A man threatened legal action against MIT Technology Review in March 2019 after asserting the magazine used his image without permission in an article about the 'hipster effect'—a phenomenon where countercultural groups adopt similar aesthetics. The publication used a stock Getty Images photo of a man with a hipster appearance, which it stated was licensed for general editorial use.
The controversy emerged when the individual contacted the outlet, alleging defamation. MIT Technology Review clarified the article, which analyzed research on the 'hipster effect,' had no direct connection to the man. The magazine's editor-in-chief, Gideon Lichfield, later detailed the exchange in a Twitter thread documenting the incident.
Getty Images confirmed the model in the photo was not the man who threatened legal action. The image's license prohibited use in contexts deemed 'unduly controversial' but allowed general editorial application. Lichfield noted the situation highlighted the very phenomenon the article explored: 'Hipsters look so much alike that they can’t even tell themselves apart from each other.'
