Design Communities Beat Platforms Now
The algorithm era is ending.
This video covers what's actually happening to media distribution in 2026, why Big Tech is buying storytellers instead of buying ads, and where designers and builders should be sharing their work if they want it to land.
Get the UX Tools Newsletter (written by me)
Join 100,000+ designers for weekly insights on creative software and the people shaping it: [https://uxtools.co](https://uxtools.co/)
Come party with me at Config 2026 (June 25): https://luma.com/usxsrlu1
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Where you show up decides the next 24 months
1:00 The receipts — OpenAI, Netflix, Meta, YouTube
2:10 The rise of the practitioner class
3:00 YouTube just beat Netflix
4:00 Followers are a weaker signal now
5:00 OpenAI didn't need distribution
5:30 Big Media buys rails, Big Tech buys characters
6:00 Why AI media is getting palatable
7:30 The new cinematic universes
8:30 Framer, Contra, and Config
9:00 Kevin Espiritu on the value exchange
10:00 The town square isn't the platform
10:30 When communities get weaponized
11:00 60mph, not 100
12:00 What's next on this channel
12:30 Detach at Config, June 25 in SF
12:50 Which communities are you standing in?
FOLLOW ME:
X / Twitter: https://x.com/designertom
IG: https://instagram.com/itsdesignertom
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tommygeoco
This video covers what's actually happening to media distribution in 2026, why Big Tech is buying storytellers instead of buying ads, and where designers and builders should be sharing their work if they want it to land.
Get the UX Tools Newsletter (written by me)
Join 100,000+ designers for weekly insights on creative software and the people shaping it: [https://uxtools.co](https://uxtools.co/)
Come party with me at Config 2026 (June 25): https://luma.com/usxsrlu1
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Where you show up decides the next 24 months
1:00 The receipts — OpenAI, Netflix, Meta, YouTube
2:10 The rise of the practitioner class
3:00 YouTube just beat Netflix
4:00 Followers are a weaker signal now
5:00 OpenAI didn't need distribution
5:30 Big Media buys rails, Big Tech buys characters
6:00 Why AI media is getting palatable
7:30 The new cinematic universes
8:30 Framer, Contra, and Config
9:00 Kevin Espiritu on the value exchange
10:00 The town square isn't the platform
10:30 When communities get weaponized
11:00 60mph, not 100
12:00 What's next on this channel
12:30 Detach at Config, June 25 in SF
12:50 Which communities are you standing in?
FOLLOW ME:
X / Twitter: https://x.com/designertom
IG: https://instagram.com/itsdesignertom
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tommygeoco