The TikToks that changed the internet

On Twitter we get breaking news; on Instagram we see our friends and go shopping; on Facebook we (not me personally) join groups and share memes. On TikTok we are simply entertained. This is not to discount it as a very real force for politics, activism, and the business of culture, or a vehicle to create content and join in conversations. But for ... See more

That changed when social networking became social media around 2009, between the introduction of the smartphone and the launch of Instagram. Instead of connection—forging latent ties to people and organizations we would mostly ignore—social media offered platforms through which people could publish content as widely as possible, well beyond their

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At the same time, we are witnessing the growth of influencers in more business and intellectual spheres. Their playground? Substack, Roam Research, Notion, Gumroad, and so on, which is a change from the Instagram sparkles and glitter decorum.