Hamish McKenzie

1 week ago | hamish.substack.com | Hamish McKenzie

The media world is in transition. The legacy model that supported media organizations for generations is in tatters. It will not recover. Some legacy organizations—including the New York Times and Bloomberg—have adapted to the new reality by investing more deeply in subscription revenues and becoming primarily digital-focused operations that can succeed independently of social media, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule. The internet has fundamentally reordered the media landscape.

3 weeks ago | post.substack.com | Hamish McKenzie |Caroline Chambers |

We are living through the most significant media disruption since the printing press, and it explains everything from why you can’t stand your neighbor to our current political tumult. Until recently, the best way for political figures to gain influence in developed democracies was to look good on television, speak in measured tones, and develop relationships with the people who controlled the media. We are still only just coming out of that era.

3 weeks ago | thehyphen.substack.com | Emma Gannon |Hamish McKenzie

I work with a lawyer who is eagle-eyed when it comes to artists owning their IP. She scans my contracts and says, ‘HA! NICE TRY. Absolutely not,’ while striking out sneaky clauses with a red pen. When I was younger, I nearly signed a contract (with a major TV network) that basically wanted me to give away my IP for peanuts—and I feel a bit sorry for my twenty-something self who didn’t know anything. Luckily, I didn’t sign it.

1 month ago | post.substack.com | Hamish McKenzie

When someone has spent so much time on social media that their grip on reality has loosened, they are often implored to “touch grass”—get offline, go outside, smell the roses. It’s meant as a reminder that there’s a living, breathing world right there that can restore their health, if only they would venture out to it. There should be a similar saying for people who have overindulged in disposable online content, reminding them to reconnect with the world of art and culture. “Touch paper,” perhaps.

1 month ago | wearedigitaldiplomacy.substack.com | Lia Haberman |Chris Best |Hamish McKenzie

What’s TikTok’s future with Trump and JD Vance in charge? The context around TikTok keeps evolvingWho wants to buy TikTok? TikTok at SXSWThe myth about the TikTok banSo what about national security and algorithm vulnerabilities? Is TikTok good for the economy? In a recent interview with NBC News, US Vice President JD Vance said a deal to sell TikTok and keep it up and running in the United States would largely be in place by the April 5 deadline.