchant to unpack the rise of anti AI sentiment, the growing anger toward Big Tech, and why public hostility toward companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google keeps escalating.We discuss:Why the AI backlash exploded so quicklyThe connection between AI fear and distrust in capitalismWhy people are protesting data centersThe rise of anti tech politicsAI doomers and effective altruismSam Altman and Silicon Valley PR failuresWhether AI companies created their own crisisHow automation fears are shaping public opinionWhy people feel powerless against Big TechThe future of AI regulation and resistanceBrian Merchant is the author of Blood in the Machine, a book about the original Luddites and the history of anti technology movements.If you’re interested in AI, ChatGPT, Silicon Valley, automation, tech criticism, labor politics, or the future of the internet, we break down the cultural and political forces shaping the AI era.Subscribe for more interviews and deep dives on AI, internet culture, media, tech, and politics.

Ben Shapiro’s Empire Is Crumbling w/ Will Sommer 13.05.2026 44мин

Ben Shapiro’s Media Empire Is CollapsingSupport my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co For the last decade, Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire dominated the digital landscape. From Facebook to chart-topping podcasts, they seemed untouchable. But in 2025, the data tells a different story. With a 90% drop in YouTube views, massive layoffs, and the high-profile exit of CEO Jeremy Boreing, the "Conservative Disney" empire is crashing and burning.The Bulwark's Will Sommer joins me on this week's episode of Power User to dive deep into the rise and fall of Ben Shapiro. We break down the explosive internal feud with Candace Owens, the catastrophic failure of his Hollywood ambitions, how a changing Facebook algorithm killed their traffic overnight, and what his fall reveals about the future of conservative media. We cover:The Daily Wire layoffs and financial struggles.Why Ben Shapiro is losing his audience to creators like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson.The failure of "Anti-Woke" entertainment and the "Conservative Hollywood" dream.How the death of Charlie Kirk created a massive fracture in the MAGA movement.Why Ben Shapiro is irrelevant to Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Stop Feeling Helpless About AI: The Violent History of Resisting Technology 08.05.2026 38мин

What if everything you've been told about technological progress is a lie?Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co AI is changing society faster than ever, but resistance to technology is not new. For this week's Free Speech Friday I spoke with academic Thomas Dekeyser, author of Techno Negative, about the history of anti-technology movements, from the Luddites smashing machines in the Industrial Revolution to anarchist groups bombing computer companies in the 1980s.We discuss AI, labor automation, surveillance, moral panic, Silicon Valley ideology, tech CEOs, machine breaking, environmental destruction, and why backlash against technology keeps returning throughout history. We also explore whether technological progress actually benefits ordinary people, or mainly serves corporations and power. Sometimes it's not what you think!Topics include:Why anti-AI movements are growingBig Tech and labor exploitationAI moral panic and conspiracy theoriesEnvironmental costs of AISurveillance and controlThe politics of technological progressWhy people resist new technologySilicon Valley and deregulation

The Most Dangerous Lie on the Internet: The 62 Million Men Hoax Explained 06.05.2026 55мин

The Lie Created To Strip Your Rights OnlineSupport my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co In March, a CNN investigation into a "Global Academy" of 62 million men allegedly drugging and assaulting women broke the internet. But the most viral story of the year was built on a foundation of misleading statistics and bad journalism. Journalist Kat Tenbarge joins me to debunk the "62 Million Men" narrative. We dig into how this story was used to manufacture consent for dangerous new censorship laws and who is actually behind the movement to repeal Section 230.In this video, we cover:Why the "62 million" figure is a misleading traffic stat, not a count of criminals.The connection between CNN’s reporting and far-right Christian nationalist groups like Exodus Cry.How the "Global Academy" branding was manufactured from a single interview quote.The real-world harm of FOSTA-SESTA and why new "safety" bills like KOSA actually endanger victims.How mainstream media organizations lobby against free speech to protect their own business interests.Don't let emotional propaganda dictate tech policy. We look at the systemic failures of the legal system and why villainizing platforms instead of perpetrators is a losing battle for women's rights. If you’ve seen the “62 million men” claim, you need to watch this.

The Dark Side Of AI Safety Laws 01.05.2026 38мин

Should AI be protected by free speech laws?Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with Corbin K. Barthold, Internet Policy Counsel at Tech Freedom, to discuss one of the most controversial legal papers of the year: "Why the First Amendment Protects Artificial Intelligence."While many are calling for strict AI regulation to prevent "AI psychosis" or the spread of misinformation, Corbin argues that AI outputs are a protected form of expression. If we allow the government to dictate what an LLM can and cannot say, are we inadvertently giving them the power to control our access to information?In this video, we cover:Why AI content qualifies as First Amendment protected speech.The theories the government uses to justify censorship.Analysis of recent tragic cases involving Character AI.Why New York’s S7263 law might be "rank protectionism" for doctors and lawyers.The progressive case for why we should actually want free and open AI.#siliconvalley #tech #technology #internet #ai #artificialintelligence

The New Digital Class War: Rich People Use The Internet Differently w/ Adam Aleksic 29.04.2026 46мин

There’s a hidden social hierarchy on the internetSupport my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co Is your Instagram "low class"? While we like to think of the internet as a universal playground, a new digital class war is emerging. From the way you use filters to the number of emojis in your bio, your digital habits are increasingly signaling your socioeconomic status to the world.In this episode of Power User, I sit down with etymologist and cultural commentator Adam Aleksic to decode the hidden semiotics of "Low Class Instagram." We explore why billionaires keep their accounts private with 200 followers, why the "photo dump" has become a sophisticated narrative tool for elites, and how algorithms are siloing us into class-based bubbles.We break down:The "Puppy Filter" Trap: Why technical illiteracy is the new class signifier.Billionaire Behavior: Why the ultimate luxury is being completely offline.Digital White Flight: Why elite users are fleeing Facebook and Instagram for "curated" spaces like Bluesky vs Substack.AI & Class: How your choice of LLM (Claude vs. ChatGPT) and even your font choice (Serif vs. Sans Serif) reveals your status.The Death of Anonymity: Why the "surveillance state" makes it harder for lower-class users to experiment with their identities.

[PATREON PREVIEW] Record Labels Are Buying Meme Pages for Millions 27.04.2026 6мин

[PATREON PREVIEW] Is Geese a Psyop? How the Music Industry Fakes ViralitySubscribe to my Patreon to get this and other bonus Power User podcast episodes!! Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co The Brooklyn band Geese has sparked a massive "industry plant" controversy in 2026 after their album Getting Killed and a sold-out tour led to accusations of being a digital "psyop". While the music has received mainstream praise, fans became suspicious of how the band took over social media feeds almost overnight. This skepticism intensified after an interview at SXSW with Chaotic Good Projects, a marketing agency that uses armies of bots and TikTok accounts to force songs into virality.Kristin Robinson is a journalist at Billboard who broke the story about Geese and Chaotic Good Projects. She joins me to discuss how meme pages are used by the music industry, how record labels manipulate online conversations and flood comment sections with positive messages, and how agencies can sway public perception of performances on SNL or Tiny Desk. As AI-generated music begins to top the iTunes charts, the line between authentic talent and engineered "slop" continues to blur. We discuss the truth behind the Geese situation, the evolution of viral marketing, and how the music industry is changing in the age of automation.We discuss:How viral music campaigns actually workWhy “industry plant” accusations keep happeningHow platforms like TikTok shape what you hearWhether AI artists could be the next big thing

Inside A Billionaire's AI Spy Network: The Shocking Secrets of Madison Square Garden’s Surveillance Machine 24.04.2026 24мин

The Billionaire Who Built a Private Surveillance StateSupport my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co Sports arenas and concert venues are becoming high-tech surveillance "deep states." In this video, I dive into the explosive Wired report by Noah Shachtman and Robert Silverman that reveals how the owner of a ton of NYC concert venues and sports arenas uses facial recognition and private investigators to track, monitor, and ban anyone he deems an enemy.From tracking trans women at Pride Night to banning lawyers and 14-year-old kids for social media posts, the level of surveillance at MSG, Radio City, and The Sphere is unprecedented. Is this the future of privacy for sports fans and concert-goers? I sat down with Noah Shachtman to discuss the chilling secrets of the new billionaire surveillance machine.Full WIRED story: https://www.wired.com/story/madison-square-garden-jim-dolan-surveillance-machine

The Girlboss-ification of AI: How Big Tech Is Gaslighting Women Into AI w/ Kat Tenbarge 22.04.2026 1ч 1мин

AI companies are secretly waging a massive PR campaign targeting women.Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co In the past year, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta have launched an aggressive PR campaign to rebrand artificial intelligence for women, especially mothers and teen girls. Suddenly AI isn't an existential threat or a labor displacement machine. It's a "lifestyle accessory," a "creative tool," and your new girly best friend. Kat Tenbarge of Spitfire News joins me to expose the AI "Hot Girl Economy" and how tech giants are using aesthetic trends to Trojan-horse AI into our daily lives. We cover everything from viral Studio Ghibli filters and the AI puppy photo craze, to how startups like Higgsfield are targeting fashion influencers. We discuss what this "AI girly pop era" is designed to distract you from: extreme labor displacement, massive energy consumption, and the tech industry becoming increasingly intertwined with the US War Machine.SUPPORT POWER USER 💖 Patreon (bonus episodes, monthly Q&As, livestreams): ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 📬 User Mag Substack: https://usermag.co 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts ⭐ Please rate and review — it genuinely helps the show get discovered!!!#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #TechNews #ChatGPT #OpenAI #GoogleGemini #WomenInTech #HotGirlEconomy #KatTenbarge #TechIndustry #Pinkwashing #SocialMediaTrends

Silicon Valley is Breaking Everything 17.04.2026 29мин

Is Silicon Valley actually making progress, or are they just breaking the world for profit? Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co ⁠ In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I’m joined by legal scholar and surveillance expert Albert Fox Cahn to dismantle the "Move Fast and Break Things" ethos that has dominated tech for a decade. From the multibillion-dollar failure of the Metaverse to the "innovation theater" of the Apple Vision Pro, we explore why the most hyped technologies are often the most disastrous.We dive deep into the dark side of home security, revealing how Ring cameras have turned from safety tools into a massive surveillance network for law enforcement, sometimes even recording your most private moments without a warrant. We also tackle the "AI bubble," the myth of police body cameras, and why the "boring" analog solutions are often the safest bet for our future. Albert is the founder of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) and the author of the new book, Move Slow and Upgrade: The Power of Incremental Innovation.

Inside Iran's Gen Z Meme Army: How LEGO Became War Propaganda 15.04.2026 34мин

Iranian LEGO videos mocking the US government are taking over the internet. Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co ⁠ We are living in an era where global internet culture and meme warfare are just as influential as traditional media and LEGOs are being used to create the most effective messaging around the US-Iran war.I sat down with Areeba Fatima, a journalist for Dropsite News, who's been reporting on the team behind "Explosive Media," the group of seemingly Gen Z Iranians producing this viral content.We dive deep into how these LEGO videos are actively reshaping Americans' perceptions of modern warfare, and why this content is uniquely bridging the gap across the American political spectrum. 🔥 EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE: I tracked down and interviewed a member of Explosive Media, the team in Iran behind these viral LEGO videos. To hear directly from the Iranians making these LEGO videos, watch the full bonus interview on my Patreon or Substack.🙏 Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz⁠ ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠⁠https://www.usermag.co⁠ ⁠ We discuss: How these viral LEGO videos are actively reshaping how Americans view our war with Iran.The fascinating Telegram history of Explosive Media, revealing they started as young internet natives posting about sports, exams, and movies before the war escalated.Why mainstream liberal accounts and right-wing podcasters in America are both sharing this content by the millions.How this Gen Z team uses AI to bypass sanctions, generate rap songs, and tap directly into global internet culture.The relentless cat-and-mouse game of Explosive Media getting banned from platforms like YouTube and X, only to immediately return.Support Independent Journalism: I currently have zero brand sponsors or advertising partners. My work is solely funded by viewers like you. If you value this content, please consider supporting me so I can keep producing these deep dives🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co ⁠

The Woman Taking On Big Tech: She Fought the Government and Won 10.04.2026 33мин

Are we losing our right to online privacy entirely? Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co ⁠ In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sat down with Cindy Cohn, former head of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and author of the new book Privacy's Defender. We dive deep into the secret history of the early internet, the terrifying reality of mass online surveillance by the US government, and how "age verification" laws sweeping the US will destroy digital civil liberties for everyone. Cindy explains how the NSA and FBI use massive legal loopholes like Section 702 to secretly access your data for domestic purposes, the massive security dangers of forcing users to upload their IDs to access apps like Discord, and why the fight to protect encryption is more crucial now than ever. If you care about your digital rights, free speech, and the future of the open web, this is a must-watch conversation!! Topics Covered:The 90s hacker origins of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)How the Bernstein case saved internet encryptionPost-9/11 mass surveillance and the government's data grabWhy the FBI and NSA's use of Section 702 threatens your privacyThe truth about the government buying your personal data from private brokersWhy age verification laws banning users under 16 create massive security risksHow to fight back and become part of the next generation of privacy advocates

The Downfall of Skibidi Toilet: How Hollywood Fumbled A Powerful Fandom 08.04.2026 33мин

Skibidi Toilet changed how storytelling works on YouTube. But behind the scenes, things got messy.Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz ⁠ 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co ⁠ Back in 2023, a creator named Alexey (better known as DaFuqBoom) launched a super weird, viral series about a singing head in a toilet called Skibidi Toilet. It went viral and quickly became one of the most popular online series to ever exist. Over the course of 79 episodes, it evolved into an epic, fan-favorite story about an intergalactic war. Then, Hollywood stepped in. A traditional (or "tra-digital") entertainment company called Invisible Narratives bought the Skibidi Toilet rights. By early 2025, Alexey took a step back to become an executive producer, meaning he was no longer making the daily videos. The studio released a new spin-off series called "Emergence," but fans instantly noticed a massive change. Now, the Skibidi Toilet fandom community is furious. After a disastrous, leaked call between the studio and popular YouTubers, fans are demanding the original creator take his show back with the hashtag #BringBackBoom. Meanwhile, Skibidi Toilet has become one of the most valuable franchises in Hollywood. Steven Asarch is a journalist who's been covering this controversy. In this video, he joins me to break down what is going on with the Skibidi Toilet franchise, the #BringBackBoom movement's true goals, and answer the biggest question fans are all asking: is Skibidi Toilet officially dead? We cover:How Skibidi Toilet became so popularThe creator’s role and what changedThe studio takeover and what it meansWhy fans are upset and pushing backThe future of internet-created IP

They're Putting AI Cameras In School Busses 03.04.2026 30мин

AI Surveillance is taking over our schools. Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co Kent Myrtle, a Wichita bus driver, has been blowing the whistle on AI-powered cameras being installed on school buses. From Wichita to Massachusetts, school districts are partnering with companies like Samsara and BusPatrol to implement "real-time monitoring" and "hazard detection." But is this actually about safety, or is it a massive privacy violation? We discuss how this footage is being sent to the Amazon Web Services cloud without parental consent. We also look at the "safety" claims, like AI systems mistaking bags of chips for weapons, and how these buses are being turned into roving surveillance machines for law enforcement.

Why AI Fruit Slop Is Taking Over Our Feeds w/ Kyle Chayka 01.04.2026 27мин

Kyle Chayka is a writer for the New Yorker, and on this week's Power User he joins me to break down the rise of AI fruit slop dramas. Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co Millions and millions of TikTok users are tuning into an AI generated short form show called Fruit Love Island. On the show, AI generated fruits kiss, date, fight, and make up. The show has amassed an overnight fan base and spawned a slew of spinoffs including The Summer I Turned Fruity, The Fruitpire Diaries, Food Is Blind, and Fruit Paternity court. The world of AI content is being flooded by this bizarre phenomenon, amassing millions of views across TikTok trends 2026. The shows all use a viral content strategy to generate hits in minutes using tools like Object Talk and Leonardo AI. These AI generated videos allow faceless YouTube channels to monetize "attention arbitrage" for massive profit.Beneath these AI videos lies a dark undercurrent of sinister messaging. Because AI storytelling and algorithm psychology prioritize engagement, narratives frequently devolve into misogyny and graphic violence, showing fruit women being berated or fruit babies thrown to their deaths. By stripping away ethics, these social media trends deliver raw stimulation that keeps viewers in a state of stress. We discuss:The evolution from AI Cat videos to Fruit Paternity Court.How "passive income" hustlers are using ChatGPT to script high-drama storylines involving betrayal and violence.The science of dopamine vs. cortisol and why this content keeps you in a hyper-stimulated stress state.Why brands like Olipop and Slim Jim are jumping into the fruit slop comments.The dark side of the algorithm: How AI content naturally devolves into the "lowest common denominator" of sex and violence.

Chappell Roan Did Nothing Wrong: The TikTok Smear Campaign Explained w/ Caroline Kwan 30.03.2026 40мин

[SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE]Why the internet is trying to "end" Chappell Roan.Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co Twitch streamer and cultural commentator Caroline Kwan joins me to break down the massive viral controversy surrounding Chappell Roan. What started as a passing interaction at a hotel breakfast in Brazil has morphed into a multi-platform smear campaign led by TikTokers, pop stans, and "Blue MAGA" accounts, pushing blatant misinformation. Caroline and I break down what's really going on, and debunk the claims that Chappell is a "secret heiress" or a "mean girl". We talk about why Chappell specifically is always at the center of this type of vitriol, and dive into the intersection of misogyny, homophobia, and the "death of the diva" in the age of social media.From fake claims to bot amplification to stan wars, the Chappell situation a case study in how bad actors on the internet can create controversy out of almost nothing.In this video, we discuss:The Brazil incident with Jorginho Frello’s stepdaughter.The debunked "rich kid" allegations and fake high school "exposés".Why Chappell Roan cut ties with Wasserman Music and the Epstein connection.The role of bots and "tea" accounts in fueling the outrage.The double standard between female pop stars and male celebrities like Tom Holland or Justin Bieber.#ChappellRoan #celeb #celebrity #celebritynews #pop #popstars #popmusic #oliviarodrigo #PopCulture #SocialMedia #ViralNews