Episodes

  • Is Skibidi Toilet the Next Hollywood Blockbuster?

    Is Skibidi Toilet the Next Hollywood Blockbuster?
    Aug 1 2024
    The internet lost its mind last week when Taylor broke the news that Michael Bay might be turning Skibidi Toilet -- the bizarre animated YouTube short of a singing head in a toilet -- into a theatrical movie. Taylor talks to Adam Goodman, a Hollywood veteran who founded Invisible Narratives, the behind-the-scenes company responsible for much of Skibidi Toilet's ongoing success. Plus, in headlines: Kamala Harris supporters are hopping on Zoom like it's 2020, Google Docs is the hot new dating app, and a new AI wearable wants to be your new best friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Is Kamala Harris a political meme stock?

    Is Kamala Harris a political meme stock?
    Jul 25 2024
    Politics and social media were inextricable this week. Joe Biden announced his dropout via X and other social platforms — and after he endorsed Kamala Harris, the media rush to explain Brat memes began. Taylor talks to The Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel about coconut memes, irony pilled posting, and the outcry of a generation frustrated by politics. Then, Taylor and Zach break down this week’s headlines, including a lifestyle influencer suing another lifestyle influencer for copying her aesthetic, a terrifying DHS robot dog, and Marc Andreessen’s hope that AI will save comedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • The rise of ‘BlueAnon' + Trump shooting merch + RNC influencers

    The rise of ‘BlueAnon' + Trump shooting merch + RNC influencers
    Jul 18 2024
    Minutes after a gunman attacked Donald Trump at a rally, conspiracy theories flourished on social media. Did Trump fake it? Was it a false flag? These are the latest additions to a growing collection of anti-Trump conspiracy theories referred to as "Blue Anon." Taylor Lorenz discusses the rise of conspiracies from anti Trump influencers with Mike Rothschild, author of "The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything." Plus, Taylor explains the alleged shooter's "Demolition Ranch" YouTuber T-shirt, and talks about the RNC influencers tasked with making the GOP look cool. (edited) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • Inside the most toxic live-streaming platform + NATO influencers

    Inside the most toxic live-streaming platform + NATO influencers
    Jul 11 2024
    Kick, a is home to some of the most reprehensible behavior on the internet. Creators have live-streamed themselves accosting people on the street, sexually harassing minors, even getting into hit-and-run car accidents. Taylor Lorenz talks to J. Aubrey, who documents some of the Internet’s worst people, about Kick’s race to the bottom.Plus, Taylor breaks down her recent reporting on influencers in politics. NATO and the State Department invited content creators to this year’s summit in Washington, DC. And in Utah, the first full-time content creator is running for Senate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • An influencer’s battle against her snark subreddit

    An influencer’s battle against her snark subreddit
    Jun 27 2024
    For the past several years, influencer Lily Chapman has been plagued by a relentless community of women online. They congregated in a snark subreddit dedicated to mocking and criticizing her. Lily says they even contacted her friends and family, and attempted to kill her sponsorship deals. But Lily did something most influencers haven't been able to do: She fought back and won. Taylor Lorenz talks to Lily about how it all went down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • Why do so many people think a top Stanford researcher is a CIA agent?

    Why do so many people think a top Stanford researcher is a CIA agent?
    Jun 20 2024
    An online smear campaign painted a top Stanford researcher as a censorship supervillain, whose goal was to silence free speech and delete 22 million tweets. Former Stanford Internet Observatory research manager Renée DiResta tells Taylor Lorenz what it's like to monitor disinformation about yourself -- and how rumors about her work that began on one conspiracy theorist's blog eventually spread into the halls of congress. Then, Taylor talks about her report on how Biden is struggling to garner the support of Gen Z influencers, the surgeon general’s campaign to put warning labels on social media, Logan Paul’s Donald Trump interview, and TikTok’s new AI-generated ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Do you speak Brain Rot? How the internet is changing language

    Do you speak Brain Rot? How the internet is changing language
    Jun 13 2024
    Over the past few months, the term “brain rot” has gone from essentially meaning chronically online, to a fully fledged meme and ironic slang language. Adam Aleksic aka “the Etymology Nerd” and Harvard linguistics graduate joins Taylor to break down how the language of the internet is evolving. Later, Taylor dives into stories from the week including big announcements from Apple’s WWDC, the shadowy right-wing backers behind a Mr Beast video, BeReals big sale, and a new word to describe AI generated garbage. Full video of this episode will be available on Taylor's YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Is it ever okay to film strangers in public? + Trump’s new TikTok + MrBeast hits #1

    Is it ever okay to film strangers in public? + Trump’s new TikTok + MrBeast hits #1
    Jun 6 2024
    The record-breaking Instagram account @world_record_egg has returned to publicly express its support for Palestine. Trump joins TikTok and immediately amasses millions of followers. Mr. Beast becomes the most subscribed to YouTube channel. Plus, Taylor Lorenz breaks down the 2022 deal TikTok offered the U.S. government, which included a “kill switch” to shut down the app. Later, Vox’s Rebecca Jennings joins Taylor to discuss crowdsourced surveillance and the ethics of filming strangers in public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    33 mins