Taylor Lorenz at the Automattic NoHo Space
Taylor Lorenz is a technology columnist for The Washington Post’s business section covering online culture and the content creator industry. She was previously a technology reporter for The New York Times business section, The Atlantic, and The Daily Beast. Her writing has appeared in New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Outside magazine, and more. She is the author of Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet.
We spoke with Taylor about her book and some of the wild and wonderful parts of internet history—including mommy bloggers, anonymity, and, of course, Tumblr.
0:00 Intro
0:09 Welcome & Introducing "Extremely Online"
0:39 The Rise of Mommy Bloggers as Internet Pioneers
1:04 The Backlash Against Monetizing Blogs
2:01 Traditional Media vs. the Blogosphere
3:14 The Current State of Blogging & Newsletters
4:28 Taylor's Favorite Tumblr Moments
5:31 The "Goncharov" Phenomenon
6:11 Entering a New Era of the Internet
7:22 Tumblr, Anonymity & Gen Z
8:40 The Case for Pseudonyms Online
9:03 Outro