Cost To Influence
The cost to influence
Influence is power. The rise of digital media makes this power more accessible than ever before — but it comes at a price.
In The Cost To Influence, the Daily Dot examines what it means to change human behavior, and more importantly, what it costs. In these stories, taxpayers fund million-dollar PSAs, drag queens shell out thousands to perform Taylor Swift-inspired shows, live streamers earn hundreds by the hour, and police officers make TikTok ads a side hustle.
In The Cost To Influence, the Daily Dot examines what it means to change human behavior, and more importantly, what it costs. In these stories, taxpayers fund million-dollar PSAs, drag queens shell out thousands to perform Taylor Swift-inspired shows, live streamers earn hundreds by the hour, and police officers make TikTok ads a side hustle.
Live streamers are taking over the gift economy with NPC role-plays
Meet the drag queens spending thousands to impersonate Taylor Swift
How Lady Gaga and a $14-million PSA campaign aided water conservation
A background check company is secretly paying cops on TikTok to push its services
Is social media spending on drunk driving campaigns making a difference?
Produced by Kris Seavers and David Covucci
Stories by Amelia Wu, Angela Lim, Athena Hawkins, Dylan Winward, and Kristine Villarroel
Art by Jason Reed
Stories by Amelia Wu, Angela Lim, Athena Hawkins, Dylan Winward, and Kristine Villarroel
Art by Jason Reed
