Influencer Alix Earle, a self-described ‘hot mess,’ has legions of online haters. Greg Doherty/Getty Images for RevolveJessica Maddox, University of Alabama and Jess Rauchberg, Seton Hall University Since 2020, content creator Remi Bader had accumulated millions of TikTok followers by offering her opinions on the fits of popular clothing brands as a plus-size woman. In 2023, however, Bader appeared noticeably thinner. When some fans asked her whether she’d undergone a procedure, she blocked them. Later that year, she announced that she would no longer be posting about her body. Enter snark subreddits. On Reddit, these forums exist for the sole purpose of calling out internet celebrities, whether they’re devoted to dinging the late-night antics of self-described “hot mess” Alix Earle or venting over Savannah and Cole LaBrant, a family vlogging couple who misleadingly implied that their daughter had cancer. While the internet is synonymous with fan culture, snark subreddits aren’t for enthusiasts. Instead, snarkers are anti-fans who hone the art of hating.Remi Bader attends New York Fashion Week on Feb. 10, 2025.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tory Burch After Bader’s refusal to talk about her weight loss, the Remi Bader snark subreddit blew up. Posters weren’t upset that Bader had lost weight or had stopped posting about her body size. Instead, they believed Bader the influencer, who’d built her brand on plus-size inclusion in fashion, wasn’t being straight with her fans and needed to be taken to account. It worked. During a March 2025 appearance on Khloe Kardashian’s podcast, Bader finally revealed that she had, in fact, had weight-loss surgery. Some critics see snarkers as a big problem and understandably denounce their tendency to harass, body shame and try to cancel influencers. But completely dismissing snark glosses over the fact that it can serve a purpose. In our work as social media researchers, we’ve written about how snark can actually be thought of as a way to call out bad actors in the largely unregulated world of influencing and content creation.
Grassroots policing
Before there were influencers, there were bloggers. While bloggers covered topics that ranged from entertainment to politics to travel, parenting and fashion bloggers probably have the closest connection to today’s influencers. After Google introduced AdSense in 2003, bloggers were easily able to run advertising on their websites. Then brands saw an opportunity. Parenting and fashion bloggers had large, loyal followings. Many readers felt an intimate connection to their favorite bloggers, who seemed more like friends than out-of-touch celebrity spokespersons. Brands realized they could send bloggers their products in exchange for a write-up or a feature. Furthermore, advertisers understood that parenting and fashion bloggers didn’t have to adhere to the same industry regulations or code of ethics as most news media outlets, such as disclosing payments or conflicts of interest. This changed the dynamic between bloggers and their fans, who wondered whether bloggers could be trusted if they were sometimes being paid to promote certain products. In response, websites emerged in 2009 to critique bloggers. “Get Off My Internets,” for example, fashioned itself as a “quality control watchdog” to provide constructive criticism and call out deceptive practices. As Instagram and YouTube became more popular, the subreddit “r/Blogsnark” launched in 2015 to critique early influencers, in addition to bloggers.
Few guardrails in place
Today the influencer industry has a valuation of over US$250 billion in the U.S. alone, and it’s on track to be worth over $500 billion by 2027. Yet there are few regulations in place for influencers. A few laws have emerged to protect child influencers, and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has established legal guidelines for sponsored content. That said, the influencing industry remains rife with exploitation. It goes both ways: Corporations can exploit influencers. For example, a 2021 study found that Black influencers receive below-market offers compared with white influencers.Savannah and Cole LaBrant came under fire for implying that their daughter had cancer, in what their critics called a ploy for attention.Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for Lionsgate Likewise, influencers can deceive or exploit their followers. They might use unrealistic body filters to appear thinner than they are. They could hide who’s paying them. They may promote health misinformation such as the controversial ParaGuard cleanse, a fake treatment pushed by wellness influencers that claimed to rid its users of parasites. Or, in the case of Remi Bader, they might gain a huge following by promoting body positivity, only to conceal a weight-loss procedure from their fans. For disappointed fans or followers who feel burned, snark can seem like the only regulatory guardrail in an industry that has gone largely unchecked. Think of snark as a Better Business Bureau for the untamable world of influencing – a form of accountability that brings attention to the scammers and hustlers.
Keeping it real
Todays’s snark exists at the intersection of gossip and cancel culture. Though cancel culture certainly has its faults, we approach cancel culture in our writing as a worthy tool that allows audiences to hold the powerful accountable. For example, communities of color have joined forces to call out racists, as they did in 2024 when they exposed lifestyle influencer Brooke Schofield’s anti-Black tweets. Influencers build trust with their audiences based on being “real” and relatable. But there’s nothing preventing them from breaking that trust, and snarkers can swoop in to point out bad behavior or hypocrisy. Within the competitive world of family vlogging, snarkers see themselves as doing more than stirring the pot. They’re truth-tellers who bring injustices to light, such as abuse and child labor exploitation. Some of this exposure is paying off, with more and more states introducing and passing family vlogger laws that require children to one day receive a portion of their parents’ earnings or restrict how often children can appear in their parents’ videos. Yes, snark can veer into cyberbullying. But that shouldn’t discount its value as a tool for transparency. Influencers are ultimately brands. They sell audiences ideas, lifestyles and products. When people feel as if they’ve been misled, we think they have every right to call it out. Jessica Maddox, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Creative Media, University of Alabama and Jess Rauchberg, Assistant Professor of Communication Technologies, Seton Hall University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
EBONY Media Debuts EBONY Voices With Short Film “Standing in the Ashes,” Marking One Year Since the Altadena Fires
EBONY Media Group has launched EBONY Voices, a multimedia series highlighting human-interest stories. Its first release, “Standing in the Ashes: One Year After the Altadena Fires,” features three families affected by the 2024 Eaton wildfire, showcasing their journey of loss and resilience in their historically Black community.
LOS ANGELES — EBONY Media Group has launched EBONY Voices, a new multimedia series focused on human-interest stories aimed at connecting and uplifting communities. The debut release is a short film, “Standing in the Ashes: One Year After the Altadena Fires,” marking one year since the Eaton wildfire devastated parts of Los Angeles County in January 2024.Image Credit: Andres Ortiz
Film details
“Standing in the Ashes” is directed by Lyric Perez and produced by EBONY Media Owner and CEO Eden Bridgeman Sklenar and EVP of Editorial Content Cori Murray.
The film follows three long-time Altadena families as they navigate loss, rebuilding, and whether to remain in a historically Black community disproportionately impacted by the disaster:
Staci and Thomas Andrews
Ronda Carson and her mother, Barbara Carson
Antoinette “Toni” Bailey-Raines, a community leader recognized as a 2025 EBONY Power 100 Community Crusader
Bailey-Raines co-hosts Altadena Talks, a grassroots radio show and podcast launched in response to the fires.
What EBONY is saying
“Standing in the Ashes reflects what EBONY Voices was created to do—center humanity, honor legacy, and ensure our communities are not reduced to statistics in moments of crisis,” Bridgeman Sklenar said in the release. “These families remind us that rebuilding is not just about homes, but about protecting history, culture, and the right to remain rooted where generations before them built a future.”
Impact of the Eaton wildfire
According to the release, the Eaton wildfire:
Claimed 19 lives
Destroyed or damaged 9,418 homes and buildings
The release also cites a UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies data study indicating disproportionate impacts in Altadena:
At least 60% of affected homes were Black households
61% of Black households were within the fire perimeter (vs. 50% of non-Black households)
Nearly half of Black households experienced destruction or major damage
A majority of Black homeowners in the area are over age 65
Where to watch
“Standing in the Ashes: One Year After the Altadena Fires” is available now as part of EBONY Voices:
For 80 years, EBONY has chronicled the Black American experience and has expanded into a multimedia brand spanning EBONY, EBONY Studios, and JET, with a stated mission to Move Black Forward.
STM Daily News is a vibrant news blog dedicated to sharing the brighter side of human experiences. Emphasizing positive, uplifting stories, the site focuses on delivering inspiring, informative, and well-researched content. With a commitment to accurate, fair, and responsible journalism, STM Daily News aims to foster a community of readers passionate about positive change and engaged in meaningful conversations. Join the movement and explore stories that celebrate the positive impacts shaping our world.
Joan Collins stars in A Murder Between Friends Mystery Movie
The company announced a North American transactional VOD release for A Murder Between Friends on Jan. 13, 2026, via a deal with Scott J. Jones and Artist View Entertainment. The “murder-com” feature stars — and is produced by — Dame Joan Collins (Dynasty), with Mark Rozzano writing and producing and Jacob Young and Trent Garrett co-directing.
The film was shot on location at Úsobí Castle in the Czech Republic and leans into classic country-estate mystery energy: six friends on vacation, one of them murdered, and everyone suddenly a suspect.
Synopsis (official): When six friends vacation at the country estate of a legendary true-crime TV star (Collins), the last thing they expect is to find one of their own murdered. Everyone is a suspect as they try to determine who among them would have the means, motive, and opportunity. As tensions grow, they enlist the aid of their celebrity sleuth hostess to uncover the truth before the killer can strike again.
The cast includes Nadia Bjorlin, Jacob Young, Trent Garrett, Toby-Alexander Smith, Simon Cotton, India Thain, Hana Vagnerová, Jim Borstelmann, and internet personality Espen Hatleskog (IG’s @pilotviking).
Vision Films CEO Lise Romanoff called it a twist-heavy mystery that keeps flipping expectations, with Collins bringing “authenticity and humor for a suspense-filled ride.”
Where to watch:A Murder Between Friends will be available on most major streaming and cable platforms across the U.S. and Canada on Jan. 13, 2026. Pre-orders are live on iTunes/Apple TV (US, CA) and Vudu/Fandango at Home (US).
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Hulu picks up ‘The Toxic Avenger’ for January streaming debut
Hulu has acquired streaming rights to the cult classic The Toxic Avenger, set to premiere on January 8, 2026. Directed by Macon Blair, it stars Peter Dinklage and features a notable cast. The film addresses themes of justice while contributing to philanthropic efforts in medical debt.
Hulu Acquires Streaming Rights from Cineverse for The Toxic Avenger
Hulu is adding a new cult-leaning superhero to its lineup. Cineverse (Nasdaq: CNVS) announced that Hulu has acquired streaming rights to The Toxic Avenger, with the film set to make its SVOD premiere on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.
The action-comedy/horror title has already built strong buzz with critics and genre fans, including an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, according to Cineverse.
A reboot with a stacked cast
Written and directed by Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), The Toxic Avenger features an ensemble cast led by Peter Dinklage as Winston Gooze, a downtrodden janitor whose life changes after a catastrophic toxic accident.
Cineverse highlighted additional cast members including Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Jacob Tremblay, and Taylour Paige.
What the story is about
The film follows Winston Gooze after he’s transformed into a new kind of radioactive hero: the Toxic Avenger. Now “Toxie” must go from outcast to savior, taking on corporate overlords and corrupt forces while trying to protect his son, his friends, and his community.
In Cineverse’s words: in a world where greed runs rampant, “justice is best served radioactive.”
A campaign with real-world impact
Beyond the film’s critical reception, Cineverse credited the movie’s campaign with helping eliminate more than $15 million in medical debt for over 10,000 people, in partnership with Undue Medical Debt.
Where it goes after Hulu
Cineverse said Hulu’s debut will be part of an exclusive window. After that, the film is expected to become available on other SVOD and FAST platforms, including Cineverse’s horror-focused streaming brand Screambox.
For viewers who don’t want to wait, Cineverse noted the film is currently available to rent (TVOD) or purchase digitally and on physical media.
About Cineverse
Cineverse describes itself as a “next-generation entertainment studio” that distributes more than 71,000 films, series, and podcasts, and includes properties such as Bloody Disgusting and a network of streaming fandom channels.
What to watch for
For Hulu subscribers, The Toxic Avenger could be a notable early-2026 add—especially for fans of horror-comedy, offbeat superhero stories, and cult franchises getting modern reboots.
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Premiere date: Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 Platform: Hulu
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