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47 revelatory hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
To review this month’s supposed remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, I must first correct the record. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced isn’t a game about pirates (and assassins) in the 18th century Caribbean. Sure, sure, that’s what the trailers would have you believe. They’ve go their clips of Edward Kenway swinging his swords and steering his pirate ship into cannon-blasting combat against British frigates. Is Resynced truly a pirate game? Of the 47 hours I spent playing Resynced over the past few weeks, I will admit I spent maybe 44 (?) of them collecting plunder with Blackbeard, drinking rum with Anne Bonny and debating the pros and cons of the lawless pirate-run settlement Nassau with Benjamin Hornigold. I may in fact have spent dozens of hours sailing to remote islands, reading treasure maps, opening messages left in bottles, sinking the odd Man o’ War with a well-timed broadside, collecting sea shanties for my crew, befriending a pet monkey, and hunting whales. I am nevertheless neither so Gullible nor so Narrow-Minded as to call the magnificent Resynced a “pirate remake.” Oh no. Forget any reviews of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced you may have read. Forget what you yourself may have played, if you’ve spent any time with the game since its launch. What Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is really about I’m here to give you the scoop (spoilers for Resynced’s Animus menu lore, which many players are probably not going to see): Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the new game whose development was led by Ubisoft Singapore, is set in the year 2096. It’s about a societal split, about revolution, about an old Assassin’s Creed adventure repurposed in the series’ distant future as propaganda or samizdat. It’s about the overheated future of 2096, essentially conquered by the series’ well-established nefarious Templar-run company Abstergo. (In this future, Abstergo is, among other things, remaking a 2013 pirate movie called Devils of the Caribbean, but this time in VR. The VR version will be backed by a marketing plan that involves AI influencers, a 10,000-avatar “metaverse premiere event” and that manufacturing of memes aimed at “50 million VR nodes.” See what I mean about Abstergo being evil?) Resynced is about a late 21st-century population mollified by the widespread use of Abstergo’s Animus devices which let people experience the lives of historical figures culled from “genetic memories.” It’s about an insurgent faction of Assassins. And it’s about a plan to wake the population into revolutionary fervor by showing them the memories of 18th century pirate Edward Kenway, who—as depicted in the original Black Flag and again in Resynced—gradually comes to an understanding about the Assassins of his day and their centuries old fight for freedom. Resynced is also about an AI developed within the late 21st-century Animus, called Ego. It has found a way to alter genetic memories, to create and show Animus users false ones. The game is about Ego’s efforts to tell the people experiencing Edward Kenway’s memories that Kenway was wrong, that fighting against order is folly, that we should crave a world where “compliance is rewarded with power.” Who are we in this game? We’re an unnamed Animus user in 2096 who experiences Kenway’s journey virtually. At four moments during Kenway’s exploits in the Caribbean our virtual jaunt can be interrupted for 10-15 minutes, as we explore Animus “rifts” where Ego explicitly tries to tell us how wrong Kenway was. None of this is what 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was about, of course. That was a different game, even if you also spent dozens of hours pirating as Kenway in that game, across missions and a map that’s been faithfully reintroduced and rebuilt for Resynced. The 2013 Black Flag was about you playing as an unnamed researcher newly hired in 2013 by Abstergo Entertainment, the video game development wing of the Templars’ evil-corp. In that game, you were assigned to use the Animus to dive into the genetic memories of Desmond Miles, a man who died in Assassin’s Creed III and who was descended from a long line of Assassins (and at least one Templar) whose adventures were featured across the prior AC games. In 2013’s Black Flag, your mission was to plumb the Edward Kenway experience for material that Abstergo could use in productions such as the motion picture Devils of the Caribbean, though the Templars had some ulterior motives for the assignment. Resynced is therefore not a remake of 2013’s Black Flag. It’s a sequel. It is a new game about a new exploration of Edward Kenway’s pirate/assassin journey, set 83 years after the framing sequences of the original game. Resynced provides a new narrative framework that, thanks to the concept of an AI that wants to alter historical memories, arrives with creative justification to tweak a now-classic 13-year old game. That makes Resynced, already a hot seller, a tantalizing hint of where Ubisoft could go with a line of Assassin’s Creed remakes. They could remake the first game, the Ezio games, even the recent ones set in ancient Egypt and Greece. And for each, they could not just modernize the graphics and controls but expand and alter their sequences of events to use them as reference points for a conflict set in the late 21st century, as rival factions try to weaponize historical memories. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, even when that work consists of ravings about Assassin’s Creed’s modern day plot, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe A story most players will probably miss If you didn’t know any of this, I’m not surprised. If you played the game and still didn’t catch it, I’m not a bit shocked. If Ubisoft has no plans to do more of this, I won’t fall down. Almost all of what I’ve described is optional and missable in Black Flag Resynced. I nearly missed it myself, as I planned for a breezy playthrough of an old Assassin’s Creed favorite. Instead, I found myself in a 40+ hour hunt for the “real” story, buried deeper in Resynced than any gold-filled chest. The story of 2096 is Resynced’s meta-story, told in two remote pockets of the game: 1) four optional playable “rifts” that players may find as they proceed through Resynced’s pirate fantasy , 2) in dozens of text files tucked three menus deep in the game’s barely-interactive Animus hub. Assassin’s Creed games have almost always had a meta-story about people in the 21st century (usually matching the game’s release year) and their connections to the main history portions you play. Those meta-stories have always been squeezed into the margins, though seldom as severely and as, uh, graphiaclly simple, as in recent games. Back in 2013, the modern-day exploits of you as an Abstergo Entertainment employee were prominent. They were portrayed via first-person portions that occasionally interrupted the third-person Kenway experience and could be explored for hours, complete with their own missions, side quests and puzzles. Resynced’s 2096 story—of Assassin “Watchers” vs. Abstergo/Tempar goons, of rogue AIs, of panicking scientists, of a woman wondering why her Animus-addicted husband is muttering about Mary Read (“What does he mean by Assassins?”), of a fight for the population’s hearts and minds via varying interpretations of Edward Kenway’s life choices—is mostly told through unlockable text files. The files are interesting. Offered via diary entries, intercepted chats and news reports, they present varied perspectives of a world in crisis. One set works as a narrative puzzle as it reveals the Rashomonic interpretations of a massacre, or was that a successful Assassin hit? Another favorite reveals the rising bitterness of a person who, through Edward Kenway’s journey, now shakes at the ignored evil around him. One surmises that Ubisoft is averse to putting the Assassin’s Creed’s meta-story in the way of more marketable pirate playgrounds and ninja/samurai epics. Instead, we get a better-than-nothing text-in-menus approach introduced in 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In Shadows, players unlocked the meta-story text files largely via time-gated missions that called on the user to kill X number of enemy type Y, clear three enemy castles, re-win a three-phase fighting tournament, and other grinds. Time restrictions on accessing these missions and unlocking the files meant it could take players months to access the full story in-game. But even in the most hardcore Assassin’s Creed hangouts, the fanbase instead seemed to throw up their hands rather than grind to keep up. In Resynced, Ubisoft has shown some mercy, diminishing the amount of new text files that are tied to timed grinds. Now, most of the text-based 2096 lore are associated with “data file” collectibles that players can find in the world. That includes a batch of written entries that explain a historical link between the feudal Japan era in Shadows and the piracy adventures in Black Flag. Players who explore a lot will find dozens of data files, though the game does not appear to offer any in-game tracker for finding each one. You just need to keep looking for them. As of this writing, I have most of them, but not all. I can’t find any full guide for them online. And even Ubisoft’s optional $5 microtransaction that reveals lots of items in-game does not appear to reveal the locations of the text files (at least the official description omits them from its collectibles list). That’s not a huge bother, because tracking the data files down compelled me to re-explore the waves and islands of Black Flag. That was a thoroughly pleasant task to do for the first time in a dozen years. I expect many players, though, will be content to wait for the files to be reproduced in an online AC wiki somewhere, the easier to read on a web page. It may not seem enticing to play a video game in order to gradually unlock pages of text to read. Why not, you may ask, just read a book, where they put the pages in order? For one, they’ve not tucked this latest installment of Assassin’s Creed’s meta saga in a book. I also enjoy the unordered delivery, the dawning comprehension of a story about 2096’s desperate people and questionable tech, which I glimpsed first at its middle, then the end, then the front, then other moments in between1. I am also enamored with the idea of the Assassin’s Creed games I’ve previously played, including Black Flag, being repurposed for an information war. The ideas in Resynced’s meta-story, which builds off characters and ideas in Shadows’ chunks of text, are strong. The potential of where they could go with it is exciting. As for the pirate stuff? Looks great, controls pretty well, is fun to play and oh so speedy in terms of how much of a good time you can have with each sit-down. It never gets old to chase a new shanty page across a rooftop, bombard a fort with upgraded mortars or use a diving bell to explore sunken wrecks (hats off to the team at Ubisoft Barcelona that worked on the underwater portions in Resynced; that team is now facing layoffs, such is the misery of modern gaming and oft-troubled Ubisoft). New pirate missions in Resynced involving new ally characters are brief, dramatic and add more to Edward’s story, even if the gameplay perks they provide barely enhance the gameplay. A new denouement for high-class pirate Stede Bonnet is affecting; a new hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure is a welcome extra moment. A new epilogue to hunt down a pirate killer, on the other hand, over-complicates Kenway’s character. The ending credits remain my favorite of any game I’ve ever played. Black Flag provides great source material. The revisit is well-made and a great sign of what could be. It is offered in a different wrapper that hints at an opportunity for more interesting remakes to come, should Ubisoft choose to pursue such treasures—and as we brace to resist or comply with an Abstergo future. 1 The messages that Edward Kenway finds in bottles tell another out-of-order story, one about a man reckoning with the strange memories and voices he’s heard in his head since he was a boy. That tale was also in the 2013 game and develops into one of Black Flag’s most compelling character arcs. In Resynced, it has lost its climax, because the bottle story previously paid off in the halls of the first-person Abstergo Entertainment, which is exclusive to the older game. An altered resolution, written by the 2013 game’s lead writer is fine, doesn’t invalidate the 2013 version, but makes for an inferior final note.
Nearly 6 in 10 young women get health and wellness information from influencers
Young women are especially likely to say they often see influencer content about beauty and appearance.
Opinion | Fitness Influencers Are Not Making Men More Fit
Manosphere fitness influencers are the wrong model. Health requires looking at life as a whole, not as an exercise in “optimization.”
Social-Media UAP Influencers Misunderstand How Science Works!
When I noticed that the photographs taken by the Apollo astronauts half a century ago had blue dots on the parts of the Kodak film that…
Should you be taking creatine? Here's what the science says
The sport supplement is popular among health influencers and athletes, who say creatine can help build stronger muscles and sharper brains—but is it legit?
Capital Region influencers support Muslim-owned businesses in light of hate
LATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) — In light of recent online hate, local community members have been banding together, using their platforms to support one another following the death of seven-year-old …
Do You Really Need AI to Track Your Poop?
Influencers are putting biotrackers in their toilets.
This Week’s Small Business Tech News: Apple Significantly Raises Their Prices
AI is reshaping small business IT, customer service and marketing. Learn why Microsoft agents, Apple price hikes and AI influencers matter to your business.
Pro-Israel influencers criticize Vance, but evangelicals remain open to him
Despite attacks from some conservatives, a heavily pro-Israel crowd still has warm words for Vance, with many saying they could pick him as the party’s nominee.
Creator marketing works best when brands give influencers freedom
Savvy marketers are relinquishing more control to creators, YouTuber Adam W and Google's Sean Downey said at Business Insider's CMO Insider breakfast.
Polymarket allegedly faked trades. Chances are slim Trump admin investigates, says sports-betting attorney
A recent Wall Street Journal investigation found that the prediction market hired influencers to stage fake trades as part of its marketing campaign to attract U.S. users.
Sega plans shift to influencers after Sonic and Shinobi sales disappoint, despite strong reviews
Plus, Sega has two unannounced ‘flagship IP’ games coming soon…
8 things to know about the gut microbiome and keeping yours healthy
Wellness influencers often talk about fixing a broken gut microbiome. And marketers sell tests and supplements to fix your gut health. Here's what what the evidence really shows about gut health.
Coffee shop confession: California must regulate paid political influencers
“It was more than a little ironic to overhear a shoptalk about transparency in politics discussed so openly in public,” writes columnist Robin Epley.
The Sperm-Maxxing Bros Are Actually Onto Something
Wellness influencers have stumbled onto a huge issue when it comes male fertility, though not every solution they're pitching is good advice.
Do influencers need to disclose if they’re paid by a candidate? New California bill seeks to ensure they do
Bill aims to identify content “that looks organic and authentic … (but is) really the equivalent of an ad,” lawmaker says.
Campaigns are embracing influencers, but internet stardom doesn't always win votes
It's becoming common for campaigns to seek out viral moments and the support of internet stars to reach new voters. But the strategy, albeit flashy, has yielded mixed results in key races this year.
Peptide Fad Gripping America Reflects Outsize Role Of Influencers In Healthcare
Millions of Americans are currently injecting unapproved chemicals like peptides promoted by hodgepodge of wellness influencers and celebrity podcasters.
How 2026 campaigns are deploying creators to spread their message
With a growing number of adults using social media for political engagement, campaigns work with influencers on the platforms to advertise to new audiences. But are influencers profiting at the expense of voter transparency?
Why is Tupac headlining an upcoming video game?
Gamers and influencers watching Summer Game Fest mostly expressed shock and confusion at the inclusion of the influential American rapper and political activist who died in 1996.
Invisible Geniuses, Visible Challenges: Science Communication in the Age of Attention
While social media has put celebrities and influencers at the centre of public attention, the scientists shaping society’s future often remain on the sidelines. This visibility gap not only affects how science is perceived but also shapes how we understand and respond to the most pressing challenges of our time, including climate change.
Influencers make content creation their business
Content creators seem to be just about everywhere, and for some Marylanders, it's a full-time job.
Introducing Long Island Business Influencers: Accounting 2026
The professionals recognized in this year's Accounting Influencers section are not simply stewards of financial records — they are architects of the region's economic life, shaping how businesses grow, how nonprofits sustain their missions and how individuals and families build lasting wealth.
Hantavirus Outbreak Revives COVID-Era False Health Claims — The Monitor
A hantavirus outbreak linked to a Dutch cruise ship in early May was followed by false health claims that mirror patterns documented in previous outbreaks. The Monitor also examines a new analysis of Americans’ relationship with health and wellness influencers.
Steyer, Becerra clash over paid influencers in CA governor’s race. What to know
The two leading Democrats have filed dueling state ethics complaints against one another.
As influencers rise in politics, some call for tighter regulations on payments
Some campaign finance advocates are concerned that voters could increasingly be influenced by social media posts that they don’t know are sponsored.
California political campaigns scrutinized for paying social media influencers for endorsements
Stephen Colbert's "Late Show" exit is the end of an era for celebrity interviews
Stephen Colbert's last "The Late Show" episode airs as influencers like Jake Shane and Alex Cooper reshape celebrity-interview culture.
In growing fight, Steyer's campaign says pro-Becerra influencers didn't disclose pay
Social media creators who create paid content on behalf of a California political campaign are required to disclose that the material was sponsored and who paid for it.
Can you trust that post about Tom Steyer? How paid influencers are flooding into the governor's race
Billionaire Tom Steyer is paying influencers to boost his California governor campaign. State law requires they disclose it, but offers little accountability
Stores Baffled After Being Sent Boxes Of Rare Poop Slinger Game
Collectors, retailers and influencers alike attempt to figure out which end of the gift horse these mystery packages are coming from
Trump’s flavored vape push sparks backlash from MAHA influencers, health officials
The FDA this month opened a pathway for tobacco companies to sell flavored e-cigarettes and granted its first authorization for fruit-flavored vapes.
The Steyer campaign pays influencers. Their posts don't always make that clear
Tom Steyer's campaign appears to have relied on paid influencers more than any candidate for governor, according to the most recent campaign finance filings.
The Tricky Business of Dupe-Fluencing
Influencers know their audiences want dupes. Fashion brands hate when they share them. This tension speaks to the shifting dynamics in today’s creator economy.
Opinion | Unfortunately, We Have to Take Spencer Pratt Seriously as a Politician
Reality stars and influencers in government are here to stay.
The Science on Creatine Dosage Is Shifting – Here’s How Many Grams You Should Take
Some wellness influencers recommend five times the usual – we talked to researchers for the real scoop
The Science on Creatine Dosage Is Shifting – Here’s How Many Grams You Should Take
Some wellness influencers recommend five times the usual – we talked to researchers for the real scoop
Study shows large number of adults get health advice from influencers, podcasters
The rise of health and wellness influencers may be a dangerous trend
Inside Business reveals the 2026 Power List and Top 25
Inside Business creates its annual Power List to highlight the people who are influencing the economy in Hampton Roads. This year’s Top 25 influencers are listed in alphabetical order.
Marketers say NAD+ pills and infusions can boost longevity. What's the evidence?
Wellness and longevity influencers are pushing a compound called NAD+. There's scientific interest in its potential, but researchers say the marketing claims have gotten ahead of the science.
Influencers are turning baby bumps into business models
They've transformed motherhood into lucrative professions, but what happens to the kids who grow up online?
Health influencers are all over social media. How to be smarter when vetting claims
A new survey finds about half of U.S. adults under 50 get health information from social media influencers or podcasts.
Robert Downey Jr. says idea that influencers are 'stars of the future' is 'absolute horses---'
"Nowadays, people can create celebrity without ever doing much besides rolling a phone on themselves," the Marvel star lamented.
Women lead as health and wellness influencers. Why do so many men have more followers?
The dominance in that online space comes as 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they get health and wellness information from social media influencers or podcasts.
Who’s actually listening to all the health influencers dominating social media
Most health influencers don’t have real credentials — but they are more influential than ever.
Moms, Coaches, Doctors, Entrepreneurs: Who Are America’s Health and Wellness Influencers?
Half of U.S. adults under 50 say they get health and wellness information from social media influencers or podcasts. About 4 in 10 of these influencers describe themselves as health care professionals; coaches and entrepreneurs are almost as common.
Who Are You Getting Your Health Advice From Online?
Half of U.S. adults under 50 now get wellness advice from influencers. A new report examines their qualifications.
The Science on Creatine Dosage Is Shifting. Here’s How Many Grams You Should Take.
Some wellness influencers recommend five times the usual. We talked to researchers for the real scoop.
Fallout Co-Creator Says Some Players Watch Influencers So They Can Be Told What to Think About Games
Fallout co-creator Tim Cain has shared his fear that some gamers are watching influencers just so they can be "handed an opinion from the online channel they're watching."
How Perimenopause Became America's New Health Scare
If you’re a woman who speaks English, it sometimes feels like you can’t spend time on the internet without being bombarded with all the ways in which your body or your mind could be just a little broken. A few years ago, Instagram was full of women talking about attention deficit disorder, and lo and behold: From 2020 to 2022, the percentage of women (between the ages of 23 and 49) newly diagnosed with it nearly doubled. Not long ago, premenstrual syndrome was all the rage, with the algorithm pushing videos that explained why it’s okay to fly off the handle once a month. These days, the word perimenopause is everywhere. Perhaps you’ve seen the headlines. “Perimenopause is having a millennial moment. Here are 7 ways to cope,” says The Washington Post. Or perhaps you’ve seen Apple TV’s glossy drama Your Friends & Neighbors, which is back for its second season; the female protagonist Mel is explicitly perimenopausal, and in the first season, she keyed a car for no apparent reason. She’s played by Amanda Peet, who talks about being perimenopausal in real life (“God knows I’ve wanted to key a lot of cars in the last three years,” she’s said.) In fact, it sometimes feels like every celebrity interview with a forty- or fiftysomething woman requires her to open up about what’s going on with her hormones. Drew Barrymore joked on CBS Mornings that when she found out how long perimenopause can last, she thought she’d “never make it 10 years like this.” Katherine Heigl told Business Insider that “whoever designed it so that women would be going through perimenopause while raising teenagers should be sent a strongly worded letter.” At the same time, influencers who talk about perimenopause seem to have cropped up out of nowhere with something to sell you, causing people online to wonder where this all came from. It’s trickled down from Instagram to tchotchke shops, which sell fridge magnets that say “Perimenopause Is Hot.” You can buy a T-shirt that proclaims “Perimenopause Made Me Do It!” My mom, who is 48, started uncontrollably shaking her leg at night a few years ago. “It’s perimenopause,” she told me when I complained about how annoying it was. But what exactly is perimenopause—and why are we all talking about it all of a sudden?
Sports Illustrated Revel at the Races party draws athletes, influencers
NFL athletes, dramatic actresses and rising influencers all showed up to the black carpet May 1 at Sports Illustrated's Revel at the Races party.
Influencers are turning baby bumps into business models
They've transformed motherhood into lucrative professions — but Fortesa Latifi's new book is exploring the impact that has on kids who grow up online.
Internet Restrictions Spur Russians to Openly Question Putin’s Moves
From beauty influencers to the token political opposition, Russians are openly questioning President Vladimir V. Putin’s moves to hamstring access.
Why Are So Many Influencers Speaking at Harvard Business School?
Posing next to the acclaimed university’s signpost has become an Instagram fixture for creators invited to campus. What’s going on?
A Supreme Court case over pesticides is bringing out the ‘MAHA moms’ — and threats of consequences for the midterms
When a group of mothers and wellness influencers, including surgeon general nominee Casey Means, was asked to go to the White House this month, some of them assumed a few staffers would hear their grievances about the health risks of weedkillers.
What are peptides? FDA may ease restrictions on unproven health fad
Trendy peptide injections boasted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and wellness influencers like Joe Rogan may soon get a boost from the FDA.
Dyson’s back with a travel-size Supersonic hairdryer
The beauty influencers are about to lose it.
Influencers Are Spinning Nicotine as a ‘Natural’ Health Hack
The influencers, many of them aligned with the Make America Healthy Again Movement, say the medical establishment has unfairly demonized the compound.
Why the Party Photography Business Is Booming
Not only are brands investing in more stylistic content, but celebrities, influencers and wealthy shoppers are hiring their own photographers to ensure a steady stream of perfectly staged pictures.
Asking the Wrong Questions About Hasan Piker
The problem isn’t whether to engage with influencers, but how to.
How much influencer earn at Coachella, the 'Influencer Olympics'
Influencers at Coachella can earn five-figure fees for promoting brands, but many are happy to trade social posts for VIP tickets and villa stays.
Branded pop-up events take center stage at Coachella
With a multitude of promotional events almost as long and diverse as its artist lineup, Coachella, one of the biggest music festivals in the world, is now an amusement park for influencers and a gold ...
What is the femosphere?
A growing number of influencers are encouraging women to ditch the egalitarian narrative of liberal feminism and take a more cynical approach to the opposite sex
Russian Influencers Turn From Cosmetics To Politics, But Don't Mention The War
Russian influencer Victoria Bonya made a personal address to Russian President Vladimir Putin: In a country where political debate and criticism of the authorities is tightly controlled, she brought up problems people face in their everyday lives. Except the war in Ukraine.
FDA to weigh easing limits on unproven peptides favored by RFK Jr. and MAHA supporters
The Food and Drug Administration will hold a meeting this summer to consider easing restrictions on more than a half dozen peptide injections, a group of unapproved therapies that have become popular among wellness influencers, fitness gurus and celebrities.
FDA to Weigh Easing Limits on Unproven Peptides Favored by RFK Jr. and Other MAHA Figures
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration will hold a meeting this summer to consider easing restrictions on more than a half dozen peptide injections, a group of unapproved therapies that have become popular among wellness influencers, fitness gurus and celebrities. The meeting ...
Can Puck reinvent the news business for the influencer age?
CEO Sarah Personette’s risky bet on journalists as influencers
Can red light therapy really deliver a beauty and health glow up? Here's the science
Wellness influencers tout the therapy's power for everything from rejuvenating skin and hair to boosting longevity. Devices sold for at-home use abound. We look at the evidence behind the hype.
Can red light therapy really deliver a beauty and health glow up? Here's the science
Wellness influencers tout the therapy's power for everything from rejuvenating skin and hair to boosting longevity. Devices sold for at-home use abound. We look at the evidence behind the hype.
Can red light therapy really deliver a beauty and health glow up? Here's the science
Wellness influencers tout the therapy's power for everything from rejuvenating skin and hair to boosting longevity. Devices sold for at-home use abound. We look at the evidence behind the hype.
TikTok vigilante Daadi Snacks calls out obnoxious influencers
The creator behind the Daadi Snacks TikTok account posts videos criticizing influencer behavior. Some of his targets have not been amused.
IT rules: India proposes new digital rules to regulate news and political posts on social media
The changes will give government more power over news-related posts shared by podcasters and influencers.
What the peptide craze reveals about Americans’ relationship with risk
Why do RFK Jr. and other health influencers embrace unproven peptides while calling for more research into well-studied vaccines?
Influencers tout injectable peptides as key to youth and beauty. Scientists say they're 'a giant scam'
Crocodile dung. Tapeworms. Raw meat facials. Yes, at some point in history these wildly popular — and wildly unproven — treatments were how people tried to stay young. Right now, plenty of influencers will tell you that injectable peptides are the answer. But the scientists? Not so much.
Science Influencers program caps five years of impact
Texas A&M System trains scientists in science communication through the federally funded Science Influences initiative.
Health influencers talk social media and mental health
In this week's STATus Report, influential health communicators Jessica Knurick, Morgan “Dr. Noc” McSweeney, and Jessica Malaty Rivera chat about the mental health impacts of social media.
Instagram and Facebook are pushing deeper into shopping and ads
Meta unveiled a slew of new shopping and advertising updates to woo brands and creators. Influencers can soon earn a commission from affiliate links.
Victorian business fined for telling influencers to lie about paid Instagram post in first of its kind penalty
Watchdog also fines PhotobookShop for editing a paid review from an influencer who had described process as ‘fiddly’
Influencers are pushing out media for aspiring Democratic politicians
Voters used to say they wanted a president they could have a beer with. Now, would-be presidential candidates are chasing that authenticity in a different way: appearing on podcasts, spo…
The Longevity Bros Are Cold Plunging Wrong
The practice has its benefits. Just not the ones wellness influencers are loudest about.
Influencers push 'parasite cleanses' but doctors say to steer clear
Some people online believe many of us have dangerous parasites in our gut and need to flush them out with herbal supplements. Here's what doctors say about the trend.
Deepfake Influencers Push Supplements Online
AI-generated figures are promoting wellness products to unsuspecting consumers
Using magnesium supplements for sleep is all the rage. What to know
Magnesium supplements have caught influencers’ attention and long been praised for promoting healthy sleep. Here’s what the science shows.
It was John Wayne’s political club. Now it’s spending millions on online influence
A foundation linked to the Lincoln Club started local news sites critics find dubious. How John Wayne's old group became major influencers.
Epstein Conspiracy Theories Are Big Business For Some Influencers
Documents meant to shed light on Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes are feeding unfounded theories online about baby farms, murder and cloning.
The McCarthy Revivalists
Conservative influencers are pushing for a return to the dark days of 1950s inquisitions.
Does Drinking Hot Water Have Any Health Benefits?
Influencers say that consuming hot water before breakfast can help with digestion, bloating and more. Experts explain whether that’s true.
A Sports Frenzy for the Most Valuable Influencers
To reach young audiences raised on social media, leagues are giving content creators access to marquee moments.
Ballerina Farm’s Hannah Neelman is having her ninth baby. For mom influencers like her, every family milestone is a business opportunity.
In an ad for protein powder, Hannah Neelman, the mega-mom influencer behind @ballerinafarm which boasts 10.3 million followers on Instagram alone, announced she is pregnant with her ninth child with h...
This is Trump 2.0, bro. What do you bench?
Their policies divide the country, but on social media the president’s men are crushing it as influencers, bro.
New research suggests some cases of autism could be preventable
Studies say avoiding environmental exposures, especially pre-conception, may help. Influencers are branding the idea “trimester zero,” but the science is in early stages.
New research suggests some cases of autism could be preventable
Studies say avoiding environmental exposures, especially pre-conception, may help. Influencers are branding the idea “trimester zero,” but the science is in early stages.
Influencers are promoting peptides for better health. What's the science say?
The latest wellness craze involves injecting these molecules for athletic performance, longevity and more. Scientists say the research isn't keeping pace with the health claims.
Influencers are promoting peptides for better health. What's the science say?
The latest wellness craze involves injecting these molecules for athletic performance, longevity and more. Scientists say the research isn't keeping pace with the health claims.
Influencers are promoting peptides for better health. What's the science say?
The latest wellness craze involves injecting these molecules for athletic performance, longevity and more. Scientists say the research isn't keeping pace with the health claims.
‘GRWM’ to meet the governor: How Mass. politicians are turning to friendly influencers to spread their messages
Massachusetts politicians are increasingly embracing online creators to expand their reach beyond traditional press, including offering them one-on-one interviews or inviting them to events.
Democrats recruit popular content creators in new strategy to win back Latino voters
Democrats are playing catch-up in having online influencers and content creators promote their candidates and priorities
Dolphin Entertainment Looks to Expand Online Capital Raising for Creators and Influencers Through Partnership With DealMaker
Dolphin Entertainment has teamed with online capital raising platform DealMaker to rev up financing for celebrity-led consumer and lifestyle brands.
Should we really all be taking magnesium supplements?
Testimonials about the beneficial health effects of magnesium supplements abound online, with influencers claiming that a daily pill can help with everything from anxiety to sleep and brain fog. But do any of these claims stack up?
‘Zero trimester’ influencers believe a healthy pregnancy is a choice
Is prepping during the preconception period the answer for hopeful couples?