The future of media under slop capitalism

Editor’s note: This is Part 4 of a 4-part series on digital identities, exploring how algorithms are quietly shaping who we are, what we see, and how we present ourselves. You can read last week’s essay here.

A few weeks ago, someone sent me an essay by meme researcher Aidan Walker (also known as “the skibidi toilet critical analysis guy") on slop capitalism.

In it, Walker describes a media landscape increasingly populated by ‘slop’ – surreal and mindnumbing content that serves to mesmerize and confuse. 😵‍💫

Once you see it, you’ll realize it’s everywhere. 

Slop is Lebron James milking a cow and kissing baby Shrek.

It’s Native American History celebrating Nana Rosa’s 112th birthday on Facebook (yay!). 

And it’s a profoundly unkosher shrimp Jesus fuelling the dead internet theory. 

Walker is clear to distinguish memes from slop (though sometimes they overlap), noting: “Memes arise from voluntary human-to-human associations of posters and audiences, and relish what is other, what is odd, what is non-algorithmically optimized”. 

The fact that we’re already yearning for human-crafted memes over AI-generated ones feels like a meme in itself. But here we are. 😪 

Slop and the future of media

In this final newsletter on digital identity, I wanted to look ahead and ask what identity formation will look like in five years. ⏳

Throughout this series, we’ve explored how online interactions, communities, and algorithms shape our sense of self. Thus, the media environments we inhabit largely define how we express ourselves, consume information, and connect with others.

To understand emerging behaviors, we first need to understand the future media landscape itself. That’s where slop re-enters the picture. 🫠

I used to think platforms were incentivized to filter out low-value content to avoid losing users. But the opposite seems to be true. Not only have platforms significantly scaled back content moderation, but they’re welcoming an onslaught of AI bot accounts to spam people’s feeds. 

Platforms can get away with it because they have a stronghold on our most basic civic and social functions (not to mention they’re addictive as hell). So, even if you’re tired of the endless torrent of brainrot-inducing goop your algorithm serves, walking away means losing access to friends, news, culture, recipes, trends, and even job opportunities. 

Slop is now the tax we pay to stay connected and relevant. 🏦

Identity in a slop ecosystem

Unless anti-trust lawsuits or radical new platforms disrupt the status quo, in five years we’ll be navigating an even lower-value media landscape. This will force us to grapple with two contronting questions:

• Do we use slop to our advantage, or differentiate by embracing humanness?

• Do we lean into public performance, or retreat into exclusivity and anonymity?

These tensions create four emerging identity archetypes:

The Sloppifier (Machine-led + Public)

Today, this segment is doing everything to cater to the algorithms. They:

• Post constantly – quality doesn’t matter

• Recycle viral content

• Use AI to mass-produce engagement bait

In 5 years, they:

• May operate like content stock markets, trading virality

• Will become fully automated content farms

• Will flood emerging platforms and untapped regional markets

Prime examples: Meme pages, ASMR, satisfying reels 🤤

The Monetized Self (Human-led + Public)

Today, these influencers are building loyal fandom across multiple platforms. They:

• Host cross-platform audiences

• Monetize via brand deals, subscriptions, private channels

• Use AI to scale, but keep a “human” front

In 5 years, they:

• May be signed to influencer record labels

• Will deploy AI clones to personalize fan engagement (like monetized Q&A sessions)

• Will face pressure from AI influencers flooding the market, squeezing human creators into niche or premium spaces

Prime examples: Trad wives, comedians, chefs, podcasters, OnlyFans creators 🔞

 The Second Lifer (Machine-led + Private)

Named after the early 2000s game Second Life, this segment lives increasingly immersed lives. They:

• Adopt wearables and immersive tech

• Maintain digital personas in private or niche spaces

• Engage deeply in metaverse-style environments

In 5 years, they:

• May be connected to digital worlds 24/7

• Will blur lines between physical and digital identity

• Will find belonging in fully virtual ecosystems, away from mainstream feeds

Prime examples: Gamers, VTubers, Twitch streamers 🎮

The Analog Self (Human-led + Private)

In much of the Western World, we’ve seen growing backlashes against phones, AI, and immersive technologies. This cohort prides itself in its opposition to technology usage. They:

• Are typically wealthier, highly educated students and young professionals

• Are “off” social media, but still use productivity focused apps

• Place a social or aesthetic premium on in-person experiences and analog devices (e.g. record players, film cameras)

In 5 years, they:

• May form anti-social social platforms focused on privacy and human connection

• Pay premiums for offline experiences and human-made products

• Turn digital absence into a status symbol

Prime examples: Luddite clubs, digital detoxers, productivity hackers💡

We aren’t just one of these personas

In reality, we oscillate between personas.

We ask ChatGPT how we can use our past experience in ~ film ~ to apply for jobs in ~ product management ~ and then spam message employers. 🤖

We curate the perfectly uncurated carousel of blurry selfies Instagram and then delete the app the next day, only to scroll through LinkedIn reels instead. 🕐

None of these personas are inherently good or bad. They’re just how we survive when platforms force us to wade through slop to access the things that actually matter.

What’s next?

This wraps up the Doomscrollers series on digital identity in the age of algorithms.

Next, we’ll explore hustle culture and the future of work. Specifically, we’ll unpack how platforms and AI have democratized monetization. When anyone can monetize anything (including themselves), what does work even mean?

So what?

💡 For strategists & researchers

• TLDR… We’re moving towards an even lower-value media landscape.

• Ask yourself… How are audiences adapting their behavior to manage exposure fatigue?

• Check this out… More of How To Do Things With Memes by Aidan Walker. 

💭 For self-reflective readers

• TLDR… Identity is how you balance performance and retreat, public and private selves in a world that demands both.

• Ask yourself… Which digital persona are you?

• Check this out…Why is Facebook Just Shrimp Jesus?

– Liat