To create your authentic on-camera persona, select parts of your real self to emphasize. For example, a quality engineer might emphasize their logical problem-solving skills, while a health coach might choose to lead with warmth and understanding to best serve their clients.

Sharing your process (mistakes included) builds more connection than only showing finished work. People want to see the human behind the content, not just the highlight reel (uh hello INSTAGRAM.)

An AI-generated character named Tilly Norwood has been the subject of a push for agent representation in Hollywood. This move, which was widely condemned by actors unions, might be a look at one way generative video will be commercialized. But it isn't acting, and it isn't an actor.

I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.

Another one where you have to go… but, why

A famous acting teacher (Meisner) defined acting as "behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances." I like that. Good acting is expressing yourself honestly within a defined context, which is exactly what you do when you speak to your audience on camera. You're not faking it! Context is key

Read the beginning of a post on LinkedIn (I know, I know) about writing believable dialog in fiction. Advice about what sounded like a bad soap opera vs real-life dialog. And it was 100% written by AI. You can't make this ish up. What in the ever loving f*ck are we doing here, humans?

The online video landscape just changed. OpenAI, YouTube, Google, and Meta have all released free, high-quality generative video tools aimed at social media. This means our feeds are about to be flooded with AI content. What now? What about creativity?

Your awkward moments on camera are often what make people trust you. We connect with hesitation, with "um" and "let me rethink that" or whatever. Perfection creates distance, and it's what AI will be doing and we just don't want to try and out compete... that stuff.

You don't gotta share everything to be "authentic." You can have boundaries and still be real with your audience.

Humble confidence means being secure in yourself without needing external validation from metrics or other people. Your confidence should come from the internal knowledge that you provide real value in the stuff you're creating.

The common advice to "be yourself" on camera is often not helpful because it is too vague. A better approach is to understand that presenting to a camera is a performance. This does not mean being fake. It means intentionally building an authentic persona.

The best ideas show up when you forcing your break. Get bored! Put down the device. Go for a walk. Wash dishes. Your subconscious does better work when your conscious mind takes a break.

To stand out from polished AI content, embrace unscripted or semi-unscripted video. Improv, baby! Your unique imperfections, spontaneous thoughts, and natural way of finding your words in the moment are solid signs of human authenticity.

Your on-camera charisma is like a multi-channel audio mixer. Basically, you don't want to turn up the volume on all your personality traits at once, or throw it out and make a fake personality from scratch. Take your relevant traits or goals, and increase volume on that stuff.

New episode about a NATURAL way to find your charisma. It should be unique to you, coming from a human spot, and make sense for your audience. Acting exercise designed to help you figure it out and get reps! Be HUMAN online. Human Internet Theory is wherever you get podcasts, and YouTube.

In an internet with these realistic avatars, and YOU want to make stuff as a human. Imperfections are your strength. Unscripted moments, natural pauses, and small mistakes are what prove you are human and help you build a real connection.

Truth, 100%

Online, trust is placed in the human being behind the content. And it has been studied and found to be extra fragile online (fewer signals). From the latest episode of Human Internet Theory, available on YouTube and where you get podcasts.

Data shows a growing "AI trust gap." Over 80% of audiences want creators to disclose when they use generated content, and most doubt the accuracy of AI output.

Btw the new OpenAI data centers will consume more power than the entire city of New York, brags Sam Altman

The pratfall effect is a concept from social psychology. Studies found that when a competent person makes a blunder of some sort, they are perceived as more attractive and likeable by other people. How does this affect your content?

Quit Reddit and it feels GREAT. #winning

The Pratfall Effect shows that a competent person who makes a small mistake becomes more likeable. This makes the person seem more approachable and real.  Learn more and how it applies to generated AI avatars in the latest episode https://youtu.be/_SYDGGY-uxU

The "Uncanny Valley" is a theory from robotics that explains our emotional response to human-like robots. As a robot becomes more human, our empathy grows, but when it gets almost perfect, our response suddenly drops into revulsion and unease.

Your audience is more focused on what they can get from your content than they are on you. They are watching because they believe you can provide them with value, solve a problem, or save them time. This is far more important to them than any of your perceived flaws.

Knowing is half the battle

Is it anxiety to wear a helmet on a motorcycle? Is it anxiety to wear a life jacket on a boat? Is it anxiety to wear a seatbelt? It’s smart to wear an N95 in a pandemic with a debilitating airborne virus. 😷

When learning a new skill like being on camera, it is important to be very forgiving with yourself. There will be setbacks and times where you feel you are not improving. Planning for these challenges is a normal part of the process and will help you stay encouraged.

Uncanny Valley: brains expect something that looks human to act perfectly human when it looks realistic. When it is super close to looking human, but slightly off, it creates a mental conflict that feels unsettling. Learn more and how it applies to our generated AI, see https://youtu.be/_SYDGGY-uxU

I think my girl cat is ready for the weekend:

Low-Stakes Practice Ideas: A great way to get comfortable on camera is to start by posting on platforms where the content has a short lifespan. Using Instagram or Facebook stories that disappear, or platforms where content moves very fast, helps lower the pressure when you are just starting.

I'm helping to set up a community of practice to end the bullying of autistic students in Australian schools. If you'd like to participate, please get in touch using the form below. Further details in the thread following. forms.gle/RFPJag4wffdq...

To really connect with an audience moving forward in an internet with growing ratios of generated content, your content really needs a human point of view and something relatable to say. Something unique. Maybe a bit of your soul attached, especially if it's truly creative. (continued)

The main principle for getting comfortable on camera is desensitization. This means the more you expose yourself to recording in a controlled way, the less power it has over you. Recording on camera is a learned skill that improves with practice and repetition.

Whether or not my mom took tylenol, I would have still turned out this way. And one of the "this ways" is understanding and believing science.

The desire to be perfect on camera often leads to stiff and unnatural performances because you are stuck in your head. This can create a negative loop where your inner critic uses the awkward footage as proof that you are not good at creating videos. Perfectionism is a trap.

Connect as a human. Digital marketing, online content, and education can focus on connecting with people as humans. It benefits you, and your audience. ESPECIALLY as the internet gets filled with generated content that lacks a lot of humanity. Doing content this way (optimizing it) can involve...

This is how to event/conference/convention/performance/theatre. It’s the ONLY way if you want to be inclusive of all humans. Thank you Gaylaxicon!

Meaningful content will get more and more valuable as the internet increases its ratio of generated content and automation. A great way to create meaningful content is to use our imperfect, mushy, messy... but real human brains. From "What is the Dead Internet Theory": https://youtu.be/4UDau5fVFps

Creators might struggle to sound natural when reading a script for their videos. Learning how to be more like yourself on screen helps build trust. But it can involve reps and confidence building in yourself to get there. From "What is the Dead Internet Theory": https://youtu.be/4UDau5fVFps

The fear of being on camera is not about the equipment itself. It is about a deep biological wiring in our brains. For most of human history, social rejection was dangerous for survival, so our brains evolved to be highly sensitive to social judgment.

Feeling anxious about being on camera is a natural and common human response. The root of this anxiety is often social. Understanding the science behind this feeling is the first step toward managing it and building your on-camera skills.

THREE EPISODES dropped on the podcast, and later today corresponding videos on YouTube. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts. Learn what the human internet theory is (responding to the dead internet theory with HUMANITY online amongst all the generated.... stuff.)

A more HUMAN internet in one that is getting murdered dead by bots? My goal is to help you make your message more human to stand out from automated content. Even if the internet is not in danger (kinda hard to fathom, but... okay), focusing on authentic and trustworthy communication...

Is the internet... kinda dead? The rise of AI generated content creation is causing a decline in authentic human interaction online. It is important to ask questions about how we can preserve real connection and stand out in a growing sea of generated articles, videos, and audio.

Companies are now generating thousands of podcasts with generated hosts & millions of episodes using AI. Probably an example of the "Dead Internet Theory" happening (as Altman has stated too). It is important for human creators to understand this changing landscape.

Greetings #catsky, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you I'm a very smart cat with a PhD. Sincerely, Dr. Crepes