Stop Letting the Internet Decide Who You Are: In Conversation With Didoriot

"Does what I'm saying actually matter?" It's the question Didoriot asks herself before publishing a video, and perhaps it's the reason her work resonates with so many people. At a time when the internet often rewards speed over substance, her essays pause to examine the cultural shifts hiding beneath the headlines, from AI and the future of work to female loneliness, internet aesthetics, and the identities we're constantly being encouraged to perform.

We sat down with Didoriot to talk about building a career outside the corporate world, the promises and pitfalls of AI, why women are so often sold identities instead of freedom, and what it really means to bring something worthwhile to the internet.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: I've been following you for a while, and I'm really glad I have the opportunity to talk to you. You have such a unique voice that's reflected in your video essays and Substack work.

DIDORIOT:  Thank you.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: I'd love to start by talking about your background and where you grew up. Are you currently based in Toronto?

DIDORIOT:  I lived and worked in downtown Toronto for ten years. Then, in October, my partner and I bought a house, and we now live in cottage country. I grew up in a little town called Port Dover, a couple of hours outside Toronto. I moved out when I was seventeen and lived in France for a year.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: I find it really refreshing to see intelligent women who aren't afraid to use their voices. You're a great example of that. Have you always felt so comfortable speaking your mind?

DIDORIOT:  That's an interesting question. I'd separate having a voice from being comfortable on camera. I haven't always felt comfortable using my voice, but I've always felt comfortable making videos with friends or making videos at home. As you get older, you gain wisdom and develop the ability to be honest with yourself and about the world around you. That's something I try to cultivate. I don't think I've always been able to be very honest. I've always been able to be idealistic and imaginative, but expressing something in a balanced way, with equanimity, is relatively new to me.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: Good answer. You started posting on Instagram this past October, and since then you've gained over 25,000 followers. What was the initial catalyst for posting online?

DIDORIOT:  I've actually been posting on TikTok since the pandemic, but it was mostly funny videos or comments aimed at my friends. Then, in July, I started posting more consistently. Didoriot started as my personal account. I had about 600 followers, who were mostly friends, and then one video blew up and reached around 1.5 or 1.7 million views. At the time, I was working as a producer at an agency. For the previous six or seven years, I'd been working at advertising agencies in creative production. I thought it was an interesting intersection. I'm sure you noticed that around that time there were a lot of intellectual influencers starting to pop up everywhere. It had been a niche for a while, but it became a much bigger genre at the beginning of this year. The timing just worked out really well.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: The videos you make are incredibly comprehensive, and you clearly put a lot of research into every one of them. Which topics are you most drawn to covering, and why?

DIDORIOT:  I'm most drawn to topics where I can see some kind of underlying cultural mood shift or behavioural change. I always want to know why. For example, why so many people are turning to Pinterest or other people to borrow pieces of their personality. That's part of a much larger cultural movement where people are repeatedly being fed the same kinds of content and, as a result, are given fewer choices. So I'd say I'm interested in psychology, psychoanalysis, and understanding cultural shifts through behavioural patterns. That's what fascinates me.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: Definitely. I felt like your video about the female loneliness epidemic really tied into how there's this tendency to categorise women and label everything. The example of Carolyn Bessette was really smart. We're used to seeing trend cycles in fashion, but now we're watching them happen at warp speed online. People embrace a trend as much as they possibly can until it's completely dead. That brings me to your videos about AI. I always learn something new from your work that isn't really being reported on en masse. You cited a Harvard study showing that women are 25% less likely to use AI than men, and how that connects to gender, sexuality, and even the origins of the internet. I found that fascinating. I know a little about your stance already, but I'd love to hear, in your own words, what your personal opinion is on the ethics, morality, and use of AI.

DIDORIOT:  Like a lot of political issues, I have my own emotional reaction to it. I think people can be both overly idealistic and overly cynical at the same time, and strangely enough, both perspectives can be true. Emotionally, I wish we could stop AI. I think it's bad for the workforce. I think the concentration of power these men—these modern-day emperors—have been able to accumulate while leading these companies is astronomical. I think it's going to result in an enormous amount of human misery. At the same time, I don't think they're going to stop. AI is going to become integrated into our lives. It feels a little naïve to imagine we'll somehow return to the way things were before.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: I think that's what's so difficult. So much power is concentrated in companies built by just a handful of men, yet at the same time, a huge portion of the population is already using AI so heavily. That's what makes it hard to imagine slowing it down or reducing its influence. I actually just read a statement from the Pope saying he doesn't even believe AI should exist. It's difficult knowing something could be harmful to humanity while also recognising that it's already becoming part of everyday life. It's interesting to hear your perspective because I find myself feeling similarly. There are also so many influential people and celebrities actively promoting AI.

DIDORIOT:  I think one way to protect yourself is by developing a really thorough understanding of what is marketing and what isn't. A lot of the people promoting AI are financially invested in AI companies. There's an enormous amount of marketing; and even propaganda, that brushes aside the consequences. People need to arm themselves with information.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: Definitely. It's easy for celebrities or people in positions of economic privilege to advocate for these technologies when the people most affected by them are often the ones watching.

DIDORIOT:  Absolutely.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: AI is becoming so prevalent and is taking over so many aspects of our lives because of capitalism. At the end of the day, it's all financial. If AI succeeds, the people invested in it line their pockets. You also wrote a fantastic piece about dream girl jobs in the 2000s. We have figures like Carrie Bradshaw, Jenna Rink from 13 Going on 30, and Andie Anderson from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Different generations have looked up to these women, and those careers never felt completely out of reach. Now, especially with AI, they seem much further away. One excerpt I particularly loved was:

"The 2000s were a golden age in film and TV of career-driven female protagonists. A lot of these women were writers or worked at fashion magazines. Cultural authority no longer sits with cultural institutions. It sits with influencers and content creators. The dream job has always been creative. It gave you cool status, freedom, and independence."

Between Instagram and Substack, you now have the ability to reach so many people. In many ways, you're living that dream girl job.

DIDORIOT:  I recently left my agency job. For me, the dream was always flexibility and being able to work on my own creative pursuits. I was able to do that, and I'm very optimistic. That said, I think it's very different for recent graduates, and I don't want to minimise that experience with my own optimism.

I don't think I could have left university and gone straight into freelancing, social media, or the dream girl job. I'm sure some people can, but the reason I'm able to freelance and provide consulting services today is because of my background. I spent years in a traditional corporate environment, and those jobs are becoming increasingly difficult for graduates to get. I think AI-driven job loss is going to push more people towards becoming independent contractors, regardless of whether they're in creative industries or not.

As companies continue to consolidate, both large corporations and small businesses will be less able to employ large teams. People will increasingly need to become generalists. And honestly, I think there's something empowering about that. It gives you more choice over what you actually want to focus on. Back when those female protagonists existed, the dream girl job was being a journalist. Today, solo creator monetisation online presents an enormous opportunity that simply didn't exist before. Of course, you still have to get lucky and be in the right place at the right time. But it's possible for someone to make a living posting videos from their bedroom using nothing but a phone. That's kind of incredible. It's also very empowering. I still work forty hours a week. I just get to do it on my own terms. I think all of this job loss could potentially lead to a brighter future, if we approach it with the right perspective.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:   I really hope so. After leaving your corporate job, what has your experience been like navigating a more nonlinear career path? And how did you feel leading up to that decision?

DIDORIOT: Actually taking the leap was very scary. Luckily, a number of opportunities came together at exactly the same time, and I knew that if I was ever going to jump, that was the moment. It's still a little unusual because I'm not used to having this much flexibility with my time. But it's also been really fun. Overall, it's been wonderful. I'm not used to having this much control over my future, and so far that's been incredibly empowering and freeing. I actually wrote about it on Substack:

"Economy so bad I told my boomer father that I was leaving my stable corporate job to freelance and he said, 'Go for it! I've been reading about the value of a portfolio career.'"

My parents were both teachers. They had pensions. They had careers. The fact that they now understand you have to protect yourself against layoffs by diversifying your work is pretty shocking.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  That's honestly amazing. My next question is a little lighter. I've noticed you have great taste in music. Jessica Pratt, Headache + Vegyn, Radiohead, and Addison Rae have all made appearances. What kind of music do you love, and what does music do for you?

DIDORIOT:  That's such a good question. I love music that can create a sensation or a mood. Sometimes I listen to loud noise music or electronic music because it can pull you out of a particular emotional state. It's almost like a sensory experience. Lately, I've been listening to a lot of union folk music. I love the idea of music as community. I've always loved Southern American folk music. That's probably the genre that's closest to my heart.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  That's interesting. Who introduced you to Southern American folk music?

DIDORIOT: My dad loves folk music. Appalachian folk music feels incredibly honest about people's experiences. It comes from communities that were once very prosperous before experiencing enormous job loss following the collapse of the coal industry. That music doesn't shy away from raw emotion. It's willing to sit with grief.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  It's interesting that you say it isn't afraid to go there; to explore emotion and tell the truth. I actually feel like your work mirrors that. The art you consume and connect with seems to reflect your own mission and the kind of work you put out into the world.

DIDORIOT:  You're so good at this.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  Thank you. Another excerpt from your Substack reads:

"Both tradwives and girl bosses orient a woman's entire sense of self around her relationship to money and to men. As long as female identity is being packaged and sold back to women through lifestyles that aren't backed up by the data, the question will never be which type of woman you choose to be, but who benefits from women thinking they have to choose a type at all."

I thought that was brilliant. What has your own relationship with money and men been like? And in your opinion, what is the healthiest relationship women can have with both?

DIDORIOT:  I'm not saying this to sound like a pick-me, but I've watched a lot of content from influencers who tell women never to settle, to treat marriage like a business arrangement, that 50/50 relationships are terrible, or that you should never pay for anything. I think I naturally have a different perspective because of how I grew up. Both of my parents worked. My mum never stayed at home. She was very career-oriented and always had her own money. We were middle class. I never grew up in poverty, so I don't have that kind of relationship with money. My main focus has never been my boyfriend.

Relationships are wonderful to have, but my career has always been my priority. I want to feel fulfilled. I want to do interesting things. For many women, I understand that doesn't necessarily come naturally, for a variety of reasons. We aren't always shown healthy examples. Our relationship with money and men is incredibly complex, especially when viewed through the lens of popular culture. The goalposts are constantly moving. For ten years you're told to become a career woman. Then, for the next ten, you're told you should stay at home. I don't judge anyone for whichever path they choose. But I do think it's important to see yourself as a person first; not simply as a woman. A person who experiences the world beyond femininity or gender.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  We don't have to think of ourselves as women all the time because society is already doing that for us. It's refreshing to see ourselves as freer than we've been conditioned to be. What qualities drew you to your partner?

DIDORIOT:   I think we're drawn to each other because we're both very ambitious and very independent. I travel a lot for work, and he's completely fine with it. I never have to worry. It's not a codependent relationship at all.

We started dating when I was twenty-nine or thirty, and by then I'd lived alone for five years. He'd also lived alone for a long time. So I've always known that if, for some reason, he wasn't there, I'd be okay. I never feel like I'd fail without him or that I wouldn't have a safety net. I know, from experience, that I am my own safety net.

That reassurance allows both of us to respect each other deeply. He's incredibly patient. He's also completely different from me. He's a carpenter, so he's very offline. Half the time he has no idea what I'm talking about. I'll explain things to him, but his skill set is so completely outside my world that I genuinely admire and respect it. We're not trying to compete with each other.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  I love that. It sounds like you both entered the relationship as whole people already, rather than expecting the other person to fill an emotional or financial void. You've also managed not to fall too far into any of the corners the internet constantly pushes women toward. In this new chapter of your life, what do you hope to accomplish? And what topics are you most excited to explore in the future?

DIDORIOT:   I'd really love to experiment with different styles of video. Everyone keeps telling me I should start making long-form content.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  I would love that.

DIDORIOT:  It's nice to hear you say that. I'm also going to continue following the rise of AI populism and the anti-AI movement. My next video is going to be about plagiarism and remix culture. It's something that's already come up a lot, even in my relatively short time creating content online.

Everyone within the same space inevitably takes inspiration from one another. The question is: where do we draw the line? We're also living in a culture where we're constantly being observed. There's a really punitive energy online now, especially in comment sections. Whenever these issues arise, I find myself wondering where the line actually is. And honestly... I kind of agree with both sides. I'd really like to explore that further.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:   One of the reasons I wanted to speak with you is because you don't seem afraid of the internet. I love that. Even if you are nervous or scared sometimes, you'd never know. What advice would you give to someone who wants to put themselves out there but is afraid?

DIDORIOT:   It's really hard to put yourself out there and genuinely not care what people think. The biggest thing I've had to grapple with is asking myself: "Does what I'm have to say actually matter?"

Try to say something new. That justifies your place in this system. Ask yourself what value you're actually bringing to the internet. Show up with an informed opinion, but also understand what you're not. I'm not a journalist. I didn't go to journalism school. Whenever I make videos, I'm always building from reporting that's already been published by credible sources.

I think it's really dangerous when influencers start cosplaying as journalists and trying to uncover stories themselves. They often end up diluting the truth or worse, spreading misinformation. Sometimes you say something and nobody hears it. Other times, a video blows up, and suddenly you have absolutely no control over how people perceive you. The internet is an incredibly powerful force. It can do an enormous amount of good. But it's also incredibly forceful. Don't take that lightly.

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Photo © Didoriot Photographed by @patricia.dasz