#and therefore would not be a successful content creator

[anonymoosen]

Chat this is really sad likeeee

I really want to draw and post more stuff but school is schooling man (I have to wake up at 5:40am and go home at 5pm on an average 😭😭😭)

And we have homework every dayyyy aaaaa

[bunybunn]

Okay enough time passed for me to try to put it all my thoughts about the Dream situation in one place at least until the Shut up i'm talking (patreon only 7$!!!) episode comes out.

First of all let's not forget that all of this started because Dream got involved in Twitter beef that had nothing to do with him. Sure xQc mentioned Dream's name but it was in reference to Tommy "dickriding" Dream when he was starting making content. It was dig at Tommy that didn't needed Dream's response in the slightest however the green guy didn't care and posted meme using r-word. Which obviously gain shit ton of backlash from every normal enough person because that is a slur. This also means that a lot of people reacted and talked about it including Tubbo.

The fact that this followed with 3 hours stream where Dream specifically reacted to Tubbo is ridiculous by itself. All he had to do is apologise and take responsibility for using a slur but instead Dream felt the need to pull out old controversy and pull more content creators into it. Additionally despite himself claiming that you should not cut things out of context he was skipping parts of Tubbo's stream and did not watched in in full. Also it's important to mention that the "apology" he did said in the said stream was especially "I saw people on Internet calling me that and I thought that means I can use it as a slur as well" which is an insane take that also sounded like something little kid would use as ane excuse.

Next important stop is Tommy's response. It was basically just Tommy telling Dream that he doesn't want to associate with him anymore. It's worth pointing out Tom's video was done in one take style, the was no big editing but rather just Tommy shearing his opinion and his feelings. Because of that we got few hyperboles like Dream "harassing" Tommy's mom and him being described as a movie villain-like.

Then you have the Dreams response to Tommy that was definitely not done with good intentions. Unlike Tom's one Dream's video was edited, he added music, pictures that were not proofs but were there to invoked specific emotions and also a short in Minecraft scene when he referenced his dream smp character. In my opinion that video was perfect example of how to manipulate audiences with content. He ensured that Tom's arguments seemed ridiculous, usually by taking it out of context like he did with the sexism part as well as with Tommy saying he was behind dream smp success, or pulled heavier accusations that make Tommy looked bad. Keep in mind how insane it actually was to after Dream had his content and merch be called lazy going straight to using case of scummy company that produced Tommy's merch at some point and has legal case against it that Dream had no deeper knowledge about and using rumors that Tommy is/was mistreating his editors using screanshots that were cropped and taken without consent of people in those. All of it while Dream was trying to act like he is still the good guy who so respects everyone and just wants everyone to get along.

The thing is Tubbo's discussion with Dream proved that was absolute bullshit. During the conversation it was clear genuinely expected it to go as he usually described private calls aka after he gets to explain himself the other person will see it his way. Unfortunately for him he heavily underestimated Tubbo, who did phenomenal job try to point out Dream missteps and make good arguments. Still Dream's behaviour was very much manipulative during it. I think the moment that shows it the most was the part where they talked about the merch company where Tubbo got to the point where he slipped and mentioned that there was one case of child labor in said company, something that clear came from his insider knowledge, and Dream started to use Tubbo's words against him to justify himself even though he had not know about it when making his video therefore it was irrelevant. His attitude also was very much "rules for thee not for me" any time Tubbo tried to hold Dream to the same standards Dream is holding other people who talk about him. Another thing that rubbed me the wrong way was how hard Dream was trying to make himself look good at the very end of the discussion by throwing complements and trying to act as if everything got resolved. I'm pretty sure he hoped this would encourage people to talking it out with him in private but I feel this might have the opposite effect since everyone got to see how such call would potencialy look like.

[dapg-otmebytheballs]

People are talking about how several older Youtubers are retiring/leaving YouTube at the same time as OGs like Dan-and-Phil and Smosh coming back, and I think a big part of the reason is that audiences for any creator will change and decay, right? And a lot of these YouTubers who are falling to the wayside now are people who had popular appeal. Like. POPULAR. Mainstream. Appeal. They never went too strongly towards particular principles and never did anything toooo unpalatable because that's not the kind of audience they had (and they made the right decision for themselves in doing that of course).

But yk who watches the weirdos recording on shitty cameras in their bedrooms making content that makes people go "ugh get HELP and be NORMAL"? Other weirdos.

And a core reason that DnP at least (I am not familiar enough with Smosh but feel free to weigh in Smosh fandom) are able to make a comeback and have a proper audience even now is because their audiences majorly have been queer neurodivergent weirdos with strange humours and strange special interests and they never sold out this audience. They could've easily steered towards safer content, been less weird and just laughed about how it's the FANS who are weird not them, could have taken more centrist views when talking about anything political, it would have gotten them a massive following after the initial breakthrough.

But they stuck by us that's why we stick by them. There's no formula for success here, this is just them having respected an audience that therefore respects them back even all these years later.

Mainstream popularity is fickle it has to change it will keep changing. "Weirdos" (or what people are calling "freaks" now) have only so many avenues so the real ones, they stick together, yk?

[ear-worthy]

Five Best Science Podcasts Of 2024

Science podcasts are a bright spot within the podcast industry, counteracting the growing number of conspiracy, extremist, and fact-free podcasts.

As I’ve mentioned before, Ear Worthy uses a panel of people from around the U.S., from Texas to California, New Jersey to Oregon, and Alabama to New Hampshire. Also, we do not choose the low-hanging fruit of podcasts with high visibility because of marketing by their podcast network. Just because a podcast has thousands of downloads does not make it a quality, ear-worthy show.

In no particular order, here are Ear Worthy’s Five Science Podcasts of 2024.

***********************************************

Science Vs

And they do so tongue-in-cheek, but also with no fear of proclaiming “the data isn’t clear” or “we need more data for greater certainty.” Behind the wily wisecracks of Zukerman and the show’s refusal to take itself too seriously, Science Vs is deadly serious about facts, research, facts, and conclusions. But it never seems to get too far ahead of its skis, making claims it cannot substantiate.

The show’s success is evident from its consistent ranking as one of the most downloaded podcasts. This year’s episodes of note include microplastics, ask Wendy anything, and what’s at the edge of space.

*************************************************

Scientists don’t really know what 95 percent of the universe is made up of. That fact is particularly shocking, considering we live in an age where humans seem to know it all. 

That’s why Vox’s science podcast — Unexplainable — is especially timely because it takes listeners on a journey into the unknown and then explores that feeling when “you think you understand something and there’s just so much more.” 

Produced by Vox — known for quality, thoughtful podcasts — Unexplainable host Hassenfeld explains that the podcast isn’t about the answers. “It’s about the questions,” he says. Alex Trebek would be proud of him.

Unexplainable launched its first episode in March 2021. Dutifully, that initial episode focused on the mystery of dark matter, which is composed of particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light. Therefore, dark matter can not be detected by electromagnetic radiation and can’t be seen directly. 

The format of Unexplainable is straightforward and is smartly designed to enhance understanding rather than grovel for listeners. In the show, host Noam Hassenfeld is joined by an array of experts and Vox reporters each week to look at fascinating unanswered questions in science and the mind-bending ways scientists are trying to answer them.

Episodes that are ear-worthy this year includes does your gut have feelings, how did Earth get its water, and what do dinosaurs sound like.

****************************************************

Big Picture Science

The show’s co-hosts are Seth Shostak and Molly Bentley. Shostak and Bentley have been doing for years, so they are comfortable as hosts, interviewers, and with each other. The co-hosts can geek out on hard science and still laugh at science nerdiness, and they can get tough with junk science theories and claims. In essence, they make an enjoyable combo,

On the April 15, 2024, episode, “For The Birds” we hear about migratory birds that travel thousands of miles in a display of endurance that would make an Olympic athlete gasp. More importantly, we discover what can we do to save disappearing species? 

Plus, we learn how 19th century bird-lovers, appalled by feathered hats, started the modern conservation movement.

On the recent July 11, 2024, show — “Aliens Now” — the co-hosts talk to astrophysicist Adam Frank about the possibility of intelligent life on other planets.

**************************************************

Taboo Science

Ashley Hamer is a writer, podcaster, and science communicator in Chicago. She is the creator of Taboo Science and the former host and content lead of the science podcast Curiosity Daily.

The podcast began in September 2020, and it didn’t pull any punches in its first several episodes. Topics included pornography, profanity, cannibalism, penises, and vaginas. I can just sense the uptight people who are organizing bans.

If you, as a listener, are into your science being serious stuff with people with PhDs speaking in solemn tones, Taboo Science is not for you.

But if enjoy a beaker full of fun with your science lesson, and don’t mind your poop being referred to you as “butt nuggets,” then Taboo Science is for you. 

The most taboo episodes this year include its miniseries about the weird and colorful world of kinks and fetishes. Be prepared to be shocked. Or not.

*****************************************

Short Wave

Short Wave is a National Public Radio (NPR) podcast that gives us a sneak peek behind the science headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It’s science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. 

Emily Kwong is perfectly capable of presenting science from a different wavelength.

Short Wave can do a sub -10-minute deep dive because Sofia is so fluent in science and communicating key concepts. Recent episodes include a tale of swarming locusts in Africa and how scientists in Tempe, AZ are using a low-carb diet to minimize crop damage. 

Or a truly troubling episode about a condition called silicosis, and it’s been known about for decades. So why is it now emerging in new numbers among workers who cut kitchen counter tops? NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce explains in such a way you’ll say a prayer that you kept your old Formica counter tops. 

 New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It’s science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor.

**************************************************

Honorable Mention Why This Universe — The biggest ideas in physics, broken down. Join University of Chicago theoretical physicist Dan Hooper and co-host Shalma Wegsman as they answer your questions about dark matter, black holes, quantum mechanics, and more.

[cdroloisms]

honestly, there's probably a lot you can say abt c!dream in terms of losing even when he wins. because, tbh, this is...consistent.

c!dream is very intelligent and very good at PVP and these are well-established traits from the beginning of the server. he is skilled at thinking strategically and therefore is often able to navigate unfavorable situations to him in order to successfully achieve some goal of his. in terms of achieving goals, c!Dream isn't half bad in the slightest! but how do these goals actually work out for him?

in the revolution, c!dream successfully leads his side to victory while minimizing damage to his own people (and, sometimes, minimizing damage across the board: see him telling his men to hold fire to allow lmanburgians to retrieve their items.) the most amount of risk to anyone on his side is during the duel, where he ended up on half a heart to determine the end result of the war. and it's quite undeniable that c!dream wins the war--he gets to set the terms of the peace, gives them "technical" independence as he planned to from the start but says that he and the rest of the Dream SMP will view them as constituents of the greater server and gets both discs after c!tommy offers them willingly. by all means, on paper, a glowing success.

only time passes and as others treat l'manburg as independent, he is forced to do the same. "suck it green boy" becomes one of the most common catchphrases of the server when the independence that was granted them in the book that this statement was written was. literally given to them out of c!dream's mercy? and not out of their victory? he loses both discs AND significant leverage against himself due to various conflicts that involved people stealing from him and/or blackmailing him when he literally wasn't doing anything. l'manburg's ranks have swelled and the story established by it and its independence has long since drowned out any other perspective on the war.

then, in manberg/pogtopia, c!dream enters into the conflict from the perspective of wanting c!schlatt out of power. later on, remaining loyal to c!wilbur, he helps him to successfully pull off the plot to blow up L'manburg and also manages to obtain the revive book through a brief alliance with c!Schlatt. once again, his goals were successfully pulled off in no small part due to his strategizing.

and yet, in the long run, what does c!dream really gain? the revive book is something he evidently didn't know about until the trade with c!Schlatt, and the knowledge of it fucking destroys him. with both c!Schlatt and c!Wilbur dead, he immediately ends up as enemy number one, something c!Wilbur himself states later on. c!Dream, who had never really had any particularly stable alliances pre-manberg anyway, comes out the other side of November 16th even more alone than he had been before, publicly distrusted (not that he was ever really trusted, even by Pogtopia before he officially starts working against them because of the revive book, something that the content creator himself has stated was created purely to explain why c!Dream would switch sides.) the destruction of L'manburg is merely temporary. the plan to blow up L'manburg was c!wilbur's in creation, and considering how open c!Dream is about disliking c!Schlatt, I really hesitate to think that he was going out of his way to ally with guy unless he himself intentionally revealed the revive book to this end (like. c!schlatt is a smart guy, bro.)

c!dream is "secretive" about just about nothing at this time, besides I guess his actually helping Pogtopia (if you can call this guy telling the fucking Manberg cabinet that it's L'manburg, not Manberg, being secretive el em ay oh)--he's open about helping c!Wilbur with the TNT (and c!Wilbur you know, makes a point of doing it in front of an audience both times he asks c!Dream for TNT as well) in Vassal and then on November 6th, and that exact stream is also where he literally walks in the middle of Pogtopia to say hey guys. I'm Betraying You Now. like ???

everything he gains at this time culminates to 1) he helps c!Wilbur successfully pull off a plan that c!Wilbur himself came up with and wanted to pull off and does, to some degree, pressure c!Dream into agreeing with him about--even if c!Dream was going to give him the TNT no matter what, he does display a measure of resistance during Vassal Speech (whether or not you believe this resistance was genuine) and c!Wilbur responds to that by kinda threatening him. So. and 2) he gets the revive book by acting in service to a guy that was clearly established as someone he disliked and feared, and that book is also something that we KNOW scared the shit out of him and like ended up prompting a paranoid spiral that ends with him creating a whole goddamn prison to put himself inside. soooooooo. you know. and all of this is happening at the same time that his losses end up turning into "by the time november 16th rolls around and is over and done with most people either want him dead or are very very close to wanting him dead, cheers!"

then obviously, there's everything from november 16th to the staged disc finale. again, we see c!Dream pulling strategic plays left and right and achieving the goals he has--at this point, often through, uh, less than savory means. through political bullshit with NLM and well, exile, he manages to get the disc during green festival; through helping c!Techno against the butcher army, he manages to obtain a favor; through stuff involving the enderwalk and some kinda deal that im p sure has remained unspecified, he manages to get Cat from c!Skeppy; through experiments with c!Punz, he gets information on the revive book; through green festival, obtaining both discs (and therefore no longer needing to act in terms of political interests with NLM), and establishing common ground with c!Techno, he's able to destroy L'manburg through Doomsday; through having the discs + everyone hating his guts because of Green Festival, Doomsday, and to be fair everyone literally just hating his guts from the outset, he is able to ensure the security of c!Punz, the revive book, and himself by locking himself in prison. A lot of different moving parts, a lot of different goals, a lot of running around the server to get what he needs to get done done at the right times in the right ways, and he manages to con the server and put himself exactly where he wanted to be.

and yet?? and yet??? sure, he pulls off what he wants to pull off, sure he achieves his goals, but in terms of actually winning? he's paranoid and the paranoia just keeps getting worse. the threats to his life and the amount of enemies that want him dead just keep growing in numbers. he finally gets lmanburg blown up for good but you know there's going to be like 4 more factions on this server by the time he gets imprisoned. his friends ditch him and then try to kill him when he clumsily tries to communicate that he's trying to protect them because of the paranoia he has about everyone hating his guts, he explicitly identifies the reasons for people's hatred as having a lot to do with manberg/pogtopia arc where he ends up helping two dead men that aren't around for people to hate anymore, he pulls off staged finale and puts himself in a prison that ends up shattering himself.

like he achieves his goals--even if we're talking about the prison, even if we're talking about the time where things most thoroughly go awry for him because of c!sam's betrayal, you can't say that he didn't achieve what he intended. c!sam kept him alive, and would do anything to keep him alive--he might've been wrong about a lot, but he wasn't wrong about that. and yet. AND YET.

c!dream achieves his goals but where does he end up? miserable and afraid of literally damn near everything and losing his whole mind in the exact prison that he constructed to keep himself safe when in a paranoid spiral about a hostile world that suddenly made so much less sense than he was used to--alone.

like. wdym doesn't lose all he does is lose literally everything he ever had like 😭😭😭😭😭

[rouge-fauna]

It is really sad honestly, and I've had similar things happen to myself too with many many friendship falling outs. Both cc discduo believe the other has manipulated, been dishonest and faked their friendship. Dream has understandable valid reasons to believe this, tommy seems to believe it due to influence from his fans and friends and because he misinterpreted Dreams dms to him as manipulative because the dms are emotional. And in general many people tend to see emotional = manipulative. Like how people view "am i annoying you" msgs as manipulative. I do not at all believe that their entire friendship was a lie, and I dont believe they were never close and were just coworkers, based on their past intereactions and based on how upset Dream is, he clearly cared otherwise he wouldnt be sending those messages and getting upset on stream about it. People think he's obsessed with tommy for saying tommy has a good heart, but this is how you speak about an ex-friend, its not obsessive. Its sad. On top of that all the shit dream has had to cop with and tommy only making it worse. That said, I don't think tommy faked the friendship because tommy did defend dream a lot post-allegations from his own friends and fans, and checked up on him regularly but I do think its fucked now that tommy is acting like this , playing victim, feeding into his fanbases bs. Its clear to me that tommy genuinely thinks dream wronged him, but at the same time tommy is doing this to get more popularity. Another thing is when dream said that if it werent for the fanbases, then he and tommy might have been okay, I completely agree with that too, I've noticed since the start that the fandom has constantly torn into discduos friendship, analyizing every little detail to the point where it was straining their dynamic. Anyway...

those stats for prison arc damnn I had no idea ctommy did allthat, and the fact he killed the cat. I get why you would not watch exile arc rn, I've had to stop my whole dsmp rewatch plans cause of this, might return to it in 4 months

[context]

I’m not so sure if it was the fandom that turned Tommy against Dream or perhaps Tommy grew up and realized he needed to stand up for himself. Do I think Dream is this big evil manipulator? No, I think whatever Dream did he wasn’t aware of how he was coming across - like Tubbo talked about in his stream about how the majority of the content creators thought he was taking credit for their success when that wasn’t true. But just because someone doesn’t mean to hurt someone or come across a certain way doesn’t mean that they didn’t and that the other person’s feelings are invalid. Additionally, I think you can be hurt by something in retrospect without that other person being a shit person or whatever. For example, in retrospect after my first kiss I realized how uncomfortable and such I felt and how I felt violated afterwards, but here’s the thing, that doesn’t make the guy who kissed me a bad guy. He asked for consent and I gave it, in the moment I didn’t know what I was feeling till afterwards and afterwards I felt violated and manipulated into it. But I still don’t think he really meant to do that or that he is this shitty terrible guy, just because I feel this way after the fact. You can feel things even if they don’t make sense. So I think perhaps Tommy does feel a certain way in his retrospect and as he gets older feels like Dream wronged him and stuff, but the things is feelings don’t make something true. Feelings are always valid yes- but they are not truth. In fact, in the theme of comparing c! to cc!s, I think this is one of c!Tommy’s big character flaws. That he turns his feelings into truth. He felt like no one visited him in exile therefore no one visited him. Which obviously isn’t true. So perhaps this is a flaw within cc!Tommy too that he mistakes emotions for truth so because he feels wronged by Dream that makes Dream a wrong’un. Which is a very scuffed way to view things especially when you take your younger self’s view at face value. Because here’s the thing, when you are younger you have such limited experiences to look and view the world and you often make connections and opinions and observations you take into adulthood based on this limited experience. So perhaps Tommy was hurt by Dream but that doesn’t make Dream bad, clearly he was just being a good friend and helping him….

Yea I was pretty surprised. Like that’s only the things we see too, who knows how much theoretical stuff happened in those other weeks of them being stuck together. Like we literally see Tommy hit Dream more times on stream than we do Quackity. And Quackity is supposed to be the torturer, mind you of course, Quackity was hitting Dream with swords and shears and lots of it happened off camera, still… I found that interesting…

[girl4music]

Looks like I now have 4 favourite TV shows of all-time.

Never thought I would get into ‘Wynonna Earp’ as much as I did. Yes, WayHaught had a lot to do with it but it wasn’t the only thing I loved about watching it.

It was very much like watching a modern Xena or Buffy or Charmed. Just with guns and cowboy hats and more f-bombs than all 3 other shows combined. Yes, ‘Wynonna Earp’ is significantly shorter so the pacing is very different and there’s not as much filler as there is in the other shows - which I suppose is good for some but I’m always partial to filler material when it’s used purposefully to build on character representation and development. And for what filler ‘Wynonna Earp’ has, it is used very well. It’s the same duration time for each episode but shorter seasons.

Nevertheless, what they do with it is substantial.

It’s without a doubt my favourite ‘10’s show. I mean honestly, there isn’t much to contend with there because I am and I’ve always been a 90’s/00’s chick when TV art/entertainment was just better in all ways because there wasn’t as much pressure to produce “popular” or “successful” content and there wasn’t the constant anxiety of cancellation on a whim either.

Creators, cast and crew could have fun. And I think that’s what I detect in ‘Wynonna Earp’ the most that reminds me of these 3 other shows. Fun for everyone. Also - ensemble casts. That’s a key thing with me. Gangs, teams. More than one lead main character. And side or recurring characters that help the leads. ‘Wynonna Earp’ has all of this and so much more to it.

Therefore, it belongs here on my phone with them. With these 3 other amazing shows that own my life.

Honestly, I’m a tough person to please when it comes to TV art/entertainment. So it’s a job well done guys!

[djvpensayosehistorias]

Should James Somerton be exonerated? - A 3500-word essay on plagiarism and ownership

Should James Somerton be exonerated?

Who even is this guy?

I had not heard of James Somerton before Hbomberguy’s video on Plagiarism and You(Tube). He is the main target of the video, as he has demonstrably plagiarized the content of his videos from other content creators, allegedly being hostile to them when they called him out for it. These accusations don’t interest me much; they are gossip from old Hollywood, and we should not turn the private conflicts of individuals into content. What I find deeply compelling and attractive about this case is that James Somerton became fairly successful by pretending to be a YouTuber. 

Content mills

As more people acquire a grasp on the basics of video making and start professional-looking channels more easily, and as more content is called “video essays” regardless of how the label fits, the bar for quality increases. Everyone is a YouTuber now, sure, but not everyone is a good YouTuber. Before, only people with camera-presence could run YouTube channels. Now, and for some time already, newcomers bet on running faceless YouTube channels and producing videos out of stock-footage, only providing a voiceover as the evidence of their presence. This is probably because so many people have been “exposed”, had their turmoil turned into microcelebrity gossip, become a liability for their companies, that being a corporate brand instead appears to be the preferable, smartest option. Lord knows what would be the current fate of James Somerton if he didn’t prominently show his face in his videos: Internet Historian, someone else who was demonstrated to have plagiarized an article for his channel, hasn’t had hordes of people go after him, perhaps because he uses the likeness of András Arató as his own channel mascot and because he’s never pretended to be a particularly moral individual. I personally have a preference for those who show their face in their YouTube content, even if it’s of poor quality, because they defend it with their life.

The danger of faceless channels is that they emulate, impersonate, corporate media that passes through quality control and is therefore professional and trustworthy, at least in the case of didactic entertainment. The amateurs immediately blow their cover when they say something out of place, something that would not fly in the worst, most biased fake news outlet, or they omit any references to their sources, as is common on YouTube. James Somerton is a rare case because, while he showed his face, he often presented conjectures as fact, and most importantly he rarely cited anything. That is precisely why he fascinates me. 

Embodiment of the simulation 

James Somerton, pre-cancellation, was a simulacrum of a video-essayist. He played the part to a tee. He spoke confidently, dressed up, and discussed the same things that the consumer demographic of video-essays enjoys. Perhaps it was the quality of his videos what impeded him from partnering with the independent platform Nebula; they looked the same as the videos of more prominent YouTubers who engage in queer cultural analysis, but their content was often either plagiarized or factually incorrect. They couldn’t get past a relatively simple threshold. Cultural analysis of popular media and the queer experience doesn’t necessitate much research; it’s precisely the type of discipline that can thrive on conjecture and subjectivity. The only thing his videos needed was proper citation and, perhaps, more rigorous investigation. I’ve seen the videos that are currently on James’ channel - the ones that do not feature plagiarism or flagrant misinformation according to him. I must say, these actually meet the threshold of quality for YouTube essays; they are authentic YouTube videos. No plagiarism, no misinformation. When he puts his mind to it, the man can craft a good video. (Note: James produced many videos in collaboration with writer Nick Hergott, who is quoted in a video by Todd in the Shadows from a post on James’ Discord server, “But that said…a lot of the claims [at least that I make]...are kinda based on just raw observation. I’m kinda fucking lazy and don’t WANT to look things up so I just kinda take something and ruminate on it.” Other, more succinct confessions of his are “Of course not because I don’t read,” and “I don’t do research.” It is clear that he is culpable for much of the incorrect information on the James Somerton channel.) 

To pardon James

I’m willing to put James Somerton’s plagiarism behind him. Since the beginning, I thought that all that was needed to avoid every single instance of plagiarism in his videos was to cite his sources. Had he done that, nobody would have cared, even if he didn’t ask permission to any of the writers and content creators referenced. It is courtesy on YouTube to ask for permission or let others know when you’re referencing their material, but in the doctrine of fair use that is irrelevant. If all of his plagiarism showed me anything, it’s that James is a good reader. It is crucial to be a good reader to be a good writer. A bad plagiarist (and keep in mind that James was a bad plagiarist) cannot demonstrate that he understands what he stole or that he learned anything. I listened to James’ podcast, where he spoke off-the-cuff, without any script, and he is knowledgeable. He has learned from all that he’s read. Under the definition I just gave, he’s more of a “bad copier” as Roberto Bolaño once defined them, “...those who simply plagiarize”, than a truly bad plagiarist. He has the potential of doing good, non-plagiarized content. 

Good Plagiarists vs. Bad Plagiarists

Let’s continue on what I said about bad plagiarists, or truly bad plagiarists. James was a bad copier because he didn’t hide what he stole. However, there are good plagiarists, and widely celebrated by our culture, at that. We claim to abhor plagiarism while celebrating it at its most shameless. Here is the difference between a good copier and a bad copier: a good copier will transform and even surpass the original, whereas the bad copier will never go beyond simple appropriation and therefore never seriously challenge the existence of the original. To give a contemporary example, Greta Van Fleet became very successful off their first two EPs and debut album in which they emulated a specific period of Led Zeppelin’s career, while Led Zeppelin creatively spun everything they stole into products that are distinct from their influences, whoever they are. The funny thing is that bad copiers will deny that they borrowed from their influences. The members of Greta Van Fleet said that their inspirations for those early records were not Led Zeppelin, but rather AC/DC and Aerosmith. While the complexity of Greta Van Fleet compositions resembles AC/DC’s more than Led Zeppelin’s, the excuse is ludicrous. Everyone knew what they were doing, and the band just played it off. To be clear, a copier is not necessarily a plagiarist, which is a legal category, but plagiarists of course react similarly when they’re caught - No! It wasn’t me! It was the one-armed man! 

Artistic plagiarism 

The YouTuber TomSka posted a video titled TomSka’s Guide to Plagiarism (The Somerton Scale) in which he posits that “plagiarism exists across a spectrum of severity”, which he structures in a scale baptized after James Somerton - the Somerton scale. It consists of ten steps: no correlation, parallel thinking, subconscious appropriation, inspiration, influence, reference, allusion, derivative, imitative, cloning, and freebooting. The only categories that might plausibly qualify as plagiarism are the last three: imitation, cloning and freebooting - TomSka himself says so in the video, calling them “the danger zone” of the scale. His conclusion is that we all build off from the work of others and that originality doesn’t exist and therefore we shouldn’t fall into despair if we find out that our work resembles someone else’s by accident or coincidence and that if we are inspired by someone it doesn’t hurt to differentiate our stuff from the source. All of these are sensible conclusions, but they’re almost not at all related to the James Somerton situation. What TomSka is referring to with his video is artistic plagiarism, which does not exist. How come it doesn’t exist? It is the acceptable form of plagiarism. 

Academic plagiarism

The unacceptable form of plagiarism is academic plagiarism. Plagiarism in academia is extremely easy to detect, especially now that there are multiple plagiarism-checkers that schools utilize; schools also have access to the databases of scientific repositories which feature publications protected by copyright law. Because it is easily traceable, academic plagiarism doesn’t serve its purpose as plagiarism. Plagiarism only works if it replaces the original; it succeeds as long as it goes unnoticed. If you are found to have plagiarized portions of your grade thesis, for example, you get reprimanded; it doesn’t matter if it was a little bit or a big bit. Only if you become a politician you might be immune to any sanction. Returning to the purpose of plagiarism, if the goal is to make money off stolen work, academic plagiarism is the least optimal option, because academic writing does not make money, or at least not enough to be stolen and republished or resold. And just from a philosophical perspective, it is also futile to plagiarize an academic publication, especially if it is research on a hard science, such as medicine, physics, math, chemistry, and so on. Social sciences, such as history, economy, and philosophy, are more up in the air. The point is that there is not much merit in being the owner of a work on the discovery or inquiry on a fact. Facts are facts. Your subjectivity is of little importance to the objective world. The earlier you are on a scientific discovery, the more incorrect you are about it. The fight for originality is not fought in the realm of science. The fight for recognition is worthwhile (looking at you, Rosalind Franklin), but what matters about science is that it is done, not who does it. People will be wrong, but facts will only be right. So that is academic plagiarism: easily spotted, functionally unnecessary, unprofitable, and ultimately useless. But no one defends academic plagiarism. Besides, when it is proven, it is most often punished, which is why nobody considers it a pressing issue. Academic plagiarism is not a problem, because it is unacceptable. 

Artistic plagiarism, continued 

But artistic plagiarism is of importance to the public. The public doesn’t read scientific publications for leisure. They consume art: film and television, music, literature and poetry, theater, and a long etcetera. What the youth nowadays consumes, for it is an immediate form of entertainment, is content - creative content. That is what James Somerton did, creative content. I mentioned before that social sciences don’t have the same inherent protections against academic plagiarism because, although they employ the scientific method, their analysis is highly dependent on subjectivity. Art criticism is arguably the easiest form of critical analysis possible, because the literary world is a dimension separate from the scientific world. One doesn’t need to rely on fact to perform an engaging critical analysis of art. Of course, literary critique, art criticism, social commentary, however one prefers to call it, is enriched by maintaining a contact with the scientific world, and it borders on being scientific if it is compatible with scientific consensus and historical record. Still, what matters about art criticism is that it be truthful rather than factual. That’s why sometimes writers say wild things without justifying them, and we give them a pass. That’s why Nick Hergott felt completely comfortable admitting that he never researched for the James Somerton channel and still felt righteous in distancing himself from James despite contributing to bad information in their videos. Unfortunately, on YouTube and every other social media platform, it is not only in art criticism and social commentary content that we see this flagrant nonchalance about uncited information. It is still interesting that despite both being featured in Hbomberguy’s video, people resent James Somerton and fellow YouTuber Blair Zón or “iilluminaughtii” for different reasons. Zón actually engaged in academic plagiarism, ripping off (much more in volume than James ever did) documentaries and news articles, yet the criticism directed at her is all about personal drama with co-workers and former colleagues that I cannot be assed to care about. Nobody cares about her plagiarism. Perhaps because they don’t actually dislike plagiarism unless they are told. People dislike James Somerton because he plagiarized art criticism from other queer content creators, many of them freelancers and independent workers (and two passed away). Had he plagiarized the right type of content, maybe he would be written off as lazy, but he would still have a platform. 

On copyright law 

Andy of AtunShei Films once joked that the collection of content creators affectionately nicknamed Breadtube were “liberals who make YouTube videos.” It is incredible that one of the most prominent YouTubers making anti-capitalism content is such an ardent defender of copyright law. Copyright law serves to give creatives control over the value generated by their labor; however, it also exists to screw people over in abusive, petty ways. The lawsuits that have happened over music are the most outrageous example.

The Marvin Gaye estate successfully sued Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams over the song Blurred Lines being too similar to Got to Give It Up, so they tried their luck again with a lawsuit against Ed Sheeran for supposedly copying Let’s Get it On to make Thinking Out Loud. Fortunately, they lost the second case. Similarly, a no name Christian rapper won a lawsuit against Katy Perry, whose song Dark Horse allegedly used the same riff from his song, whatever it was. Recently, that decision was overturned after Katy Perry appealed. One last case, that of Neil Innes, illustrates how one can be frivolously sued over a creative work and come out an authoritarian, an enforcer of and believer in the system. After he was sued by ATV Music for his Beatles parodies and forced to split the revenue with the company, Innes sued Oasis for eight notes of their song Whatever. He believed he was owed credit and compensation for a bar in a six-minute song. He had no empathy to spare for fellow artists. That is the ideology promoted by copyright law.   

It is ludicrous to uphold a mechanism that exists so that malicious agents can squeeze large amounts of easy money out of more successful people (and sometimes less successful people) while setting precedents to stifle creativity under the excuse of ownership.

Plagiarism vs. Copyright infringement

To clarify, plagiarism and copyright infringement are different things. You can plagiarize something that is not copyrighted, to define the distinction through an example. Plagiarism is a claim of authorship: the seller of pirated movies doesn’t claim to have produced the films himself. Legally, it is easier to find someone guilty of copyright infringement than of plagiarism. The easiest way to determine an occurrence of copyright infringement is when copyrighted material is unlawfully distributed in its entirety, representing losses in the earnings of the copyright holder. Pirated movies, music, books; bootleg recordings of concerts or live theater. Episodes of television uploaded to YouTube. The material is reproduced, and the copy may not generate money, or it might generate money to the incorrect person. That form of copyright infringement is the easiest to find and litigate. However, if a copy is not a reproduction, a clone, but a new entity that somewhat resembles the original, claims of copyright infringement become shaky. If as much of a single atom of a copy is different, the accusation of copyright infringement is no longer completely solid, so it is safer to decry plagiarism, and at that point there is nothing that can (or should) be done about it.    

a brief manifesto on combating artistic plagiarism

As I see it, the problem of artistic plagiarism should be treated the same way as with copyright infringement: whether the copy threatens the original market. The threat should be quantified in practice: if a creative sees a dip in revenue that can be proven as caused by imitators, the imitators shall split the revenue with the original creative. Otherwise, imitators should be allowed to exist, for their right to earn money under the capitalist mode of production and for their right to free speech.  

The absurdity of ownership

Private property is a highly contested concept in ideologies such as communism and anarchism, and intellectual property, or intellectual private property, should be perceived with the same skepticism. Intellectual property is as preposterous as immaterial labor. We cannot own an idea. An idea is immaterial. We cannot prevent others from using an idea. That is the crux of the problem of ownership. Anything that is good should not be deprived from others. An idea is an inexhaustible resource, an infinite commodity. What is the use of limiting its distribution? You don’t have the right to have my idea. Who is any of us to dictate to others what they can or cannot do, with an idea or in general? While the discussion hitherto has focused on artistic and academic literature, intellectual property extends to inventions. How much progress for the benefit of humanity has been hindered by patent protections? To give an example, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world to develop new vaccine technology to provide vaccinations to the population and lessen the debilitating and potentially fatal emergency. The distribution and rollout of vaccines was slowed down by Bill Gates’ refusal to waive patents on vaccines produced by his company. Patents on inventions are obviously a device to make rich people more money, but trademarks and copyright law help artists keep the money they make, right? No. Most of the money generated by the labor of artists is kept by the real copyright holders: publishers. Publishers, record labels, movie studios. In our current day, publishers are trying to devise methods to pay less and less royalties, with music and entertainment streaming and refundable digital books. The artist earns a wage as any other worker.

If intellectual property does not provide complete ownership of their labor to creatives, it probably does not merit the ardent defense of any creative. If intellectual property prevents access to knowledge, it probably does not merit the appreciation of anyone who values the utility of knowledge. That is why anarchists pay hosting fees on websites to distribute anarchist literature for free: they are committed to the spread of ideas, the education of the masses, rather than to privatizing their knowledge for profit and the prestige of ownership. Intellectual property is antithetical to the democratization of knowledge.  

Harry Brewis, the Hbomberguy, says on his Plagiarism and You(Tube) video, “On YouTube, if you have an original idea, if it’s good, it won’t be yours for long.” Good.

Conclusion & Call to action to the reader

After the fallout of the James Somerton spectacle, YouTubers are becoming bold and publicly calling out smaller YouTubers who copy - but not infringe on their copyright - their work. This is bad. People are not upset at content theft. People don’t care about quality content, or originality, or any of that bullshit. Nobody believes in that. What they are upset about is that some have found the solution. Nobody is angry at the copiers for doing things “the easy way.” Everybody wants to do things “the easy way.” Nobody likes to work. Everyone wishes to earn as much money as possible with the least labor. Those upset at James Somerton and other copiers are upset at the fact that some people found a way approved by the administrators of capital to make money. They, like every liberal, are angry at capitalism while believing in it and supporting it. Is there a solution for them? There are plenty. To ignore the copiers is a good first step; after all, the free market regulates itself and consuming quality content will create a demand for quality content. If you are more interested in the enrichment of the intellectual landscape, of common discourse, than in petty drama, my advice is that we all become active consumers. Passive consumers don’t question what they consume - they read something and believe it. Even if you think that the present essay is total horseshit, at least engage with its arguments, even if you disagree anyway. That is my advice to you: read. Read more. Learn to evaluate and critique sources. A list of references is not just a display of intellectual honesty: it’s the evidence of the quality of your research. Become an active viewer, an active reader, an active consumer, a participant in the discourse. If you are a good reader, you might recognize from where I borrowed the structure of this essay, and I’m sure he would not mind. And if you’re really desperate about the low bar for quality for video-essay content on YouTube, I suggest you graduate and start reading books. 

[thestingerblog]

Youtube & Evolving Curations of Internet Personalities

by Sam H.

Read on our website!

Like many other people my age, I grew up on YouTube throughout the 2010s, and as I’ve grown older, I’ve gravitated towards spending more of my time watching TV shows and movies. I haven’t necessarily “grown out” of YouTube, as that’s a ridiculous claim considering the insane amount of content on YouTube with enough to satisfy anyone’s niche interest; however, I found that the platform itself was growing more tedious to navigate and that I just didn’t enjoy it the same anymore. There are plenty of explanations as to why YouTube’s inner workings have shifted in recent years, including its algorithm, demonetization rules, oversaturation of content through crossposting on other platforms like TikTok, and increased accessibility to creating content. But in this article, I want to focus on how YouTube has been fundamentally shaped by the evolution of internet personalities and their presence in the online sphere. 

When I was younger, I remember having a hard time trying to describe the type of videos I watched. I did enjoy a good gaming video every now and then (yeah, they were mostly Markiplier videos), and I indulged in some sketch comedy channels, but most of the creators I watched just created content generically labeled as “Lifestyle” or “Culture.” Yet, I was relatively dissatisfied with that label because I didn’t think that label did any of the channels I watched justice. These “Lifestyle” creators often created videos in which they talk directly to the camera as if talking directly to the viewer, thus fostering an intimate sense of connection. The viewer then feels a sense of trust and loyalty in the creator and, therefore, why it was far more common for people to follow certain creators rather than watch certain content as people do nowadays. Additionally, the length of the videos around the time of the “Lifestyle” creator boom of the 2010s often ended up being around 10-20 minutes, which allows people to connect to these creators in bite-sized pieces or all-at-once binge-style, all up to the viewer’s choice. Thus, this creator becomes an “internet personality,” a character larger than life and a more curated version of the person behind the screen. 

During this boom, YouTube knew how important internet personalities and creators were to the platform. Popular creators were invited to be a part of the now-discontinued annual tradition of YouTube rewind, and some, such as Joey Graceffa with his “Escape the Night” series, had their projects supported monetarily through YouTube’s now-defunct premium streaming service YouTube Red at the time. At one point, there was even a Creator Store, a permanent installation in London that sold merch by British YouTubers until it closed post-pandemic. 

Nowadays, there’s a larger culture on YouTube around longer video essays and commentary that doesn’t necessarily require creators to share stories about their personal lives, so the need to establish creators as an “internet personality” isn’t inherent to the success of a creator. This can also be seen through the changing cultures around supporting creators; for example, Vidcon was a huge event where attendants could meet YouTube’s biggest creators in the 2010s, but now, most mainstream YouTubers don’t attend the event or engage with it in the same way many YouTubers were doing meet-and-greets at Vidcon in its early years. 

The decline of the prominence of internet personalities isn’t necessarily a bad phenomenon. The toxic side of perpetuating internet personalities resides primarily in the parasocial relationships viewers can form with creators. While most fans respected creators’ privacy, some people took their desire to grow closer to the creators much further and would often try to ship YouTubers or invade their privacy to confirm rumors about their personal lives. Though this sounds similar to how celebrities are treated, internet personalities tend to be more accessible via social media and through engaging with them directly on the videos’ comment sections, giving many people a false sense of control over these creators. It’s clear that these relationships become harmful for the creator, who can have difficulty untangling their personal life from the life they put online, especially when much of their content comes from sharing their life online. These relationships can also be unhealthy for the viewer, as the viewer builds an infallible trust in a human being who will inevitably make mistakes. 

Analyzing how internet personalities on YouTube have evolved over time, therefore, demonstrates how the platform culture is changing quickly, but if anything, this proves that accessible video platforms, compared to traditional cable or paid streaming services, change and adapt with time, content, and viewers. 

[madstars-festival]

A world view of creativity at MAD STARS: Meta’s Fabio Seidl, & Google’s Artwell Nwaila

Fabio Seidl is director of global creative development at Meta. He has been based in the US for a decade but grew up and spent his early career in Brazil. Before joining mMeta four and a half years ago, Fabio had worked in major international agencies throughout his career – DDB Worldwide, VMLY&R, 360i and Leo Burnett in the US; Ogilvy, McCann and Africa in Brazil.

Artwell Nwaila is head of creative & ecosystem at Google Sub-Saharan Africa. Before joining Google, he worked as creative director at sport broadcast channel SuperSport in South Africa and was the founder and creative director of creative network, SA Creatives. He also worked in boutique agencies such as Offlimit Communications and Straight Twisted.

These two creatives from different backgrounds came together at MAD STARS as members of the executive jury that chose the Grand Prix winners. They share their views on Grand Prix-winning creativity, making great creative work and Asian creativity in a whole world perspective.

[Fabio Seidl]

“We discussed the Grand Prix of the Year for many hours,” Fabio recalls. “And we talked a lot about the message we wanted to leave to the industry. If it was ‘be experimental’ or ‘own your brand’s space’ or ‘show me something I’ve never seen or that I don’t know?’ The latter ended up being stronger. We wanted to make sure that the results showed that creativity, when it is unexpected, is even more powerful.”

[Artwell Nwaila]

“A big focus for me whenever I judge is whether the campaign answers a real brand need or it aims to be creative for the sake of being creative,” Artwell adds. “The magic in the Grand Prix winners is that they are incredibly clever and creative ideas that actually answer a brand need.”

Artwell also believes that to nurture the kind of creative thinking that wins awards and rewards its clients during campaigns, individuals in creative fields should venture beyond their specialised domains. “By this, I mean that creativity thrives when it is fuelled by a diverse range of experiences. This can only be accomplished by creatives actively acquiring new skills. The greater the variety of skills they acquire, the more expansive their worldview becomes, enriching their creative perspectives,” he says.  

[Fabio Seidl]

“Collect experiences that are not obvious,” Fabio adds. “Travel, read, meet people, learn what other people don’t know. If you are a new creative but you’re learning from pragmatic formulas, you’re missing your most important asset - a new perspective.”

For any young creatives who think that advertising is an easy career, there is one word – sorry. It’s a tough industry and even tougher when times are hard socially and/or economically. The keys to success right now are also muddied by the rate of change in the world and therefore the industry that reflects it and feeds from it.

For Fabio, one key is mandatory, “Collaboration. And by that I don’t mean ‘everyone is a creative’ which can be inefficient. I mean, ‘bring to the table something only you could think or do’. The industry is tough now because there’s much more to learn every day. Much more information. The audience is fragmented and create their own stories and content. So, we need to partner with talent that can come up with what we would never think:  creators, makers, technologists, artists, producers.”

[Artwell Nwaila]

Artwell adds a different kind of collaboration. “I believe that the industry should embrace collaboration with technology rather than viewing it as a competitor. Those who can discover ways to partner with technology are more likely to attain success. Secondly, while technology exerts significant influence across various aspects of our industry, it's crucial to remember that creativity remains paramount. It is we the creatives, not machines, who possess the ability to deliver on that front.”

[Artwell Nwaila]

Artwell also gave a talk called Leveraging Data to Amplify Creativity in Advertising in which he described the power of data for success in a tough industry. “The main highlights focussed on the importance of moving away from assumption based creative development and move towards data driven creativity,” he says. “Consumers are bombarded by more than 5000 marketing messages a day and therefore it’s important to use strategies that make campaigns stand out and deliver return on investment. A point I wanted to land in the talk is that creatives don’t need to be data scientists. Accessing data can be as simple as using Google trends.

“Creatives need to be more curators than ever,” he adds.

Both creatives were impressed by the Asian work they saw at MAD STARS, especially work that was embedded in its local culture.

[Fabio Seidl]

“MAD STARS’ highlight for me was to see the regional insights working to bring great ideas to life. It was wonderful to see the harmony between simplicity, ingenuity and craft that only Asia can build,” Fabio notes.

[Artwell Nwaila]

Artwell was also struck by the powerful way in which local insights were used. “Based on my observations at MAD STARS, it's evident that the Asian creative community is not just aligned with the global community but, in some instances, leading the way. What particularly impressed me was the emphasis on authentic localization, where creatives craft content tailored to specific regions and address their unique needs. This approach signifies the future of marketing, marking a departure from the era of one-size-fits-all campaigns.”

[dawnfelagund]

Independent Archive Survey

What skills do you already have in web design, web development, or site-building?

Competence Exists (>50% of respondents have this skill)

HTML

CSS

Wordpress

Competence Developing (25-49% of respondents have this skill)

Python

Other coding language

MySQL

Graphics design

Area of Need (<25% of respondents have this skill)

Drupal

Other content management system

PHP

Analysis

I debated about how best to visualize these data, which are perhaps the most complex in the survey. Being an educator and therefore used to thinking in terms of proficiency, I decided to represent the data in that way: which technical skills are most needed among potential archivists.

And, to be clear, everything on this survey is not required to run an archive. I am emphatically not a coder but have run a successful archive for many years now using first eFiction and now Drupal. I had two purposes in asking this question. First: if I make tutorial materials, where is my effort best spent? You don't have to know HTML and CSS to use Drupal, but it sure makes things (especially theming!) easier if you have at least some understanding of them. Second: where are efforts to expand options for building independent archives best directed?

On the second question, Wordpress surfaces and not for the first time. There have been various efforts and making a fanfic archive plugin for Wordpress over the years. My SWG co-admin Russandol and I even tinkered with Wordpress last year, trying to build an archive using existing plugins. From what we can find of supported plugins, it doesn't seem possible at this time.

But the data here suggest that it would be ideal if it were possible. Many fans have at least some experience with Wordpress, and some have quite a bit. The ability to provide an archive option that builds on existing competence is ideal.

I do think it's likely that respondents were underestimating their skills. I do not think that only one respondent had an expert knowledge of HTML. Unfortunately, it is difficult to define what is meant by beginner, intermediate, and expert without getting bogged down, and we fandom people are very good at imposter syndrome. ("I can't possibly be an expert in this useful thing!") I'd define "expert" as "able to do what is needed using this tool or knowing how to find information to do what is needed," and I'm guessing more than a few of the "intermediates" can in fact do this for HTML, which makes me think that all of the graphs may see an upward shift in terms of expertise levels.

What is the independent archive survey?

The independent archive survey ran from 23 June through 7 July 2023. Eighty-two respondents took the survey during that time. The survey asked about interest in independent archives and included a section for participants interested in building or volunteering for an independent archive. The survey was open to all creators and readers/viewers of fanworks.

What is an independent archive?

The survey defined an independent archive as "a website where creators can share their fanworks. What makes it 'independent' is that it is run by fans but unaffiliated with any for-profit or nonprofit corporations or organizations. Historically, independent archives have grown out of fan communities that create fanworks."

Follow the tag #independent archives for more survey results and ongoing work to restore independent archives to fandoms that want them.

Independent Archives Survey Masterpost

[chilapa]

After it was reported that an unnamed OnlyFans creator had claimed tax relief on breast enhancement surgery, the accountant who filed the return has said she was “surprised” to see it making headlines.

BychilapaMarch 27, 2023

After it was reported that an unnamed OnlyFans creator had claimed tax relief on breast enhancement surgery, the accountant who filed the return has said she was “surprised” to see it making headlines.

Rachel Martin runs a chartered certified practice with her husband James and says that, as her client list is not limited to content creators, she is not used to media attention.

OnlyFans is a subscription-based website where you pay a monthly fee to access content from creators. It is not exclusively a platform for adult content, but Rachel’s client is involved in that industry.

It was described as “the first known case of its kind” by the Mail on Sunday, but the BBC has spoken to another OnlyFans creator who claimed cosmetic dental work and breast implants successfully as a business expense in her HMRC tax returns, following surgery in 2020.

Those using the website do not qualify as employees, so are required to submit self-employed tax returns to HMRC and can therefore claim back business expenses.

She says she used HMRC guidance for actors and other entertainers – which stipulates any business expense must be proven to have no personal benefit to be accepted.

An HMRC spokesperson told the BBC: “While guidance on the interpretation of tax legislation is available, we don’t provide assurances for specific cases.”

Despite some successful claims, HMRC added: “It’s very unlikely that a non-health related operation would be an allowable expense when calculating profits.”

But Rachel says she stuck to the guidelines around expensing items that would directly improve how much money her client could make.

“The criteria for this specific client was that improving her appearance would increase her income, which has since been evidenced,” Rachel says.

Rebecca Goodwin, 29, has been an OnlyFans adult content creator for four years and tells the BBC she had breast enlargement surgery in 2020 to improve her income on the site.

“I wouldn’t have had a boob job if it wasn’t for doing this, I was feeling quite insecure and had to meet people’s beauty standards,” she says.

Rebecca, who is not a client of Rachel and James Martin, said her accountant “recognised instantly” the surgery she’d paid for could be classed as an expense when she filed her tax returns in 2021.

“That was the part that shocked me the most, that cosmetic surgery comes under this [as an expense],” she adds.

OnlyFans owner makes $500m after spike in users

‘I’m using OnlyFans as a second job to pay bills’

OnlyFans chief to hand reins to new female boss

Rebecca, who is a single mum with two young children, says before her surgery she made $12,000 (£9,800) a month but this jumped to $34,000 (£27,800) a month after debuting her new look.

She says it’s important that people don’t see this as an incentive “to get into the industry just to have cosmetic surgery”.

“I do think there should be guidelines, although I don’t think anyone would go to the extent of setting up a company just to get a boob job,” she adds.

But, she says entering the industry “has completely changed” her life and allowed her to set up affordable housing for people in her local community.http://zililedesignartistnews.live/After it was reported that an unnamed OnlyFans creator had claimed tax relief on breast enhancement surgery, the accountant who filed the return has said she was “surprised” to see it making headlines.

[foldingbedme]

Why You Should Rent Garment Rack If You Are A Content Creator?

Are you a content writer who struggles to maintain your wardrobe orderly for shots? For those who work in fashion, planning, or fame, it might be difficult to maintain your garments in order and simple to locate. Things may become chaotic very fast when you have to keep track of many clothes for photo sessions, videos, or even live broadcasts. Renting a clothes rack then comes very helpful. Why, therefore, ought you to rent rather than buy? Renting a clothes rack not only offers choices but also saves space and money while keeping your work area free. Content creators should get a rent garment rack for the following primary purposes:

Maintaining Order Throughout Shots Helps.

You have to be neat as a content producer to ensure a flawless shot. Rent Garment Rack will enable you to arrange your items so that changing looks rapidly is simple. Renting a clothes rack can help you to keep your garments nice and free of wrinkles. This allows you more time to be creative rather than always juggling garments. Having a space dedicated to your clothing helps your work environment seem professional and orderly whether you're shooting at home or in a studio.

Change Capacity For Various Projects

Renting clothes racks is one of the finest things about it as it allows you great independence. Regarding attire, they might have to vary depending on the content of employment. You might just need one rack for certain shots, but for others, you could need more to accommodate more clothing. Renting allows you to modify the space's size in line with the employment. Renting relieves you of having to worry about where to keep additional racks when they are not in use as renting enables you to return the equipment after the project is over.

Reasonably Priced For Transient Requirements

For those who manufacture things, creating a budget is always vital. Investing money on a clothing rack you may not use very frequently begs questions. Renting racks allows you to utilise them for as long as you need them without having to make a purchase. This will enable you to better handle your money so that you may purchase additional needs, including cameras or lighting. Particularly if you seldom use the rack, renting is less expensive than buying.

Arrange Room

For those who create in little spaces, every inch matters. Renting a clothes rack allows you to simply return it after the shoot, therefore freeing space in your house or studio. Many large racks might clutter your area and prevent you from being creative by messiness. Renting lets you just use the tools as required, therefore your workstation remains neat and ready for the next project.

Conclusion

Content creators would be wise to rent garment rack as a cheap and quick approach to finishing their tasks. Whether you're working with a tiny area or more than one outfit, renting offers you alternatives saves money, and keeps your creative space neat. When you can hire one when you need one and return it when you're done, you won't have to maintain racks all over the home you never use. Rent clothes rack equipment for a professional and more successful stress-free, well-organised picture or video shoot.

[earnin3]

What is Influencer Marketing: A Strategy Guide for 2025

Indeed, the digital world is not naive about influencer marketing and for good reason-the fact: it works. This is no passing fad anymore. This is something of serious and robust marketing campaigns whereby brands would speak to real people in sincere and authentic communication ways. Therefore, by welcoming the New Year into 2025, influencer marketing will go strong and for the good advantage, be aboard the best influencer marketing agency, just like Earnin.

In this guide, we’ll explore what influencer marketing is, why it’s so effective, and how to build a winning strategy for the year ahead.  

What Is Influencer Marketing?

Basically, influencer marketing is a partnership between a brand and an individual (the influencer) who has a considerable following on social media. Influencers use their platforms to promote products or services, blending them into their content to build trust and generate results.

Influencer marketing does not feel like a traditional ad. It uses the authority and authenticity of the influencer to make recommendations more relatable and effective.

Why Influencer Marketing Works

Influencer marketing works because people trust people. According to studies, these are facts:

92% of consumers trust recommendations from individuals over traditional brand ads.

Social media users are more likely to buy a product if they see someone they follow using it.

Authentic voices are what drive the consumer in 2025. Influencers are that human connection needed so it's great to have them as an asset for those brands trying to cut through the noise.

Influencer Marketing Benefits

1. Boosting Brand Visibility

Your brand expands with influencers, introducing your product to customers who might never have listened to you.

2. Higher Engagement As influencer marketing can provide closer connectivity between the influencers and their audience, the content created by an influencer would enhance the engagement quotient.

3. Higher Conversions

 An influencer is a source of trust, and hence a recommendation by the influencer boosts sales and ensures quicker conversion.

4. Targeted Reach

You can partner with social media influencers who target your niche or audience to ensure that your message goes directly to the ideal people who'll be interested in such messages.

How to Develop an Influencer Marketing Strategy

1. Define Your Goals

What do you want to achieve? It may be brand awareness, sales turnover increase, or audience growth - setting clear goals guides your strategy.

2. Find the Right Influencers

Choose a partner that will fit into your values, niche, and target audience. A good great influencer marketing agency, like Earnin, will be able to match you up with an influencer who can work best for your business.

3. Authentic Campaigns

Authenticity is important. Collaborate with influencers on a campaign in which the content developed by that particular influencer does well within his following yet still stays loyal to your brand voice.

4. Monitor Your Results

Use analytics to measure your campaign's success. Look at metrics like engagement, reach, and conversions to understand what's working and what needs improvement.  

 Why Choose Earnin?

This can help in influencer marketing if an agency is well-trusted. Earnin, the best influencer marketing agency, can provide: 

- An immense network of influencers in all categories.

- A campaign designed for results.

- Monitoring tools that guarantee the maximum ROI.

Earnin enables you to make the right influencer partnerships this 2025 and elevate your brand. 

Influencer Marketing and the Future It's only set to get significantly more complex, interesting, as well as evolving in 2025. Among the trends should include:

Micro and Nano-Influencers 

The future has been increasingly and more dominated by the smaller content creators, observing a highly engaged audience.

Long Term Partnerships.

Brands with influences will be set to develop lengthy, sustainable co-operations that last longer with time.

AI-Driven Insights: Earnin, for example, will use AI to identify influencers and forecast campaign success much more quickly.

It's more than just strategy: it connects a brand with an audience. To connect for real authenticity and engagement toward the accomplishment of your objective in 2025, look at an agency that ranks among the world's best, such as *Earnin* in influencer marketing.

Level up your brand? Let Earnin get you started toward influencer marketing success.

[yujiehuang110720]

Blog Post 5: Exploring Uses of the Uncanny Valley In Digital Media

In this post, I will try to explain the theory of the Uncanny Valley and illustrate its applications in digital media using real-world film examples. In addition, I will discuss successful and unsuccessful uses of the Uncanny Valley and analyze its societal impact.

In 1970, the Uncanny Valley was first introduced by a Japanese roboticist named Masahiro Mori. According to his theory, as robots become increasingly human-like, furthur affection from humans would be evoked. Nevertheless, when they become too realistic to a certain level that makes them almost indistinguishable from humans, they can make people feel uncomfortable or terrified. This drop of affection is known as the “valley” in the Uncanny Valley.

The discomfort arises because these beings and humans are supposed to be opposite and different. Humans are good at identifying details such as facial expressions and features, and when these details slightly deviate from reality, they create a sense of cognitive dissonance, an unsettling effect on people.

Paul Ekman (1993) emphasized in Facial Expression and Emotion that humans are highly sensitive to facial movements and their nuances. These universal features significantly influence emotional reactions. Therefore, creators must be careful while balancing realism and stylization. They also need to consider their target audience to avoid triggering the Uncanny Valley unintentionally.

Applications in Digital Media

Successful Uses: Avatar (2009) and The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

The 2009 film Avatar reached success in visual storytelling. The Na’vi characters were created with advanced facial simulation and motion capture technology that can display human-like microexpressions and movements. The clear narrative distinction between the Na’vi and humans helped audiences accept them as a different species without evoking the Uncanny Valley reaction.

Likewise, the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) showed an amazing application of the Uncanny Valley theory in the character Gollum. He is designed as a repulsively distorted figure consumed by his obsession for the Ring. The exaggerated features of this character such as oversized eyes, sparse hair, and hunched posture all created an uncomfortable feeling as the audience knows that he is human, but not exactly human-like. The intentional discomfort aligned with his cunning personality, which also built up his role in the plot.

Unsuccessful Uses: Cats (2019)

The 2019 film adaptation of Cats gives a textbook example of a failed application of the Uncanny Valley. The film’s special effects attempted to merge human and cat elements, but they created hybrid creatures so detailed that even strands of fur on the characters could be seen. These characters had human-like facial features and bodies but possessed distinct cat traits like cat ears and tails, which created a jarring sense of visual conflict for viewers.

The characters’ behaviors worsened this unsettling feeling. While they walked, sang, and danced like humans, they also acted like cats as they crawled, licked themselves, and scratched at objects. This made audiences feel uncertain about whether these beings were meant to be perceived as humans, cats, or something in between. The lack of clear boundary between the human and animal characteristics weakened the believability of the characters and story.

Conclusion

From my perspective, the Uncanny Valley reflects more than just visual discomfort. This theory reflects deeper anxieties about technological advancement, particularly Artificial Intelligence and robotics. The potential replacement of human roles by artificial counterparts also showcases an uncertainty deeply rooted in the Uncanny Valley effect. 

I believe the Uncanny Valley is a double-edged sword in digital media. On the one hand, it can immerse audiences deeper in the content; on the other hand, it can make viewers feel detached or uncomfortable. Advancements in special effects show how talented creators can use this phenomenon effectively. By striking a balance between realism and stylization, and by clearly defining the difference between human and human-like characters.

However, as seen in unsuccessful examples, technological progress is not necessarily equal to increasing audience acceptance of those characters. The failure to make use of this psychological discomfort can undermine visually advanced productions.

In summary, the Uncanny Valley shapes how audiences interact with digital media content. Also, it provides creators with a tool to reflect on how their work impacts viewers. It offers an area to not only think about technological trends on human society but also the relationship between humanity and digital media uses.

To be honest, I have not explored the potential of the Uncanny Valley due to my preference for saturated, bright and colorful designs. Nonetheless, I would love to incorporate this concept into future projects, so that I can step out of my comfort zone and experiment with various styles to get different emotional responses.

Sources:

20th Century Studios (2009) - Avatar | Official Trailer (HD) | 20th Century FOX. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PSNL1qE6VY (Accessed: 18 Nov. 2024).

Ekman, Paul. (1993). Facial expression and emotion. American Psychologist, 48(4), 384–392. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.48.4.384

Mori, M., & Macdorman, K. F. (2017). The uncanny valley: The original essay by Masahiro Mori. IEEE Spectrum.

Movieclips (2022) - Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - Sneaky Little Hobbitses Scene | Movieclips. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1U1c5hdKGU (Accessed: 18 Nov. 2024).

Universal Pictures (2019) - CATS - Official Trailer [HD]. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtSd844cI7U (Accessed: 18 Nov. 2024).

[lifechanyuan]

Contrasting Views on Life Success

Xuefeng

The erroneous life views passed down over thousands of years need to be corrected.

Traditionally, it is believed that a successful life means earning a fortune, achieving high official positions, gaining fame, bringing honor to one's ancestors, and being admired by others. In Lifechanyuan, a successful life means living healthily, peacefully, smoothly, and satisfactorily throughout one's life, always being happy, joyful, free, and blessed.

In the past, we believed that in order to lead a happy, joyful, free, and blessed life, certain prerequisites were necessary. The primary condition was to possess wealth, assets, and a substantial material foundation. Simultaneously, one needed to stand out among others, making people around them admire, envy, and look up to them. How could one achieve all of this? Confucianism taught that "In books, one can find houses of gold, and in books, one can find faces as fair as jade." To become an extraordinary individual, one had to study diligently and exhaustively. Only through excellence in education can one gain recognition and official positions. Only with fame and authority can one amass wealth, allowing them to accumulate great fortunes. “In the Qing Dynasty, a virtuous magistrate for three years, amassing one hundred thousand silver taels.” Even if one chose the path of an honest official, they could still acquire a substantial sum. However, if someone was even slightly greedy, their earnings over three years would surpass "a hundred thousand silvers." At that point, they could have whatever they desired—whether they craved respect, beauty, or even supernatural favors. Nevertheless, does this represent a successful life? Even if it did, how many people could truly enjoy such a life of luxury?

Thousands of troops and horses pass a single-log bridge, but how many can make it across? Some fall off, get injured, or even drown in the river. Even if they all have managed to cross, they have grown old, their legs weaken, and by the time they reach middle or old age, their happy childhood has been drowned out by books, their beautiful youth gnawed away by books, and their blissful youthful years spent competing in the world of books. Is this what we call a successful life? I consider it the tragedy of life, a failure. After striving and toiling for most of their lives, what do they have to show for it? Not to mention middle age, even in old age, they haven't achieved the wealth, power, fame, gains, or carnal pleasures they idealized. What else can we call this but a failure in life?

Therefore, the traditional concepts of success and failure in life are erroneous and must be corrected; otherwise, the tragedy of life will continue.

So, what is the path to a successful life?

Childhood should be filled with joy.

Youth should be filled with play, fun, and passions.

Young adulthood should be filled with dreams and ideals.

Middle age should be filled with diligent work.

Old age should be filled with leisure and self-care.

Reaching the end of life with no regrets, no hates, and no unfulfilled desires, being content and smiling even in the tomb, is an ideal and successful life because it aligns with the way of the Greatest Creator.

Is it possible to achieve this?

The answer is: undoubtedly!

Where is this path?

Answer: It can be found in the Second Home created by Lifechanyuan.