The Rise of the Mega-Influencer

We are living in the late stages of an epistemological crisis. In our modern, AI-powered era, the very idea of truth – what it is, who has it, and how it’s accessed – has collapsed in on itself. People no longer know what to believe, not necessarily because they are less intelligent or more cynical than past generations, but because the structures and institutions that used to help people make sense of the world are all but gone. What remains is a kind of digital populism of the mind, where the loudest voice, the sharpest aesthetic, the most charismatic personality, and, tragically, the most convincing and creative misinformation, wins. This is the age of the mega-influencer. It will only get worse from here.