Taylor Lorenz’s Power User

Taylor Lorenz
  • 4.1 (371)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Taylor Lorenz explores how technology and the internet are upending our lives and the world around us. Each week, she explores everything from online fame to emerging platforms, viral phenomena, the creator economy, and much more. Tune in every Wednesday for regular episodes and every Friday for "Free Speech Friday," her series on tech policy and the fight for civil liberties online.

  1. 12H AGO

    Stop Feeling Helpless About AI: The Violent History of Resisting Technology

    What if everything you've been told about technological progress is a lie? Support my independent journalism:  🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz         ⁠  🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co        AI is changing society faster than ever, but resistance to technology is not new. For this week's Free Speech Friday I spoke with academic Thomas Dekeyser, author of Techno Negative, about the history of anti-technology movements, from the Luddites smashing machines in the Industrial Revolution to anarchist groups bombing computer companies in the 1980s. We discuss AI, labor automation, surveillance, moral panic, Silicon Valley ideology, tech CEOs, machine breaking, environmental destruction, and why backlash against technology keeps returning throughout history. We also explore whether technological progress actually benefits ordinary people, or mainly serves corporations and power. Sometimes it's not what you think! Topics include: Why anti-AI movements are growing Big Tech and labor exploitation AI moral panic and conspiracy theories Environmental costs of AI Surveillance and control The politics of technological progress Why people resist new technology Silicon Valley and deregulation

    38 min

  2. 2D AGO

    The Most Dangerous Lie on the Internet: The 62 Million Men Hoax Explained

    The Lie Created To Strip Your Rights Online Support my independent journalism:  🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz        ⁠  🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co       In March, a CNN investigation into a "Global Academy" of 62 million men allegedly drugging and assaulting women broke the internet. But the most viral story of the year was built on a foundation of misleading statistics and bad journalism.  Journalist Kat Tenbarge joins me to debunk the "62 Million Men" narrative. We dig into how this story was used to manufacture consent for dangerous new censorship laws and who is actually behind the movement to repeal Section 230. In this video, we cover: Why the "62 million" figure is a misleading traffic stat, not a count of criminals. The connection between CNN’s reporting and far-right Christian nationalist groups like Exodus Cry. How the "Global Academy" branding was manufactured from a single interview quote. The real-world harm of FOSTA-SESTA and why new "safety" bills like KOSA actually endanger victims. How mainstream media organizations lobby against free speech to protect their own business interests. Don't let emotional propaganda dictate tech policy. We look at the systemic failures of the legal system and why villainizing platforms instead of perpetrators is a losing battle for women's rights. If you’ve seen the “62 million men” claim, you need to watch this.

    56 min

  3. MAY 1

    The Dark Side Of AI Safety Laws

    Should AI be protected by free speech laws? Support my independent journalism:  🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz        ⁠  🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co       In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with Corbin K. Barthold, Internet Policy Counsel at Tech Freedom, to discuss one of the most controversial legal papers of the year: "Why the First Amendment Protects Artificial Intelligence." While many are calling for strict AI regulation to prevent "AI psychosis" or the spread of misinformation, Corbin argues that AI outputs are a protected form of expression. If we allow the government to dictate what an LLM can and cannot say, are we inadvertently giving them the power to control our access to information? In this video, we cover: Why AI content qualifies as First Amendment protected speech. The theories the government uses to justify censorship. Analysis of recent tragic cases involving Character AI. Why New York’s S7263 law might be "rank protectionism" for doctors and lawyers. The progressive case for why we should actually want free and open AI. #siliconvalley #tech #technology #internet #ai #artificialintelligence

    39 min

  4. APR 29

    The New Digital Class War: Rich People Use The Internet Differently w/ Adam Aleksic

    There’s a hidden social hierarchy on the internet Support my independent journalism:  🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz       ⁠  🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co      Is your Instagram "low class"? While we like to think of the internet as a universal playground, a new digital class war is emerging. From the way you use filters to the number of emojis in your bio, your digital habits are increasingly signaling your socioeconomic status to the world. In this episode of Power User, I sit down with etymologist and cultural commentator Adam Aleksic to decode the hidden semiotics of "Low Class Instagram."  We explore why billionaires keep their accounts private with 200 followers, why the "photo dump" has become a sophisticated narrative tool for elites, and how algorithms are siloing us into class-based bubbles. We break down: The "Puppy Filter" Trap: Why technical illiteracy is the new class signifier. Billionaire Behavior: Why the ultimate luxury is being completely offline. Digital White Flight: Why elite users are fleeing Facebook and Instagram for "curated" spaces like Bluesky vs Substack. AI & Class: How your choice of LLM (Claude vs. ChatGPT) and even your font choice (Serif vs. Sans Serif) reveals your status. The Death of Anonymity: Why the "surveillance state" makes it harder for lower-class users to experiment with their identities.

    46 min

  5. APR 27

    [PATREON PREVIEW] Record Labels Are Buying Meme Pages for Millions

    [PATREON PREVIEW] Is Geese a Psyop? How the Music Industry Fakes Virality Subscribe to my Patreon to get this and other bonus Power User podcast episodes!! Support my independent journalism:  🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz       ⁠  🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co      The Brooklyn band Geese has sparked a massive "industry plant" controversy in 2026 after their album Getting Killed and a sold-out tour led to accusations of being a digital "psyop".   While the music has received mainstream praise, fans became suspicious of how the band took over social media feeds almost overnight. This skepticism intensified after an interview at SXSW with Chaotic Good Projects, a marketing agency that uses armies of bots and TikTok accounts to force songs into virality. Kristin Robinson is a journalist at Billboard who broke the story about Geese and Chaotic Good Projects. She joins me to discuss how meme pages are used by the music industry, how record labels manipulate online conversations and flood comment sections with positive messages, and how agencies can sway public perception of performances on SNL or Tiny Desk.  As AI-generated music begins to top the iTunes charts, the line between authentic talent and engineered "slop" continues to blur. We discuss the truth behind the Geese situation, the evolution of viral marketing, and how the music industry is changing in the age of automation. We discuss: How viral music campaigns actually work Why “industry plant” accusations keep happening How platforms like TikTok shape what you hear Whether AI artists could be the next big thing

    7 min

  6. APR 24

    Inside A Billionaire's AI Spy Network: The Shocking Secrets of Madison Square Garden’s Surveillance Machine

    The Billionaire Who Built a Private Surveillance State Support my independent journalism:  🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz       ⁠  🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co  Sports arenas and concert venues are becoming high-tech surveillance "deep states." In this video, I dive into the explosive Wired report by Noah Shachtman and Robert Silverman that reveals how the owner of a ton of NYC concert venues and sports arenas uses facial recognition and private investigators to track, monitor, and ban anyone he deems an enemy. From tracking trans women at Pride Night to banning lawyers and 14-year-old kids for social media posts, the level of surveillance at MSG, Radio City, and The Sphere is unprecedented.  Is this the future of privacy for sports fans and concert-goers? I sat down with Noah Shachtman to discuss the chilling secrets of the new billionaire surveillance machine. Full WIRED story: https://www.wired.com/story/madison-square-garden-jim-dolan-surveillance-machine

    24 min

  7. APR 22

    The Girlboss-ification of AI: How Big Tech Is Gaslighting Women Into AI w/ Kat Tenbarge

    AI companies are secretly waging a massive PR campaign targeting women. Support my independent journalism:  🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz      ⁠  🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co      In the past year, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta have launched an aggressive PR campaign to rebrand artificial intelligence for women, especially mothers and teen girls. Suddenly AI isn't an existential threat or a labor displacement machine. It's a "lifestyle accessory," a "creative tool," and your new girly best friend.   Kat Tenbarge of Spitfire News joins me to expose the AI "Hot Girl Economy" and how tech giants are using aesthetic trends to Trojan-horse AI into our daily lives. We cover everything from viral Studio Ghibli filters and the AI puppy photo craze, to how startups like Higgsfield are targeting fashion influencers.    We discuss what this "AI girly pop era" is designed to distract you from: extreme labor displacement, massive energy consumption, and the tech industry becoming increasingly intertwined with the US War Machine. SUPPORT POWER USER  💖 Patreon (bonus episodes, monthly Q&As, livestreams): ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz     📬 User Mag Substack: https://usermag.co   🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts  ⭐ Please rate and review — it genuinely helps the show get discovered!!! #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #TechNews #ChatGPT #OpenAI #GoogleGemini #WomenInTech #HotGirlEconomy #KatTenbarge #TechIndustry #Pinkwashing #SocialMediaTrends

    1h 1m

  8. APR 17

    Silicon Valley is Breaking Everything

    Is Silicon Valley actually making progress, or are they just breaking the world for profit?  Support my independent journalism:  🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz     ⁠  🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co     ⁠  In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I’m joined by legal scholar and surveillance expert Albert Fox Cahn to dismantle the "Move Fast and Break Things" ethos that has dominated tech for a decade. From the multibillion-dollar failure of the Metaverse to the "innovation theater" of the Apple Vision Pro, we explore why the most hyped technologies are often the most disastrous. We dive deep into the dark side of home security, revealing how Ring cameras have turned from safety tools into a massive surveillance network for law enforcement, sometimes even recording your most private moments without a warrant. We also tackle the "AI bubble," the myth of police body cameras, and why the "boring" analog solutions are often the safest bet for our future.  Albert is the founder of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) and the author of the new book, Move Slow and Upgrade: The Power of Incremental Innovation.

    30 min
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About

Taylor Lorenz explores how technology and the internet are upending our lives and the world around us. Each week, she explores everything from online fame to emerging platforms, viral phenomena, the creator economy, and much more. Tune in every Wednesday for regular episodes and every Friday for "Free Speech Friday," her series on tech policy and the fight for civil liberties online.

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