Steffi Cao

Steffi Cao is an internet culture reporter, previously serving as a reporter at BuzzFeed News and the first-ever creator economy writer at Forbes. Her coverage on online communities and the influencer economy have been the first on the ground look at the corporeal impact of the digital world, including scoops with alpha male lifestyle influencer Liver King, the world of Sonny Angels and modern womanhood, and Snoopy fancam editor Snoopy Sister. Her BuzzFeed News newsletter column, Social Media Made Me Do It, has led her to try lots of weird food trends seen online, from pilk to M&M makeup to a neverending list of holiday drinks. Food writing has long been a part of her interests, particularly at the intersection of culture and food; she has previously written for Eater Detroit and Tostada Magazine. Otherwise, her culture and lifestyle work has been published in Teen Vogue, Bustle, Fast Company and more, talked about on The View, and her personal newsletter, it’s steffi, has appeared on NPR. She has spoken at the University of Missouri's journalism school and Meta. She has been vegan for four years, and spends most of her free time trying to veganize dishes.