Chris Stokel-Walker
Why it’s so tough to be a brand on BeReal
Chipotle, Sour Patch Kids, and e.l.f. are early adopters, but the spontaneous nature of the app can make for an awkward fit.
This couple is launching an organization to protect artists in the AI era
Mat Dryhurst and Holly Herndon want fellow creatives to be able to opt into or out of having their work used as training data for DALL-E and the like.
A surveillance artist shows how Instagram magic is made
Using AI and open cameras, Dries Depoorter is matching influencers’ Insta pics to behind-the-scenes video footage. Not everyone is happy.
Inside a highly lucrative, ethically questionable essay-writing service
Killer Papers is a seven-figure academic “paper mill” business. But its products are just for inspiration, its founder insists.
Inside the world of sim racing, the next best thing to Formula 1
VR drivers gather on YouTube to watch each other race and show off rigs worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Twitter mercilessly mocked her peach comic. Now she’s speaking out.
In an exclusive interview, Mary Catherine Starr, creator of Instagram’s @momlife_comics, discusses “Peachgate” and how it changed her.
How one TikToker convinced folks he was an AI-generated character
“The goal was never to trick people,” creator Curt Skelton tells Input. “They did that to themselves.”
Are Syrian refugees begging on TikTok Live real or fake?
Critics say the videos, which usually involve children, are scams. Not everyone is so sure.
The guy who threw a plushy toy at Lady Gaga explains himself
Confused and/or outraged by that viral video of Gaga getting hit in the head by a doll? Turns out, it’s all a Mexican meme.
HitPiece, a music NFT site once decried as ‘a scam,’ is relaunching
In an exclusive interview, co-founder Rory Felton tells Input what went wrong earlier this year and how HitPiece has learned from its mistakes.
Shirts That Go Hard’s creator is now going a little less hard
Input speaks to the guy behind the infamous Twitter gimmick account.
Below deck with the cruise ship workers of TikTok
People can’t get enough of their “day in the life” at sea videos.
WTF is up with Twitter’s new refresh sound?
It’s been compared to frogs and aliens. But why the change? And what does it mean?
How DoorDash delivery drivers became the new YouTube stars
The gig workers who get your food to you on time (hopefully) are sharing behind-the-scenes footage on social media.
We’ve reached emoji overload
The Unicode Consortium has proposed one quarter the number of new emoji it did last year. Experts say slowing down is the smart move.
Exclusive: Leaked salary data show huge pay disparities at Twitter
The company pays some employees as much as 225 percent more than those in the same role, depending on where they’re based.
Meet the men who fetishize obscure pro wrestlers on YouTube
Middle-aged gay guys congregate in the comments sections, reliving the glory days of watching “jobbers” grapple on fuzzy TV screens.
Meet the guy behind RadioShack’s horny Twitter account
Chief Marketing Officer Ábel Czupor is bringing the 100-year-old company into the sh*tposting era.
TikTok users love to watch this guy’s drawing robots screw up
Social web pioneer Joshua Schachter’s perfectly imperfect @robotsdraw account has gone viral in recent months.
Check out an online art exhibit of the censored and shadowbanned
Rankin Creative’s new project shines a light on what Instagram and TikTok don’t want you to see.
