Decode #17 The power of POAPs, bias in dating apps and AI in the creator economy
It’s been a week of big W’s. Gazza is back on the BBC, our key worker favourites Kai and Sanam won love island and we’ve got some new contributors.
Welcome Simon Richardson and Jamiel Thompson!! Both Simon and Jamiel are both increeeeedibly smart, insightful and funny, so… you’re welcome.
We’re going to start experimenting with sending our monthly newsletters and also posting some individual pieces throughout the month. Any feedback it’s always welcome.
You can read the synopsis in this download - but to get to that good good, click through to our zine ❤️🔥
01 You wouldn’t steal a handbag
Simon Richardson discusses whether digital copyright ‘piracy’ is really a crime or whether brands should embrace the bootleggers.
If for some reason you felt your life was lacking a colourful, faux-fur Birkin bag put together with pixels, Mason Rothschild had you covered with his NFT collection ‘metabirkins’. Well, that was until Hermès took him to court to protect their iconic little bag, laughed off his first amendment rights, and won. Clearly Mason, despite being a Millenial who almost certainly contemplated whether he would steal a handbag whenever he sat down to watch The Matrix, The Fast & The Furious or whatever pirate-favourite blockbusters he was into back in the noughties, decided he didn’t share the view that Piracy. It’s a crime. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.
02 Dating app data that will hurt your feelings :(
Jamiel Thompson blows our minds with some seriously sexy and thought provoking insights in to the world of modern dating apps.
From racial bias and gender inequality to the rise of instant gratification, there’s no escaping that these apps are exposing the way we view not just sex and relationships, but society at large. Dating apps may seem like harmless fun at first, but their mainstream popularity has brought big societal topics into the spotlight, whether it’s sex and attraction, sexual identity, gender roles, race, social status, social media or tech (not to mention the rise of f*ckboy culture, Catfishing, and Sugar Babies). Modern dating peels back layers of niceness and reveals our sometimes ugly societal norms, aspirations, and deep desires. The data inside these dating apps could tell us a lot about where we are as a society. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.
03 The power of POAP: tokenised cultural communities
Luke Hodson reflects on how brands should be thinking about building communities that are sustainable and will foster genuine brand evangelism for the future.
Brand loyalty programmes are famously built around an outmoded transactional model, rather than actual brand loyalty and affinity. The current architecture rewards social interaction and financial transactions with rebate programmes and cash-back points.
Today, brands focus on transnational collaborations with misaligned influencers, focused on disingenuous partnerships. Instead, brands should be thinking about building communities; communities that are sustainable and will foster genuine brand evangelism for the future. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.
04 Get to know: purpose driven creators decode is loving right now
Ruby Ktori predicts the rise purpose driven creator marketing and the importance of brands creating a genuine, always-on relationship with creators.
Though ‘purpose’ is the above creators’ bread-and-butter, the fundamental vibe shift towards more responsible creator marketing means a lot more creators are stepping out of their niches to share their views on politics, social justice and sustainability (shout out Gary Lineker). This means brands should always dig deeper than the surface level with the talent they work with, find out what their talent are truly passionate about, what they care about, where they come from and what they want to do with their platform in the future. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.
05 Is it time for the creator economy to subscribe to AI?
Jordan Dale discusses the second coming of content and questions who will be the Casey Neistat of AI?
We’re early. But AI is moving fast. What does it really do? And will realness continue to win? The last 6 months have given us a parabolic adoption and adaption of various AI programs from the likes of OpenAI (ChatGPT, DALL-E 2) and Mid Journey - both which are great creative tool’s for text and image based creation (shameless plug: you can read all about it in my previous article). But coming in hot, like the aforementioned lava, is something that has the potential to completely change the game for YouTube creators and beyond. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.
Thank you for reading!
Decode x