Untangled surpassed 5,000 subscribers
PLUS: I'd like your input on an essay about synthetic social media.
This week, Untangled surpassed 5,000 subscribers.
When I started this nearly two years ago, Untangled was a friends and family affair. I sent my first email to 50 people. That means the vast majority of you didn’t have the chance to read my early essays, like “Some Unsatisfying Solutions for Facebook”, “Tech for … what, exactly?” or Special Issues like The Primer, Technically Social, and The Checklist. I pride myself on writing stuff that adds value to you beyond the current news cycle. The value of Untangled, IMHO, is in the frameworks and research I synthesize in each topical essay — which means that a lot of the value of Untangled lives in the archives.
So, in celebration of reaching the 5K mark, I’m offering you a free 3-month trial.
You can peruse the archives, listen to old (but timeless!) podcasts, and check out special issues. Go nuts!
One last thing before I go: I’d like your help on an essay I’m writing on the prospect of synthetic social media. Imagine that every creator had their own, personalized AI chatbot that engaged with their fans. Imagine still that these chatbots have their own profiles on Instagram and Facebook, and can post content, and engage with users, and other bots. I don’t know if or how exactly this future will come to pass but it’s the one Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is working toward. So here are a few questions for you:
How would you want to engage with an AI bot trained on your favorite celebrity or creator?
If you are/were a creator, what would you be concerned about?
How do you think the relationship between creators and their audience might change?
How might your experience of social media change?
Or, to flip the script: what questions are you most interested in me researching and writing about regarding the prospect of synthetic social media?
Click ‘reply’ and let me know what you think.
Okay, that’s it for now.
Charley