We're back from our break, more powerful than ever, and maybe even strong enough to talk about anonymous social media and whether it's good or bad (or, perhaps, it's not that simple). Amanda writes a book report, Iz grades a book report, we both reminisce about being anonymous teenagers on the internet. Also: oh, hey YikYak, we thought you were dead.

Sources:

Instagram is toxic for teen girls (WSJ): https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739

Yik Yak background (TechCrunch): https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/28/yik-yak-shuts-down-after-square-paid-1-million-for-its-engineers/

Yik Yak Hack (Motherboard): https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kbnna/anonymous-social-media-app-yik-yak-exposed-users-precise-locations

Sidechat buys Yik Yak (TechCrunch): https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/16/anonymous-app-sidechat-picks-up-rival-yik-yak-and-users-arent-happy/

Sidechat (NYT): https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/style/sidechat-app-college.html

Formspring (NYT):

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/us/06formspring.html

Fizz (TechCrunch):

https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/04/fizz-app-college-stanford-social/

EFF on Anonymity: https://www.eff.org/issues/anonymity

Age verification laws (TechCrunch):

https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/14/pornhub-disables-access-in-texas-due-to-age-verification-law/

Find Us Online

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod

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Email: wowiftruepod@gmail.com

About Us

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our editors are Allison Mills and David Newtown. Wow If True is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

Wow If True is your one-stop internet culture shop, explaining how what’s happening online shapes the real world. And we’re the internet experts and real-life besties to unravel it: tech culture journalist Amanda Silberling and science fiction author slash attorney Isabel J. Kim, Esq. More importantly, we’re the only podcast that will mention Neopets and horizontal mergers in the same episode. New episode every other Wednesday.

Find Us Online

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue

Website: https://wowiftrue.com/

Email: wowiftruepod@gmail.com

About Us

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our editors are Allison Mills and David Newtown. Wow If True is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

In this episode: Iz finally puts her law degree to good use and explains the complaint that the Department of Justice filed against Ticketmaster and Live Nation regarding their many, many antitrust oopsies (This is not the technical term). Also, PBJ metaphors, DND podcast liveshow discussion, and EBITDA, but only conceptually.

In this episode: We discuss "mouth biohacking" and all the fun things (rationalism, experimental mouth technologies and silicon valley, Amanda's beautiful mouth) that go along with it.

In this episode: Our luxury fashion correspondent (and half of our editing team), Allison Mills, is back to talk with us about Erewhon. Why are are talking about a grocery store chain from California? Because they sell 32 dollar ice and routinely go viral on social media (mostly because of the 18 dollar smoothies). Also, Morgan Sung joins us as our west coast correspondent, we learn what a macrobiotic diet is, and everyone now really wants a smoothie.

Isabel got a seven figure book deal and got the book optioned, but she continues to threaten to kill people on our podcast (especially the kid in the Omelas hole). No, this is not a bit. Iz is god's favorite princess, and Amanda can run a mile without stopping.

Links

Isabel's book deal announcement!

The story about killing the kid in the Omelas hole

Most importantly... NEW MERCH! Get your very own shirt/mug that says "I listened to Wow If True before Isabel J. Kim got a seven figure book deal." This merch is very funny and good.

Find Us Online

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue

Website: https://wowiftrue.com/

Email: wowiftruepod@gmail.com

About Us

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Eric Silver, and our production is by Allison Mills and David Newtown.

The history of handwashing? It's way wilder than you think.

Isabel is once again out of the country and/or concussed, which means Amanda is joined by her friends Caro and Andrea to talk about everyone's favorite 19th century handwashing accelerationist, Ignac Semmelweis. What does this have to do with the internet? Well, if you're going to go outside and touch grass (preferably while listening to this podcast), you're going to need to wash your hands when you come back inside.

TW: medical gore, death, dissection, infection, drugs

Find Us Online

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue

Website: https://wowiftrue.com/

Email: wowiftruepod@gmail.com

About Us

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Eric Silver, and our production is by Allison Mills and David Newtown.

The most successful internet creator of all time is a guy named Jimmy who locks people in grocery stores for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Like him or not, MrBeast is such a fascinating figure in pop culture that we have become MrBeast anthropologists. Beastly scholars. Why do people like MrBeast so much? How does MrBeast (and the prizewinners in his videos) fit into the narrative of the American Dream, and how will that be exaggerated now that he has his own TV show? Is he even happy? And more urgently, is his chocolate any good?

Links

MrBeast's Squid Game and the price of viral stunts

The new American Dream is to get MrBeast to pay off your debt

Find Us Online

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue

Website: https://wowiftrue.com/

Email: wowiftruepod@gmail.com

About Us

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Eric Silver, and our production is by Allison Mills and David Newtown.