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Mia Sato

Mia Sato

Features Writer, The Verge

Features Writer, The Verge

    More From Mia Sato

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    The word you’re looking for is “marketer.”

    “MovieTok” TikTok creators are in The New York Times letting everyone know they are not critics — as if that wasn’t already very clear.

    Unsurprisingly, the line between a promotional post and an honest review is nearly nonexistent. Some make sponcon for studios or accept gifts; others avoid saying anything too mean:

    Cruz, 34, echoed other MovieTok reviewers who said they dislike doing sharply negative posts and would be unlikely to slam a movie whether they were in business with the studio or not. She said she generally prefers to deliver negative opinions in the form of a “compliment sandwich,” preceded and followed by more positive remarks.

    Perhaps this is why studios are hitting up influencers during the Hollywood strikes?

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Etsy is updating a payment system after seller complaints.

    The changes affect a fraud protection program that some sellers say have made their businesses untenable. I wrote about their situation this past weekend.

    Sellers under the payments reserve system were seeing up to 75 percent of their earnings held for weeks by Etsy. Under the new program, Etsy says it will “substantially” decrease this amount and improve communication with sellers.