RetroSpectacle
@retrospectacle.bsky.social
Here we go again.
Researching StyleGAN, scams, ragebait, and all the things that make the internet less fun.
Researching StyleGAN, scams, ragebait, and all the things that make the internet less fun.
Yes 100% but also the same thing was said in 2016 and 2020. Outrage is profitable and media companies favor money over literally anything else.
November 9, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Yes 100% but also the same thing was said in 2016 and 2020. Outrage is profitable and media companies favor money over literally anything else.
Knowing that someone is **required** to smile at me makes me feel not great. Then again, Target is also not great.
November 9, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Knowing that someone is **required** to smile at me makes me feel not great. Then again, Target is also not great.
Taking a stab at the #1 spot!
November 9, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Taking a stab at the #1 spot!
I went to Amazon to see *how* bad the AI slop was using the search query, "Zohran Mamdani Book".
Tell me why the FIRST result was for an anti-Muslim book by the guy who runs the website "Jihad Watch"?
Big yikes.
Tell me why the FIRST result was for an anti-Muslim book by the guy who runs the website "Jihad Watch"?
Big yikes.
November 7, 2025 at 10:41 PM
I went to Amazon to see *how* bad the AI slop was using the search query, "Zohran Mamdani Book".
Tell me why the FIRST result was for an anti-Muslim book by the guy who runs the website "Jihad Watch"?
Big yikes.
Tell me why the FIRST result was for an anti-Muslim book by the guy who runs the website "Jihad Watch"?
Big yikes.
This sounds like a deleted scene from Avengers: Age of Ultron.
November 7, 2025 at 1:02 PM
This sounds like a deleted scene from Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Ordinarily, I'd be up in arms but while Jake was at The Daily Beast he platformed a widely-documented conspiracy theorist without fact-checking a single thing and when confronted, he went on a blocking spree.
medium.com/@EJGibney/ho...
medium.com/@EJGibney/ho...
How The Daily Beast Is Taking A Page Out of The Gateway Pundit’s Playbook
Journalistic Integrity Takes a Backseat as The Daily Beast Chooses to Skip Fact-Checking A Known Conspiracy Theorist.
medium.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Ordinarily, I'd be up in arms but while Jake was at The Daily Beast he platformed a widely-documented conspiracy theorist without fact-checking a single thing and when confronted, he went on a blocking spree.
medium.com/@EJGibney/ho...
medium.com/@EJGibney/ho...
Really hope things like this A) don't get swept under the rug in the next admin, and B) take less than a decade to investigate.
November 7, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Really hope things like this A) don't get swept under the rug in the next admin, and B) take less than a decade to investigate.
Every day feels like the old man yelling a cloud meme. He's in the nations highest office with a hot mic every day. Calling it nonsense doesn't matter because the echo chamber has thick walls and legacy media is terrified.
November 7, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Every day feels like the old man yelling a cloud meme. He's in the nations highest office with a hot mic every day. Calling it nonsense doesn't matter because the echo chamber has thick walls and legacy media is terrified.
Charlie, this is so freaking good and I'm mad I missed it a year ago. It's wild that companies still advertise on X.
November 5, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Charlie, this is so freaking good and I'm mad I missed it a year ago. It's wild that companies still advertise on X.
The irony of the gif is that it requires self awareness. They do not have that.
November 5, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The irony of the gif is that it requires self awareness. They do not have that.
Josh if you're talking about the bird I get it, but they aren't dro... ohhh the Empire State Building. Right, right.
November 5, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Josh if you're talking about the bird I get it, but they aren't dro... ohhh the Empire State Building. Right, right.
A live look at Senate and House Majority leaders "course correcting".
a black car with a license plate that says yr55 llg is parked in front of a house
ALT: a black car with a license plate that says yr55 llg is parked in front of a house
media.tenor.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
A live look at Senate and House Majority leaders "course correcting".
How is legacy media supposed to report on this without getting the CBS treatment?
November 3, 2025 at 11:01 PM
How is legacy media supposed to report on this without getting the CBS treatment?
As was mentioned yesterday, I flagged 54 "Sympathy Scam" videos after nearly 200 were removed following an investigation by @craigsilverman.bsky.social.
The videos were flagged as Fraud/Scams, in accordance with TikTok's labeling of the network.
54 of the 54 videos showed "no violation".
The videos were flagged as Fraud/Scams, in accordance with TikTok's labeling of the network.
54 of the 54 videos showed "no violation".
October 31, 2025 at 12:52 PM
As was mentioned yesterday, I flagged 54 "Sympathy Scam" videos after nearly 200 were removed following an investigation by @craigsilverman.bsky.social.
The videos were flagged as Fraud/Scams, in accordance with TikTok's labeling of the network.
54 of the 54 videos showed "no violation".
The videos were flagged as Fraud/Scams, in accordance with TikTok's labeling of the network.
54 of the 54 videos showed "no violation".
I’m grateful TikTok responded quickly, but dozens, if not hundreds of similar accounts in this network remain active, gaining millions of likes. In the past 24 hours, I identified 50 more with minimal effort. Despite being flagged as scams, TikTok marked them as non-violations.
The work isn't over.
The work isn't over.
October 30, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I’m grateful TikTok responded quickly, but dozens, if not hundreds of similar accounts in this network remain active, gaining millions of likes. In the past 24 hours, I identified 50 more with minimal effort. Despite being flagged as scams, TikTok marked them as non-violations.
The work isn't over.
The work isn't over.
Not enough people say brouhaha.
Thank you
Thank you
October 25, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Not enough people say brouhaha.
Thank you
Thank you
In the next stage of uncovering this scam, I discovered the origin of the products being promoted in the videos: AliExpress. Remember, these products are being promoted by crying mothers and fathers as their son's small business.
In the image, I've put together a sample of the scam pipeline.
In the image, I've put together a sample of the scam pipeline.
October 22, 2025 at 3:24 PM
In the next stage of uncovering this scam, I discovered the origin of the products being promoted in the videos: AliExpress. Remember, these products are being promoted by crying mothers and fathers as their son's small business.
In the image, I've put together a sample of the scam pipeline.
In the image, I've put together a sample of the scam pipeline.
I thought I'd share some examples of sources videos I've found and how they're being manipulated by this scam network.
This network is exploiting people in their weakest moments for personal gain and it's gross.
This network is exploiting people in their weakest moments for personal gain and it's gross.
October 21, 2025 at 2:54 PM
I thought I'd share some examples of sources videos I've found and how they're being manipulated by this scam network.
This network is exploiting people in their weakest moments for personal gain and it's gross.
This network is exploiting people in their weakest moments for personal gain and it's gross.
I'm finding hundreds of examples of scammy shops using hate speech to garner sympathy purchases. In the example below, the account "John" does not exist. The same comment, filled with slurs, was used 6 times in 1 week, featuring 6 different people as the alleged parent of a child who crochets.
October 19, 2025 at 11:43 AM
I'm finding hundreds of examples of scammy shops using hate speech to garner sympathy purchases. In the example below, the account "John" does not exist. The same comment, filled with slurs, was used 6 times in 1 week, featuring 6 different people as the alleged parent of a child who crochets.
Each account shares the same handful of videos with different text; either an offensive comment or a call to action (ie, support black women by staying 11 seconds).
The videos have tens of thousands of views. Most viewers have no idea they're being duped.
More to come.
The videos have tens of thousands of views. Most viewers have no idea they're being duped.
More to come.
October 17, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Each account shares the same handful of videos with different text; either an offensive comment or a call to action (ie, support black women by staying 11 seconds).
The videos have tens of thousands of views. Most viewers have no idea they're being duped.
More to come.
The videos have tens of thousands of views. Most viewers have no idea they're being duped.
More to come.