Chris Bolton
Chris is the founder of Diviner Agency, a Portland-based marketing consultancy specializing in SEO, generative engine optimization, and fractional CMO services. He brings 20+ years of digital marketing experience, having previously co-founded Murmur Creative and grown it to 26 people and $3.5M in revenue. When not working he hangs out with his 12-year-old son and plays music in a band called Crater City.
The topic I’d like to explore today is big. It's about the growing tension between open competition and corporate/governmental internet control. And while I planned this topic before Meta announced it would start offering paid subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram, it couldn't be a better indicator of how places that once felt like the internet version of a town square have increasingly become extraction mechanisms for data and profit. Between enshittification, zero-click search, private equity, walled gardens, and the risks of building on rented land, it feels like the internet is increasingly optimized for the platforms rather than the people creating value on them. (If you are not familiar with any of these terms, happy to explain or provide links.) My question is, are you having conversations with your clients about these things? Are you changing your approach? Do you plan to make bigger shifts in the future? Or do you just feel overwhelmed (because that is a perfectly good answer too.) Curious to hear both the doom-and-gloom takes and the optimistic ones. (This tag means that i may publish this post on the website with names hidden for anonymity)
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