When we say the influencer industry is in its infancy, we’re not talking about the rise of extremely young internet celebrities[1]. This is a specialism that is still figuring out its collective identity, one that appears on the cusp of revolution as well as evolution. That forms the basis for our Read of the Week from GQ, which describes how another type of influencer has emerged – the curator.

So maybe this is all healthy development for the influencer industry. We might gasp at surveys that indicate children consider YouTuber to be a greater career aspiration than an astronaut, but the truth is there aren’t loads of outer space opportunities out there[2]. Perhaps they’re just calculating the odds.

Last week we discussed YouTube’s 15-year anniversary and how far it has come since ‘Me at the zoo’ was first uploaded. Today, we look at a host of changes being made to the platform today. Video-centric site FFWD has the details on YouTube’s largest shift in years.

In shorter form video news, a number of TikTok influencers are telling users to go outside or go to bed – or something that doesn’t involve the app. Weirder still, this message is being distributed via one of the company’s own branded channels. Input explains what’s going on.

Elsewhere in this somewhat brief edition of NoReply, Mel Magazine explain how legendary cartoon ‘The Far Side’ influenced and fostered meme culture[3]. And finally, Joanne McNeil, who has just authored ‘Lurking: How a person became a user’, tells us the story of a lost community.

READ OF THE WEEK: The rise of the Instagram curator
[GQ]

After years of Band-Aid solutions, YouTube is finally making extensive changes
[FFWD]

Why are TikTok influencers telling people to stop using the app?
[Input]

With ‘The Far Side’, Gary Larson pioneered the art of the meme
[Mel]

The Lost Community
[Why Is This Interesting?]

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[1] It’s Ryan’s World and we’re all just living in it
[2] Maybe that’s why Tim Peake’s always boasting
[3] This is an old favourite