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Creator Talks

The Ethical Struggle of Posting on Platforms Owned by Billionaires

Published 9 months ago • 2 min read

Hi,

Bit of a depressing one for you today. It’s no secret that the platforms we use for our jobs are problematic in many ways. Just the fact that we rely on American and Chinese private tech companies owned by billionaires with questionable to outright dangerous politics should give us pause.

These are some recent news stories about some of the platforms I think it’s important to be aware of. I don’t know what we can do at this point but the Digital Creators Association (DCA) are having an event about AI in the creator industry next week so I’m hoping to bring it up there and get some answers. By the way, if you want to attend details below:

11th September 3-7pm at FiveTwoNine​

FREE to attend just email Madeline to RSVP.

Without further ado…

​YouTube secretly used AI to edit people’s videos - YouTube admitted to using AI enhancements on videos without asking permission from creators or telling users. This is very concerning to me but I also feel like compared to lots of people I’m overly appropriately concerned about AI. It’s the without consent aspect of this that really bothers me though. I get that we’re getting these huge roll outs of AI features but we should be informed and given the option to opt out. And what happens if human videos are enhanced with AI? At what point are we going to not be able to tell the difference?

​Substack sent a push alert promoting a Nazi blog - this mistake is weird and disturbing. What makes it worse is Substack’s track record of hosting Nazi blogs and responding to criticism and calls for more moderation with free speech and anti-censorship dog whistles. Not great. Many writers and creators (like myself) still use Substack for its great discovery and recommendations system but are aware that it’s these exact features that also make Nazi and far right newsletters discoverable and shareable. I’m personally holding out for Patreon’s features to catch up and then I hope to move my free newsletter, Between the Sheets, over there, a platform I trust a lot more than Substack and am much more ethically aligned with.

Okay I can’t have three depressing things to share, so some positive news for creators!

​Thumbnail AND title A/B testing coming to YouTube! - I was in one of the first groups of creators a few years ago to test out the thumbnail A/B testing feature and one of the things we kept asking for was title A/B testing too. Sometimes different thumbnails might need a different title to work with it but YouTube are making this possible with being able to A/B test title/thumbnail pairs. I cannot wait to get access to this feature. I find picking one title so hard!

​Ali Rowan​

I’m a hobbyist knitter making videos about what I’m making and what I’m learning along the way. I also love to include stats on how much a project costs not only to make, but to wear as well, by keeping track of how often my knits are worn to calculate each piece’s ongoing cost per wear. It satisfies my inner data nerd, and helps keep the focus on sustainable clothing that should be used again and again over a long lifecycle.
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My biggest challenge at the moment is trying to figure out how to launch a Patreon or similar community-funded income stream in a way that will entice people to sign up and provide value to my supporters without generating more extra work for myself than feels worthwhile, or than I can reasonably fit into my schedule on a consistent basis.

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Thanks for reading!

Hannah

P.S. I offer 1:1 creator mentoring for creators wanting to get unstuck, get clear on your goals and priorities, avoid burnout, and plan for any kind of leave or breaks. I also offer Patreon strategy support. Everything that helps you feel like a well-rounded fulfilled creator! You can schedule in a free 30 minute discovery call here.

*Links used in this newsletter may be affiliate links.

Amelia House, Crescent Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1RL
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Creator Talks

by Hannah Witton

A short and sweet newsletter for ambitious and overwhelmed creators who want to feel fulfilled in their careers. I try and find interesting and useful stuff in the creator economy that is actually relevant to creators 🧡 Written by Hannah Witton, OG creator and creator mentor.

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