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The Double-Edged Sword of Influence

Imagine a young creator, armed with nothing but a smartphone and an idea. They use their platform to shine a light on mental health struggles, inspiring millions to seek help and destigmatizing conversations that were once taboo. Now picture another influencer, just as popular, promoting a cryptocurrency scheme that ultimately misleads thousands of followers into financial loss.

This is the double-edged sword of influence.

Let’s be clear: the rise of influencers has given us new ways to connect, to inform, to uplift. But without accountability, influence becomes a tool for harm, a means to mislead and manipulate.

And the stakes are high. Influence without integrity doesn’t just erode trust—it erodes the very fabric of our society.

The Problem: Influence Without Guardrails

Influencers aren’t just tastemakers anymore. They’re leaders, storytellers, and gatekeepers of culture. But scandals have revealed how easily this power can be misused.

Scandals That Shook Trust:
Consider the infamous Kim Kardashian cryptocurrency case. Kardashian promoted EthereumMax, a cryptocurrency that turned out to be a speculative investment rather than a secure financial opportunity. Followers who trusted her endorsement lost significant amounts of money, and Kardashian was later fined by the SEC for failing to disclose the payment she received for the promotion.

When trust becomes a currency, it can be spent wisely—or squandered. And too often, we see influencers choosing short-term gain over long-term integrity.

Or take the infamous Fyre Festival, where influencers like Kendall Jenner promoted a luxury music event that turned into a catastrophic failure. These scandals underline the danger of influencers prioritizing profit over transparency, leaving their followers betrayed and disillusioned.

Or the latest case of MrBeast YouTube’s biggest star – now he faces 54-page lawsuit? The examples are too many to list here.

Check the Biggest Influencer Scandals , here, here, and here !

The Temptation of Profit Over Principle:
The influencer economy is built on monetization, creating a system where authenticity is sacrificed for paychecks. When beauty influencers recommend skincare products they’ve never used, or fitness influencers promote unproven supplements, the line between sponsorship and manipulation disappears.

When influence is tied to dollars and euros, the temptation to sell out becomes too great for some to resist.

The Reinforcement of Superficial Values:
Social media rewards the viral over the valuable. Metrics like likes, shares, and views prioritize spectacle, not substance, leaving us entertained but not enriched.

If we build a culture where attention is the ultimate goal, we risk losing sight of what really matters.

The Call for Responsibility

The solution to this problem isn’t to tear down influencers—it’s to redefine what it means to be one. Together, influencers, platforms, brands, and audiences must create a system where trust is protected, integrity is rewarded, and accountability is the norm.

In other words, influence itself isn’t the problem. The question is whether we’ll use it to inform or manipulate, to build or exploit. This isn’t just about individuals—it’s about the kind of culture we want to create and the legacy we want to leave behind.

For Brands: Choose Partners Who Represent Your Values

For brands, the stakes are particularly high. Partnering with the wrong influencer can do more than hurt your campaign—it can damage your reputation.

Take the case of Logan Paul, who faced global backlash after posting an insensitive video from Japan’s “Suicide Forest.” Brands that had partnered with him found themselves in a public relations crisis, scrambling to distance themselves from his actions.

Brands must recognize that every partnership is a reflection of their values.

If you choose to work with influencers who prioritize fame over responsibility, don’t be surprised when their actions harm your reputation.

The best brands don’t just choose influencers based on reach. They look for creators who align with their mission, who lead with integrity, and who value trust over virality.

For Influencers: Lead With Purpose

If you’re an influencer, every post, every promotion, every partnership sends a message. Your audience trusts you, and with that trust comes a responsibility to lead with integrity.

“Ask yourself: Am I using my platform to inform, to connect, to uplift? Or am I chasing likes at the expense of meaning, of lives of other people?”

True influence isn’t measured by followers. It’s measured by the trust you build and the lives you improve.

For Platforms: Build Guardrails

Tech platforms have built the highways of influence, but highways without guardrails lead to disaster. Platforms must take responsibility for the systems they’ve created.

When platforms reward engagement over ethics, they create an environment where the loudest, idiotic voices drown out the most thoughtful ones. It’s time to rethink those incentives.

This means:

  • Demanding transparency in paid partnerships.
  • Developing algorithms that reward meaningful engagement over sensationalism.
  • Holding influencers accountable for spreading harmful or false information.

For Audiences: Demand Better

As consumers, we have a role to play, too. Every like, every share, every follow sends a message about what we value.

If we want influencers to lead with integrity, we need to reward those who use their platforms responsibly. Choose creators who uplift, inform, and inspire—not those who exploit your attention for profit and just dance on TikTok without any clothes on.

Imagine a world where influence is a force for good.

Where creators use their platforms not only to sell, but to inspire. Where platforms reward substance over spectacle. Where brands partner with influencers who lead with integrity. Where audiences demand—and receive—content that enriches their lives.

True influence isn’t about reach. It’s about responsibility. It’s not about how many people you can touch—it’s about how deeply you can touch their lives.

Because influence isn’t the end goal, it’s an opportunity to build something better. The only question is: What will we choose to do with it?

Photo illustration by Matthew Cooley

Here’s a Hard Truth

If your brand disappeared today, would anyone notice? Would they care? For most brands, the answer is a quiet, uncomfortable “no.”

That silence? It’s the sound of playing it safe.

You’ve seen them: brands that blend into the background like beige wallpaper in a forgotten hallway. Their logos are inoffensive. Their messages are sanitized. Their personalities are… do they even have one?

But you’re not here to be another shade of beige, are you?

The Mediocrity Tax

Every day your brand chooses to play it safe, you’re paying a tax. Not in euros, but in missed opportunities, forgotten impressions, and lukewarm loyalty. This mediocrity tax compounds daily, and its interest rate is brutal.

Safe brands don’t fail spectacularly. They fade gradually, becoming irrelevant so slowly they barely notice. Like a frog in boiling water, they sit comfortably numb until it’s too late.

The marketplace doesn’t need another “professional” brand that speaks in corporate jargon. It doesn’t need another startup promising “innovation” while following the herd.

Weird is the New Black

Here’s what the world actually needs: Your weird.

That strange idea you’ve been sitting on? The one that makes you slightly uncomfortable? That’s your edge. That’s your opportunity.

Think about the brands you love. The ones you remember. They’re probably a little odd, aren’t they? They zigged when others zagged. They said something different when everyone else was reading from the same script.

Tesla didn’t try to make a slightly better car. They reimagined what a car could be.
Airbnb didn’t create a better hotel chain. They asked why we needed hotels at all.

Find Your Tribe

“But what if people don’t like us being different?”

Good.

Your brand isn’t for everyone. It’s for someone. The moment you accept this, everything changes.

When you stand for something specific, you attract people who believe what you believe. These aren’t just customers. They’re your tribe. They don’t just buy from you; they defend you. They champion you.

And here’s the paradox: the weirder and more specific you are, the more fiercely your tribe will love you.

Making the Leap

So how do you embrace your weird? Start here:

Ask yourself, “What would we do if we weren’t afraid of standing out?”
Find the thing about your brand that makes people raise their eyebrows—and double down on it.
Identify the industry clichés in your space—and do the exact opposite.
Speak like a human, not a brand. What would you say over coffee with a friend?
Make one bold choice today. Just one. Then make another tomorrow.

The future doesn’t belong to the brands with the biggest budgets. It belongs to the ones with the biggest imagination.

The ones willing to be a little weird, a little brave.

The safe road is crowded. The weird road? That’s where the magic happens.

So, I’ll ask you again: If your brand disappeared tomorrow, would anyone notice?

Make sure the answer is yes.
Make sure they’d miss you like crazy.
Make sure your weird makes a dent in the universe.

Because playing it safe? That’s the riskiest move of all.

The Perfect Meal, or a Starvation Diet?

Imagine sitting down at a restaurant where every dish has been chosen for you. The menu isn’t based on the chef’s creativity or what you might want to try—it’s based entirely on what you’ve ordered before. Did you like pasta last time? Here’s another plate of pasta. In fact ,every course is pasta.

At first, it feels familiar, comforting even. But after a while, you realize something’s missing: variety, novelty, balance. You’re full, but you’re not nourished.

Now replace that menu with your digital life. Every ad, every article, every video has been carefully chosen—not by you, but by an algorithm trained to give you what it thinks you’ll want. AI curates your reality, one hyper-targeted piece at a time. And while it might feel satisfying in the short term, the long-term effects could leave us all starving for truth, diversity, and connection.

The Algorithm’s Invisible Hand

AI isn’t just deciding which sneakers you’ll see in an ad or which playlist to queue up. It’s shaping your world. Every like, click, and purchase feeds a system designed to predict your behavior and keep you engaged. It doesn’t just show you ads—it decides what news you’ll read, what ideas you’ll encounter, and what version of reality you’ll believe.

This is a filter bubble—a curated, digital echo chamber where your preferences are mirrored back at you. It’s efficient, even ingenious. But it’s also dangerous. Because when AI prioritizes engagement over exploration, we lose the chance to challenge our assumptions and grow.

The Cost of Curated Reality

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about what brand of coffee you’ll buy next. It’s about something much bigger.

  1. Polarization and Division:
    When algorithms show you content that reinforces your beliefs, they make opposing views feel not just wrong, but incomprehensible. This doesn’t just polarize individuals—it fractures communities, deepens divides, and weakens the very foundations of democracy.
  2. The Death of Shared Truths:
    In the past, we might have argued over what a headline meant, but at least we agreed on the headline itself. Now, with AI-curated realities, even that common ground is disappearing. If two people are seeing entirely different versions of reality, how can they ever meet in the middle?
  3. Manipulation at Scale:
    AI doesn’t just cater to your interests; it shapes them. Ads and content become tools for subtle, invisible manipulation. They exploit your emotions—your fear, your joy, your anger—to nudge you toward decisions you didn’t consciously make.

Who Holds the Power?

This brings us to a critical question: who controls the narrative?

AI isn’t neutral. It’s trained on data that reflects our biases, our inequities, our flaws. And it’s owned by corporations whose primary goal is profit, not the public good. That means the content you see—and the beliefs it reinforces—are shaped by forces far beyond your control.

We’ve seen the consequences. Eroding trust in institutions. A media landscape that feels less like a public square and more like a hall of mirrors. A world where we’re more connected than ever but somehow more divided, too.

Can AI Be a Force for Good?

Here’s the thing: this doesn’t have to be our future. AI isn’t inherently harmful—it’s a tool. And like any tool, its impact depends on how we use it. Imagine an AI that expands your horizons instead of narrowing them.

  • Introducing New Perspectives: What if algorithms prioritized diversity of thought, exposing you to ideas and cultures you’d never encounter otherwise?
  • Fostering Connection: What if AI helped bridge divides, finding common ground between opposing viewpoints?
  • Supporting Truth: What if the systems that curate your content were designed to prioritize accuracy, fairness, and transparency over engagement?

This isn’t just wishful thinking. It’s entirely possible—if we demand it.

A Call to Action

So, where do we go from here? The first step is understanding that we have the power to shape this technology. Transparency must become the norm. People deserve to know why they’re seeing an ad or piece of content, who paid for it, and what data was used to target them. Algorithms shouldn’t be hidden in black boxes—they should be as open as the information they curate.

At the same time, we must demand accountability from the companies designing these systems. These tools are shaping not just what we buy but how we think, how we see the world, and how we connect with one another. That kind of power comes with responsibility. It’s time for businesses to prioritize ethics over profit, creating AI that challenges us to grow instead of simply confirming our biases.

But this isn’t just about corporations or governments. It’s about us, too. We have a role to play. Every time you scroll, click, or share, you’re feeding the system. Ask yourself: Why am I seeing this? Who benefits from my engagement? The more critical and intentional we are about our digital experiences, the harder it becomes for anyone—be it an algorithm or a corporation—to manipulate our choices.

If we take these steps together, we can create a digital landscape that doesn’t just cater to our preferences but broadens our horizons. A place where technology is a tool for connection, understanding, and truth, rather than division and manipulation.

The power of AI is immense

It can divide us, or it can unite us. It can exploit our weaknesses, or it can amplify our strengths. The choice isn’t up to the algorithms—it’s up to us.

We stand at a crossroads. Let’s choose a future where technology doesn’t just cater to our preferences, but broadens our horizons. A future where AI serves humanity, not the other way around. Because when it comes to the stories we see, the ideas we believe, and the realities we inhabit, the most important question isn’t what AI can do—it’s what we’ll allow it to become.

image via

The Perfect Morning, for a Price

Picture this: you wake up, grab your phone, and scroll through your social feed. It’s blissfully quiet. No “sponsored posts” trying to sell you skincare or that gadget you searched for once. You queue up a YouTube video, and it starts instantly—no pre-roll ad, no countdown to “Skip.” Even your favorite podcast plays uninterrupted.

Welcome to the ad-free life. It’s serene, it’s seamless, and it’s everything you’ve ever wanted.

But this isn’t some utopian dream. It’s a premium service, and not everyone gets in.

The Cost of Freedom

In 2023, global digital ad spend reached a staggering $753 billion. Ads fund nearly every corner of your digital world—apps, websites, streaming platforms, and even public spaces. Remove ads, and those platforms need to recoup their revenue elsewhere.

Here’s the price of peace:

Now imagine a world where this model extends to everything. Want an ad-free life across all platforms? That’ll be $200+ a month. It’s a luxury, and it’s only available to those who can afford it.

The Rise of the Ad-Free Elite

The future splits society into two distinct realities:

  1. The Ad-Free Elite:
    • They live in peace, their time protected from the chaos of advertising.
    • No distractions, no manipulative interruptions.
    • Their mental health flourishes, their focus sharpens, and their digital world feels like their own.
  2. The Ad-Saturated Masses:
    • For those who can’t pay, the digital landscape becomes a battlefield.
    • Ads aren’t just annoying—they’re relentless.
    • Hyper-targeted, emotionally manipulative, and deeply invasive, these ads exploit insecurities, prey on vulnerabilities, and hijack focus at every turn.

The wealthy buy their freedom, while everyone else is left fighting for scraps of attention in a world designed to overwhelm them.

Think paying for ad-free guarantees peace?

Think again. Brands are relentless, and when direct ad revenue dries up, they’ll evolve in ways you can’t ignore:

  • Product Placements Everywhere: Subtle sponsorships in your favorite TV shows, movies, even news segments.
  • Influencer Integration: Influencers will push products under the guise of authenticity, blurring the lines between genuine recommendations and paid promotions.
  • Branded Public Spaces: Even your offline world isn’t safe. Parks, schools, even hospitals could become subtly branded experiences.

Advertising will infiltrate in ways that feel invisible—until they’re not. Even those paying for ad-free content may find themselves surrounded by invisible marketing tactics.

The Hidden Toll on the Masses

For the ad-supported majority, the consequences go beyond inconvenience:

  1. Constant Interruption: Their digital and physical lives are interrupted at every turn. Studies show that constant ad exposure breaks focus, leading to mental fatigue and reduced productivity.
  2. Emotional Exploitation: Ads don’t just sell products; they sell insecurity.
    • “Feeling lonely? Buy this dating app subscription.”
    • “Worried about your health? Here’s a supplement.”
    • “Scared for your future? Invest in this scheme.”
    Every emotional vulnerability becomes a target for profit.
  3. A New Form of Digital Poverty:
    • Those unable to escape the ad-supported world pay with their time and emotional well-being.
    • They become the product, their behavior sold to the highest bidder, their attention a currency they’ll never control.

The Ethical Dilemma of Privilege

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: An ad-free world sounds great—until you realize it’s only accessible to the few. The wealthy get a clean, curated experience, while the rest are left in a digital noise storm.

Should peace of mind be a luxury? Should mental well-being be behind a paywall? This future isn’t just about convenience; it’s about deepening inequality. It’s about who gets to live in silence and who’s forced to endure the noise.

Can You Ever Really Escape Ads?

Even if you pay to escape the ads, are you truly free? Brands will still find ways to reach you, often in more insidious ways.

  • The Movies You Love: Subtle product placements in key scenes.
  • The Games You Play: Sponsored skins, exclusive in-game items tied to real-world brands.
  • The News You Trust: Sponsored content disguised as investigative journalism.

Advertising won’t go away—it will hide in plain sight. Even the ad-free elite will unknowingly engage with branded content every day.

The Flip Side: What If Ads Aren’t the Enemy?

Here’s a twist: what if ads, for all their flaws, provide value?

  • They democratize access to information and entertainment. Without ads, many wouldn’t afford premium content.
  • They spark cultural moments. From iconic Super Bowl commercials to viral campaigns, ads create shared experiences.
  • They fund innovation. Ads have driven competition, pushing companies to create better products and platforms.

If ads vanish, will the internet become a gated community? And if so, what happens to those left out?

Choose Your Reality

The future is here, and it’s full of choices:

  • Pay for peace, but understand you’re still a cog in the machine.
  • Stay in the ad-supported world and fight for your focus, your time, your mental health.

Either way, the system wins. Because even in an ad-free world, the true commodity is your attention—and they’ll probably find a new way to claim it.

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