I think the reason the old roots anarchist media of today didn't make the same mistakes of personality cults & branding that befell the Pop Left media (Breadtube, Dirtbag podcasts) was cuz of anonymity, ties to material community & free content.
I'm talking about IGD, Crimethinc, SubMedia, Final Straw (& extended Channel Zero network), Unicorn Riot, & all the projects born from either the IndyMedia days or the OWS era.
Many of these projects go way back, others spawned from more recent struggles. But they're all tied to the real material anarchist movement in so-called NA. And thats what informed the content, perspectives & analysis which has been uniformly consistent for decades.
All elements & genres of the established media were reflected. From serious interviews with movement figures to comedic clip shows a la The Stimulator. Before Breadtube & edgy podcasts, there was a disembodied face making wise cracks over clips of riot porn
It's hard to have a personality brand around a fake mascot like that. Anonymity made this all work. Not that there's not internel drama in such circles but again those tend to stay insular rather than become a circus spectacle for social media.
Anonymity let's the content speak for itself. It strips away prejudices & judgement that'd otherwise be applied to a public figure & instead let's the presenter speak with a royal we that's surprisingly consistent across the board.
They make you feel like your talking to your comrade next door. That's the beauty of it, if you've been in the movement, you GET IT. It resonates with a broader struggle. There are semi-anonymous & non-private figures of this wider scene but it's just authors, teachers, activists
People with real connection to the struggles in their communities who'd otherwise be perfect as guest on such media platforms. That's it as far as public personality goes. A lot of the "camera shyness" & spotlight shooing is just inherent to the anarchist movement.
And the third point: accessibility. All the content these projects produce is free & readily available on the internet. Yes, there's donation links, fundraisers, & the like but theres no pay wall restricting access to content.
Moreso, much NA produced anarchist media is translated into multiple languges. This model eliminates the capitalistic incentives that drive the subscriber-based Pop Left media into personality cults, stanning & toxic fanbases.
For example, I've never heard of an IGD reply guy. The Final Straw doesn't have a toxic fanbase.
There's more just a trust & understanding btwn the producers & consumers of the content. And much of the time, it's a mutual aid network cuz we happen to be one & the same.
So, I don't wanna make a sectarian or ideological judgement rather just focusing on the actual structure of the established anarchist media, it's a good model that should be adopted by left media producers writ large.
Much of the narcissism & drama of Breadtube & the Brooklyn podcasts would be eliminated if they were more like ours then they could educate their audiences effectively
Oh and before "but whatabou' edgy humor?!"

Watch & this and tell me it's not more hilarious than anything the dirtbags have shit out. You can't
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