Algorithms, Thought Leadership, and the Future of Digital Influence

It’s getting harder to have a “normal” conversation about content, social media, or visibility anymore—mostly because the rules keep changing while you're still mid-sentence. Just a few years ago, you could create a blog post, optimize it for SEO, promote it on Twitter (back when it was still Twitter and not a dumpster fire of right-wing conspiracy lunacy rebranded as X), and expect a decent number of eyeballs to land on it. That’s not the game anymore. Now we’re living in a world of algorithmic gatekeeping, AI-generated content slop, and platforms that are slowly morphing into echo chambers of their own making. And as someone who spends a lot of time thinking, writing, and talking about tech, marketing, and cybersecurity, I wanted to have an actual conversation about what this means—beyond the usual recycled talking points. So, I invited Evan Kirstel onto the TechSpective Podcast to dig in. If you’re not familiar with Evan, you should be. He’s one of the more influential voices in B2B tech media—part content creator, part live streamer, part analyst, part TV host, depending on the day. He’s also been doing this for a while, and more importantly, doing it well. That makes him a great sounding board for the increasingly murky topic of digital thought leadership. One of the first things we talked about was the rise of formulaic, AI-generated content. You know the kind—it reads like it was built from a checklist of “engagement best practices,” and while it may technically be “on brand,” it’s rarely interesting. The irony, of course, is that the platforms boosting this kind of content are simultaneously rewarding quantity over quality, while drowning users in sameness. From there, we explored how visibility really works in 2025. Hint: it’s no longer about who you know—it’s about which large language model knows you. If you’re not showing up in ChatGPT summaries or Google’s new generative answers, you’re basically invisible to a big chunk of your potential audience. Which raises the question: how do you actually earn mindshare in a world where traditional SEO has been replaced by AI synthesis? We didn’t land on a one-size-fits-all answer—but we did agree on a few things. First, content that sounds like content for content’s sake? It’s dead. Thought leadership that merely echoes what 20 other people are already saying? Also dead. What works now is originality, consistency, and credibility—backed by actual lived experience. Another key theme we unpacked: platforms. Everyone likes to say “meet your audience where they are,” but it’s harder than it sounds when the audience is splintered across LinkedIn, Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, and a dozen other niche platforms—each with its own expectations and formats. Evan shared how he tailors his content for each platform without diluting the message, and why companies that try to be “cool” without context usually fall flat. I’ll also say this—this episode reminded me that high-quality conversations are still one of the most underutilized forms of content out there. When it’s not scripted or polished within an inch of its life, a good conversation can cut through the noise and resonate on a level most polished op-eds or templated videos never will. So if you’re feeling stuck, wondering why your content isn’t landing like it used to, or trying to figure out how to show up where it matters—this episode is worth your time. Check out my conversation with Evan Kirstel on the TechSpective Podcast. And yes, we get into Gary Vaynerchuk, TikTok, zero-click search, and why it might be time to completely rethink your content strategy.