In 2011, Karl von Randow and Matt Buchanan, two tech-loving New Zealand film buffs, launched Letterboxd, a movie review and rating app inspired by Goodreads, the platform that does the same for books. For several years, they juggled this small project with their work at a web design studio. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, they hired their first full-time employee, and with the world confined to their homes, their user base exploded. In 2023, the company was acquired by the Canadian company Tiny and today boasts over 26 million user profiles. While this figure seems insignificant compared to companies like Instagram (with around three billion active users), it reflects the cultural power of film as a source of conversation. Those who love movies enjoy watching them as much as discussing and analyzing them in detail, and Letterboxd is aimed at that community — including famous filmmakers and performers.

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In April 2011, content creator Julia Berolzheimer launched her Instagram account and blog. More than 15 years later, she occupies a prominent place in a saturated and competitive world. She boasts nearly 1.5 million followers on Instagram and is recognized on Substack as one of the 10 most influential authors in the fashion and beauty category with her “Trade Offs” posts. Therefore, her voice carries weight. That’s why, when she published a lengthy post on Substack last February titled “Instagram Is Stealing Our Content to Sell Knockoffs — and Yours Could Be Next,” it quickly went viral. According to Berolzheimer, the social network had used images of her posted on the platform to sell products associated with her name. Through the “Shop the look” button, the app recommended products similar to those featured in the image. The problem is that these products, linked to the influencer’s image, weren’t recommended by her at all, but by the social network itself. “When followers click on it Instagram serves them product suggestions generated by AI. Not my affiliate links. Not brands I chose. Not products I’d recommend,” she writes. She adds that, while her look consisted of “pieces I’d carefully selected from designers I love and personally support,” the purchase suggestions provided by the social network were “cheap knockoffs and random items from brands I’ve never heard of, attached to my image, under my name.” Berolzheimer, according to her account, was unaware of this until one of her followers alerted her. And she discovered that it wasn’t an isolated incident, but a new feature in testing mode, implemented only for some users. The influencer also points out that if that purchase button generated any sales and any profit, she received nothing: “They’re using my images to sell products for their own profit.”

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