Audience capture

Audience capture is the phenomenon where an influencer is affected by their audience, catering to it with what they believe it wants to hear. This creates a positive feedback loop, which can lead the influencer to express more extreme views and behaviors. ^{[1] [2]}

A famous example of audience capture can be found in the story of the online influencer Nicholas Perry, known as Nikocado Avocado. Perry started off on YouTube with videos of himself playing the violin and supporting veganism. He then shifted to videos of himself eating known as mukbang. Audience capture led him to more and more extreme eating leading him in turn to obesity and poor health. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

The term was coined by Eric Weinstein in 2018. ^[6] The effect can cause ideological media creators to become more politically radical, based on the feedback of their audience. ^[2]

See also

• Michelangelo phenomenon
• Parasocial interaction
• Political base
• Cancel culture

References

1. Klein, Matt (2023-11-15), "Resisting Audience Capture: How to Maintain Integrity & Sanity Online", ZINE, retrieved 2025-09-17– via Substack
2. Jurg, Daniel; Tuters, Marc; Picone, Ike, "'Alex, DO NOT BACKPEDAL ON SANDY HOOK!': Reactionary Fandom, Cancel Culture, and the Possibility of 'Audience Capture' on YouTube.", Television & New Media, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 58–73, doi:10.1177/15274764241277473, ISSN   1527-4764
3. Watson, Steve (2023-07-13). "Avoiding audience capture". STACK magazines. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
4. Johnson, Matt, "The Psychology and Economics of Audience Capture", Neuroscience Of, retrieved 2025-09-17
5. Gurwinder (2022-06-30), "The Perils of Audience Capture", The Prism, archived from the original on 2025-08-27, retrieved 2025-09-17– via Substack
6. Weiss, Bari; Winter, Damon (2018-05-08). "Opinion | Meet the Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-01-05.