Evan Shapiro used to run Seeso, an early comedy streaming platform that was a little too ahead of its time. Today, he edits Media War & Peace, a newsletter about the fight for attention, and this issue introduces the Affinity 100, a fresh ranking of online creators built on engagement instead of follower count.
The math rewards a tight, responsive audience over a sprawling one: nano and mid-size creators post better returns than megastars trying to be everywhere at once. Names like Blair Imani and De’arra Taylor sit near the top because they built products and partnerships around a community that actually shows up, not because of reach.
Personally, I’m having a lot of “Curtains for Zoosha” moments with this list, so I need to go eat some fiber.
(Disclaimer: Seeso’s parent company was and remains a client of my user experience practice, but our team was not involved with Seeso.)