Strong point on access versus actual voice. A creator’s audience is valuable because of the trust that comes from interpretation, knowledge, and a consistent point of view. When an institution wants that audience but removes the ability to question or reach independent conclusions, it is only borrowing the appearance of credibility while undercutting what created it.
This reminded me of a piece I recently came across by Bill Sparks called “Why the Old Branding Playbook Stopped Working”:
He writes about the shift from a time when brands could control their message through a mostly captive mass audience to one where customers, creators, and communities now help shape the story. Your example shows the contradiction that appears when institutions use the new distribution system but still want the old level of control over the message.
AI just makes that contradiction harder to ignore. Presence and the look of being close to the action are cheap to fake now. Real context, judgment, and the willingness to risk future access are still expensive.
Strong point on access versus actual voice. A creator’s audience is valuable because of the trust that comes from interpretation, knowledge, and a consistent point of view. When an institution wants that audience but removes the ability to question or reach independent conclusions, it is only borrowing the appearance of credibility while undercutting what created it.
This reminded me of a piece I recently came across by Bill Sparks called “Why the Old Branding Playbook Stopped Working”:
https://nowbuildsnext.substack.com/p/why-the-old-branding-playbook-stopped
He writes about the shift from a time when brands could control their message through a mostly captive mass audience to one where customers, creators, and communities now help shape the story. Your example shows the contradiction that appears when institutions use the new distribution system but still want the old level of control over the message.
AI just makes that contradiction harder to ignore. Presence and the look of being close to the action are cheap to fake now. Real context, judgment, and the willingness to risk future access are still expensive.