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The internet keeps handing us the same recycled “insights” with a new filter, and we’re supposed to call it community. Madison sits down with Vanessa Smithers, a narrative consultant, poet, writer, and legacy archivist, to talk about the rise of Substack, the flood of AI-generated writing, and the weird new normal where people copy paste a robot’s voice and charge real money for it. We’re not anti-AI. We’re anti-empty. If you’ve felt your feed getting louder while saying less, you’re not imagining it.

We dig into what algorithms reward, especially for Black creators and anyone who gets boxed into a stereotype for views. We talk about the dopamine trap of engagement, why “authenticity” online can become a curated performance, and how to build a personal brand on LinkedIn or Instagram without letting metrics decide your worth. Vanessa shares the practices that help her stay grounded, including treating hobbies as joy instead of output and choosing what stays offline.

Then we crash out about privacy and consent in public life: filming strangers at the gym, recording run clubs, documenting every trip for “content,” and the way constant consumption kills tenderness. Vanessa also breaks down why being labeled a “content creator” can feel flattening when the work is art, emotional labor, and lived experience. We close with a hard truth about equity conferences and professional events that ask marginalized speakers to work for exposure or even pay to speak, plus what it really means to value your intellectual property

work with Vanessa.

https://www.vanessasmithers.com/

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