Taylor Lorenz’s Power User
Taylor Lorenz explores how technology and the internet are upending our lives and the world around us. Each week, she covers online fame, emerging platforms, viral phenomena, and the creator economy. Regular episodes air on Wednesdays, with "Free Speech Friday" episodes focusing on tech policy and civil liberties online.
Episodes
Bars Are Secretly Scanning Your Face And Tracking You
Most people hand their ID to a bouncer without thinking twice. But what if your local bar was monitoring way more than your age?SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz Cydney Hayes is a tech and business reporter at the Gazetteer SF.and she joins me for this week's Free Speech Friday to dis
The Terrifying New Bounty Economy w/ Adam Aleksic (Etymology Nerd) & Aidan Walker
The internet has entered a terrifying new era where reality itself has become a marketplace. Adam Aleksic (Etymology Nerd) & Aidan Walker join me to break it all down. SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz Pump Fun GO is a new service that lets anyone pay anyone to do anything, and the r
Congress Just Declared War on the Internet: The Patriot Act For Online Spaces Is Here
The Kids Act Could End Internet Freedom As We Know It. SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz A massive new package of legislation, dubbed the "Kids Act," is moving through Congress with unprecedented speed. The package is a broad-based censorship and surveillance scheme that will affect
The Riskiest Bet in Tech History: Elon Musk's Most Dangerous Company Yet
SpaceX just pulled off the biggest IPO in history and made Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire. But is it all built on a fantasy?SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz In this week's episode of Power User, I sit down with Ryan Mac, the main New York Times reporter covering SpaceX and co-
[PATREON PREVIEW] What Is Peter Thiel Doing In Argentina? (and what's with his secret cult) w/ NYT's Ryan Mac
Subscribe to my Patreon or newsletter to listen to the full episode!SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz Over the past few months, Peter Thiel has become fully infatuated with Argentina. He bought a house there, enrolled his kids in school, has been attending local soccer matches, playing chess with lo
Hasan Piker Reveals The New Censorship Playbook: The Twitch Streamer on KOSA, Section 230, jawboning, travel bans and more
Hasan Piker On The Terrifying Future Of Internet SurveillanceSUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: patreon.com/taylorlorenz Hasan Piker joined me for this week's Free Speech Friday for a wide-ranging conversation about online censorship, government surveillance, digital ID laws, Section 230, TikTok, KOSA, free speech, the JAWB
Why Timothée Chalamet Is Shilling Kalshi: Inside The Plan To Monetize Everything
Why is Kalshi suddenly everywhere? SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket have become one of the most powerful forces in American media, politics, and culture. In this episode of Power User, I sit down with NPR's Bobby Allyn, the country's top pred
The Anti-LGBTQ Internet Censorship Bill Is Back
Just in time for Pride month, Marsha Blackburn and the Heritage Foundation's anti-LGBTQ censorship is back (now supported by OpenAI). SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is back, and this time, the White House is reportedly negotiating a deal to pass it in ex
Exposing OpenAI's Secret Meme Army: A $125M Propaganda Network
Exposing The Dark Money Machine Behind AI PropagandaSUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz I break down my investigation into a network of pro-AI and anti-AI meme accounts that I found were secretly being run and funded by OpenAI, Palantir, and Andreessen Horowitz's big $125M super PAC and dark mon
Are You On A Govt Watchlist? Cops Are Tracking Anyone Who Hates AI
Are you on a government watchlist just for criticizing AI? 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 A shocking new investigation from The Intercept reveals that police are tracking seemingly anyone who expresses skepticism or anger about the tech
The Data Center Boom Is More Toxic Than You Think
Are AI data centers destroying the environment, driving up power bills, and consuming massive amounts of water, or is the backlash overblown?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 Power User, I sit down with Wired senior
Visa Could Ruin the Internet
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 Re
Why AI Doom Content Is Everywhere
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
Elon Musk’s Final Plan: A Dangerous Blueprint For World Domination
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 co
The AI Job Apocalypse: Silicon Valley Is Bracing for a Permanent Underclass w/ Jasmine Sun
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 worker
Silicon Valley Is Losing Control w/ Brian Merchant
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 d
Ben Shapiro’s Empire Is Crumbling w/ Will Sommer
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 st
Stop Feeling Helpless About AI: The Violent History of Resisting Technology
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 De
The Most Dangerous Lie on the Internet: The 62 Million Men Hoax Explained
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
The Dark Side Of AI Safety Laws
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: "
The New Digital Class War: Rich People Use The Internet Differently w/ Adam Aleksic
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 numbe
[PATREON PREVIEW] Record Labels Are Buying Meme Pages for Millions
[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" contro
Inside A Billionaire's AI Spy Network: The Shocking Secrets of Madison Square Garden’s Surveillance Machine
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 Silverm
The Girlboss-ification of AI: How Big Tech Is Gaslighting Women Into AI w/ Kat Tenbarge
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 t
Silicon Valley is Breaking Everything
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 an
Inside Iran's Gen Z Meme Army: How LEGO Became War Propaganda
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
The Woman Taking On Big Tech: She Fought the Government and Won
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
The Downfall of Skibidi Toilet: How Hollywood Fumbled A Powerful Fandom
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
They're Putting AI Cameras In School Busses
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
Why AI Fruit Slop Is Taking Over Our Feeds w/ Kyle Chayka
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 Is
Chappell Roan Did Nothing Wrong: The TikTok Smear Campaign Explained w/ Caroline Kwan
[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 passin
The Media Is Lying About the Social Media Addiction Trial: The Verdict Everyone Got Wrong
Everything you've been told about the "social media addiction" trial is wrong. Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co Everyone is celebrating the $400 million fine against Meta and Mark Zuckerberg, but it's a massive win for Big Tech. In this episode of Free Speech Friday, jour
How Heated Rivalry Broke the Internet: Inside the Internet’s Biggest Breakout Fandom
This show created one of the fastest fandoms ever.Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co Over the past few months, a series born from a niche, self-published Canadian romance novel became one of the biggest cultural phenomenons on the internet. In this episode of Power User, I dive
This Is How The Internet Dies: Governments are Scrubbing the Web
The Internet Is Being Deleted. Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co We are witnessing a massive, systematic erasure of digital history. From war crime investigations to grassroots activism and historical archives, the "permanent" web is vanishing. In this episode of Fre
The Rise of Celebrity Clone Conspiracies w/ Will Sommer
Why Does The Internet Think Every Famous Person Is A Clone? The Jim Carrey Clone Conspiracy ExplainedSupport my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co After his appearance at the Cesar Awards in Paris, the internet exploded with a bizarre theory: Jim Carrey had been replaced by a clone or body
How Section 230 Became Political : The Secret Campaign To Seize Power Over the Internet
What is Section 230 and why is everyone trying to kill it?Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co In the latest episode of my Section 230 mini-series I’m joined by Mike Masnick, founder of Techdirt and host of the amazing Section 230 podcast Otherwise Objectionable. Mike breaks down
ICE Wants to Shut Down His Clothing Brand: What Happens When the Govt Hates Your Merch
BUY COLA CORP APPAREL: https://www.thecolacorporation.com (None of this is sponsored, I just really want people to support him!!!!) Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co What happens when the government doesn't like your t-shirts? Joe, founder of Cola Corporation, has dealt
How Bots Boosted Nicki Minaj's MAGA Pivot
Is The Nicki Minaj Bot Scandal the Future of Politics?Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co The lines between entertainment, celebrity beef, and political propaganda are blurring. A few weeks ago, a POLITICO report sent shockwaves through Stan Twitter and the MAGA internet. The st
Everything You Know About Algorithms Is A Lie: Section 230 Algorithm Problem Explained
Are social media algorithms actually destroying the internet? 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 my Section 230 series, I sit down with Eric Goldman, Associate Dean for Research and Professor at Santa Clara Law, and one of the nation's foremost experts on
Inside The AI Scandal Rocking Silicon Valley: How The Govt Wants AI To Kill Without Humans
The AI industry just had one of its biggest controversies ever.Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co A massive conflict between the Pentagon and leading AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI has triggered a nationwide debate about how artificial intelligence should be used in warfare and surveillance. Wha
How Epstein Shaped The Internet w/ Ryan Broderick
How Jeffrey Epstein Shaped the Modern Internet: From 4chan to Facebook Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co Since the release of the Epstein files, we've learned a ton about Epstein's role in the early web. From 4chan to World of Warcraft, to Facebook, and online movements like gamergate and #MeToo,
They Want to Ban Abortion Info Online
How Section 230 Became a Reproductive Rights IssueSupport my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co In this episode of my Section 230 mini series, I break down how anti abortion groups are targeting the internet itself. From the 1873 Comstock Act to modern day efforts to repeal Section 230, there is a long history of usin
How The Govt Uses Big Tech to Silence Critics
The Trump admin publicly bragged about demanding that Apple and Facebook remove ICE watch apps and Facebook groups documenting ICE activity, and Big Tech is complying.Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co [FREE SPEECH FRIDAY]Since last year, Meta, Apple, and other big tech platforms have been mass removing conte
Kids Are Being Taught By ChatGPT: Inside A $65K AI School
Would you pay $65,000 to have ChatGPT teach your kids?Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co 404 Media reporter Emmanuel Maiberg joins to discuss the disturbing truth behind Alpha School, an AI-powered private school that has been getting massive hype from mainstream media. While Alpha School promises parents tha
Why The Internet Is Broken
FOSTA/SESTA shows what happens when you "reform" and chip away at Section 230.Welcome back to my Section 230 mini-series, where I break down the most important and misunderstood law about the internet!!Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co FOSTA-SESTA was the first major amendment and carve-out to Sec
The Body Camera Propaganda Playbook
Democrats just handed ICE exactly what ICE asked for.[FREE SPEECH FRIDAY]If you value my reporting, please, please support my work 👇👇👇Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz Subscribe to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co Body cameras were supposed to hold police accountable. So why is police violence still rising? Why are cops almost never convicted using body cam foota
Dumbphone Owners Have Lost Their Minds: The Logging Off Industrial Complex
Are dumb phones actually the solution to our anxieties, or are they a $400 scam built on a moral panic?~~~~~~~~~~My work is 100% self-funded and this series is not backed by any advertisers or tech giants. If you value my reporting, please, please support my channel: Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz Subscribe to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co ~~~~~~~~~~~~Over th
The Man Who Created the Internet's Most Important Law: Sen. Wyden Reveals What Big Tech Won't Tell You
Sen. Ron Wyden speaks about Section 230, internet freedom, free speech, and how Trump is pushing big tech's policies. Big Tech interest groups and reactionary non-profits are spending millions to try to get Section 230 revoked. My work is 100% self-funded. This series is not backed by any advertisers or tech giants. If you value this reporting, please, please support the channel: Join the Patr
Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Internet Censorship Crusade
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is pushing a bill that would END free speech on the internet, and he has absolutely no idea what he's talking about.[FREE SPEECH FRIDAY]Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz Subscribe to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co Section 230 is one of the most important laws in the history of the internet. It is often called “the law that created the in
White Women Are MAGA Internet's Newest Enemy
White women have long been a core voting bloc for conservatives, so why are right wing media figures suddenly obsessed with attacking them?Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co In this episode, Crooked Media Hysteria's Erin Ryan joins me to break down the growing hatred towards white women in MAGA spaces and
They Are Trying To Kill The Internet As We Know It
🚨 URGENT: Section 230 is under attack and it affects EVERY person who uses the internet. This is part 1 of my deep-dive series exposing the truth about the most important internet law ever created.Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co Every single time you leave a comment, post a review, or send a message, you are b
The UK Is A Dystopia, And We're Next
The UK is rapidly becoming one of the most aggressive surveillance states in the democratic world, and many don't even realize it's happening.Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co [FREE SPEECH FRIDAY]The UK has officially slid into a dystopian surveillance state, and the rest of the world is next. On
Content Creation Has Become a Pyramid Scheme
The MLM industry has rebranded for the TikTok era. Now, instead of hawking LuLaRoe leggings, women are paying $500 for PDFs on how to become micro influencers. Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co The "hustle economy" is no longer about selling essential oils or leggings to your neighbors. A new wave
[PATREON PREVIEW] The Powerful Subreddit Upending Twitch: The Rise and Fall of Livestream Fail
To listen to the full episode and get other bonus content subscribe to my Patreon or Substack! SUBSCRIBE TO MY PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz Or, buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co For a decade, r/LiveStreamFail (LSF) has been the "beating heart" of Twitch culture, but at what cost? One former reddit moderator went viral recently for posti
Can You Sue For Social Media Addiction?
The Internet as we know it is on trial. A major suit claiming social media addiction could give the government unprecedented power.Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co A landmark lawsuit in California claims that social media giants like Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat are intentionally designing their plat
Why Everyone Is Becoming Chinese Online w/ Caroline Kwan
China is winning the culture war: From "galvanized square steel" to drinking hot water, why is the entire internet suddenly looking more Chinese?Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co Over the past year, a massive cultural shift has taken place. From China-maxxing memes to TikTok migrations, Chinese tech,
Why Conservatives Hate Brooklyn Beckham [PATREON PREVIEW]
TO LISTEN TO THIS FULL EPISODE, SUBSCRIBE ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.coLast week, Brooklyn Beckham, the 26 year old son of Victoria and David Beckham, posted a 7 slide essay on Instagram Stories, accusing his parents of controlling his entire life and
How The Government Tracks Your Life
[FREE SPEECH FRIDAY]Every single moment that you're online, you're feeding the data harvesting industry. Corporations then sell that data to the government, allowing them to target you for online speech, protesting, and more.Now, the government wants to build a single centralized platform where U.S. spy agencies and the government can easily buy highly private information about millions of
Why Everyone Is Suddenly Obsessed With 2016
Matt Bernstein, Kat Tenbarge and I dig into what the 2016 nostalgia is really about. Why is everyone suddenly obsessed with 2016? Hyper-saturated Instagram photos are back. The Snapchat puppy filter is everywhere again. Nostalgic edits are flooding TikTok. From the "King Kylie" era to Harambe, it feels like we’re collectively regressing.Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: http
Tech Billionaires Want Us Dead
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz Or buy a paid subscription to my Substack newsletter to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co For decades, tech billionaires have sold us a shiny future powered by AI. But what if the future they’re building doesn’t include us? A disturbing ideology has quietly come to dominate Silicon Valley: the belief that we need to dispose
ICE's New Surveillance System Can Follow You Everywhere
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co ICE just bought a massively powerful new surveillance system that can monitor every single phone in your neighborhood, track the movements of those devices and their owners over time, and follow you home
Ashley St Clair's Political Awakening: Trans Rights, AI, and Elon Musk
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co Until recently, Ashley St Clair was a star in the conservative influencer world. She built a large and powerful following by leaning into culture-war rhetoric and boosting MAGA policies. She worked
Congress Is Pushing Another Internet Censorship Law: The SCREEN Act
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co Every week it feels like Congress cooks up a new bad internet law. This week we're diving deep into the SCREEN Act. Framed as a child safety bill, this law is an insidious trojan horse for mass ce
ICE Is Treating Immigration Raids Like Content
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON for ad-free and bonus episodes!!! https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co Since Trump took office, ICE has rapidly transformed itself from an under the radar agency into an influencer-style media machine, churning out non-stop viral videos of tactical
4Chan's Battle to Stop the UK From Censoring the Global Internet
<<< Free Speech Friday!!! >>>SUPPORT ME ON PATREON for ad-free and bonus episodes!!! https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co A few months ago, the UK's Online Safety Act went into effect, causing chaos across the internet. The UK government
The Insane Overnight Rise of Clavicular: the black-pilled Gen Z looksmaxxer taking over the internet
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co Over the past few months, a 19 year old Looksmaxxing livestreamer called Clavicular has become inescapable online, collaborating with an ever growing cadre of massive influencers and conservative on
[BONUS] Why Everything Feels Life or Death Now
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co Why has everyone become so obsessed with game shows where the losers die!? Over the past decade, “The Hunger Games” became a multibillion-dollar media franchise. Netflix’s “Squid Game” took off, and MrBeast
Is This The End of The Open Web?
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co >>> Free Speech Friday <<< Across the U.S. parents and lawmakers are calling for tech companies to verify users' ages online. They frame these efforts as a smart, reasonable, and h
Elon Musk's God Complex
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co As Elon Musk's influence has grown, so too has a darker, more troubling side of his persona: his rampant egomania.Faiz Siddiqui is a former colleague of mine at The Washington Post and he's the aut
Is There A Vibe Shift in Silicon Valley? [PATREON EXCLUSIVE]
[PATREON EXCLUSIVE] Subscribe on Patreon to listen to this and other bonus episodes of Power User!! SUPPORT ME ON PATREON. Buy a subscription to my tech and online culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 Over the past few years, Silicon Valley startups have been becoming more and more dystopian. Crypto, gambling, AI friends, and other products that sound like they've been
Social Media Addiction Isn't Real— Here is What's Really Happening
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co <<< FREE SPEECH FRIDAY>>>People cannot stop claiming they are "addicted" to social media. Lawmakers continue to compare social media use to drug or alcohol addictions, while t
How Charlie Kirk Memes Are Radicalizing Gen Z w/ Ryan Broderick
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co After Charlie Kirk was killed in front of a crowd of students in Utah, right wing influencers and pundits claimed that his killing would result in millions of Charlie Kirks. Almost immediately, mini me Cha
The Global Internet Is Dying: America Is Repeating China's Biggest Mistake
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 IT'S FREE SPEECH FRIDAY!!!!!For years, the United States villainized China for its restrictive internet landscape and mass censorship of online speech. But lately, things are changing. The U.S. and other western countries are careen
Everyone Is Wrong About The Olivia Nuzzi RFK Scandal w/ Kat Tenbarge
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co Recently, journalist Olivia Nuzzi has been at the center of the biggest political media scandal in years. A star journalist for New York Magazine, it was revealed that Nuzzi had secretly had a torrid love affa
Congress Is About to Break the Internet
>>> FREE SPEECH FRIDAY <<<SUPPORT ME ON PATREON. Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 On Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives gathered for a big hearing called Legislative Solutions to Protect Children and Teens Online. The hearing was the latest attempt by lawmakers to force through a slate of horrifying
The Radicalization Pipeline Nobody Sees Coming
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co Lately, growing swaths of the online left have embraced a messaging strategy known broadly as Dark Woke. While traditional Democrats still try to reach across the aisle and find common ground with conservatives,
None Of This is About Online Safety
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co For decades, the Eelam Tamil ethnic group in Sri Lanka has been persecuted. They are dealing with ongoing occupation by the Sri Lankan government, which has also incited violence against Muslims in the country
The MAGA Twitter Apocalypse w/ Charlie Warzel
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co Over the weekend, Twitter descended into complete and utter chaos. Elon Musk rolled out a feature called “About This Account” that allowed people to click on the profile of an X user and see exactly what country
[PATREON PREVIEW] How Zohran Won The Internet w/ the Creators 4 Zohran Founders
SUBSCRIBE TO MY PATREON to listen to the full episode and more bonus content and to ensure that this podcast remains alive. Since Kamala Harris lost the election, there's been an endless debate among the Democrats on how to best reach young people online. Many centrists have claimed liberals need a "Joe Rogan of the left" and by left they usually mean center right. Others have leaned
The Most Depraved Commentary I've Ever Heard
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/taylorlorenz Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!!!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co Right now, there's a clip going viral from former Obama White House aide and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz that is so appalling and depraved it's hard to believe it's real. But many
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