Eating For Free

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TikTok-ing Through the Apocalypse (Part 1) Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

In this two-part series we explore the international phenomenon and emerging social media platform: TikTok. From the failing Shanghai tech company that created Musical.ly to ByteDance's $1b acquisition in 2017, we explore how TikTok became the highest-valued startup to date now totalling over $75b. In part 1 we'll break down the app and its powerful machine learning technology, and how its Chinese roots are critical to understanding the future of the company.

Eating For Free is a bi-weekly gossip podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to weekly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Sources:

Meet the Head of TikTok, a 35-Year-Old Who Makes Employees Do Push-Ups if Their Videos Don't Get Enough Likes - Money, Julia Glum (2019)
How a failed education startup turned into Musical.ly, the most popular app you've probably never heard of - Business Insider, Biz Carson (2016)
Chinese Tech Firms Forced to Choose Market: Home or Everywhere Else - NYT, Paul Mozur
My conversation with Zhang Yiming, founder of Toutiao - Technode, 2017
Musical.ly, a Chinese App Big in the U.S., Sells for $1 Billion (Paul Mozur) - NYT, 2017
Who's Too Young for an App? Musical.ly Tests the Limits - NYT, John Herrman, 2016
The popular Musical.ly app has been rebranded as TikTok - The Verge, Dami Lee. (2018)
These Teens Are Making Thousands a Month With Karaoke App Musical.ly - Money, Gabriela Fernandez
AI In China: How Buzzfeed Rival ByteDance Uses Machine Learning To Revolutionize The News - Forbes, Bernard Marr
A Look at Toutiao: China's Artificial Intelligence Powered News Platform - Wei Chun Chew, Medium
The Hidden Forces Behind Toutiao: China's Content King - Ycombination, Anu Hariharan (2017
The History of TikTok (TeenVogue)

How TikTok is Rewriting the World (NewYorkTimes)
TikTok, Explained (Vox)
How TikTok Holds Our Attention (NewYorker)
32 Biggest Stars on TikTok (Business Insider)
How 7 Brands are Using TikTok (HugSpot)
TikTok and Activism (BBC)
Meet the Head of TikTok (Money.com)
How A Failed Startup Became Musical.ly (Business Insider)
Chinese Tech Firms Forced to Choose Market (NewYorkTimes)
My conversation with Zhang Yiming, founder of Toutiao (Technode)
Musical.ly, a Chinese App Big in the U.S., Sells for $1 Billion (NewYorkTimes)
Who's Too Young for an App? Musical.ly Tests the Limits (NewYorkTimes)
The popular Musical.ly app has been rebranded as TikTok (The Verge)
These Teens Are Making Thousands a Month With Karaoke App Musical.ly (Money.com)
AI In China: How Buzzfeed Rival ByteDance Uses Machine Learning To Revolutionize The News (Forbes)
How TikTok Took Over Music (Rolling Stone)
Record Labels Demand More Money for Songs on TikTok App (Bloomberg)
U.S. Army Looking Into National Security Concerns Over TikTok After Using It to Recruit Troops (Gizmodo)
U.S. opens national security investigation into TikTok (Reuters)
TikTok national security inquiry (CNBC)
US investigating TikTok owner ByteDance (South China Morning Post)
Before Mark Zuckerberg Tried To Kill TikTok (BuzzFeedNews)
TikTok has moved into Facebook's backyard (CNBC)

Jeff Bezos' America (Part Four) Nov 15, 2019

Show notes

In this multipart series we've explored how Amazon uses its various spheres of control to manipulate our ideologies surrounding labor, consumer rights, mass surveillance, and corporate dependency. In part four, the series ends on the political ramifications of Amazon, and thereby Jeff Bezos' control of American ideology, and how some current organizations, even presidential candidates, plan to stop this.

If you or anyone want to contact us about tips, stories, or personal experiences that relate to any of what we plan to discuss in this series, please contact us by our hotline or email below, we appreciate any inquiry!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Links:

Jeff Bezos's Master Plan (Franklin Foer, The Atlantic)
Karlie Kloss, Josh Kushner, and Jeff Bezos Are All on Vacation Together, and You Can See It on Instagram (Town and Country)
Bernie Sanders' Plan for Action (Campaign Site)
Elizabeth Warren's Plans for Action (Campaign Site)

Jeff Bezos' America (Part Three) Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

In this multipart series we will explore how Amazon uses its various spheres of control to manipulate our ideologies surrounding labor, consumer rights, mass surveillance, and corporate dependency. Part three will examine how Amazon has partnered with the US Government's Department of Justice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many privately-owned surveillance companies. In part four, the series will end on the political ramifications of Amazon, and thereby Jeff Bezos' control of American ideology, and how some current organizations, even presidential candidates, plan to stop this.

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Jeff Bezos' America (Part Two) Oct 17, 2019

Show notes

In this multipart investigative series we will explore how Amazon uses its various spheres of control to manipulate our ideologies surrounding labor, consumer rights, mass surveillance, and corporate dependency. Part one will cover Amazon's newly expanding use of propaganda through social media and advertorial content, specifically the company's creation of the Prime Day Concert, their 'FC Ambassadors,' and a in-house blog. Part two will explore Amazon's anti-union training, and the reality of working in an Amazon warehouse. We will examine the safety of their warehouses, the suicides and deaths that have occured, and what it is like to go on an Amazon FC tour. Part three (and possibly four) will examine how Amazon has partnered with the US Government's Department of Justice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many privately-owned surveillance companies. The series will end on the political ramifications of Amazon, and thereby Jeff Bezos', control of American ideology, and how some current organizations, even presidential candidates, plan to stop this.

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Articles:

Corporatism (Wikipedia)
Neo-feudalism (Wikipedia)
Advertorial Propaganda (Wikipedia)
Amazon's Aggressive Anti-Union Tactics Revealed in Leaked 45-Minute Video (Bryan Menegus, Gizmodo)
Amazon and Tesla Facilities Named Among the Most Dangerous Workplaces in America (Melanie Ehrenkranz, Gizmodo)
'Colony of Hell': 911 Calls From Inside Amazon Warehouses (Max Zahn, TheDailyBeast)
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Amazon warehouse worker wage appeal (Andrew Chung)
Unfulfilled at the Amazon tour (Sarah Miller, The Outline)
MissionRacer: How Amazon Turned the Tedium of Warehouse Work Into a Game (Greg Besigner, Washington Post)

Jeff Bezos' America (Part One) Oct 09, 2019

Show notes

In this multipart investigative series we will explore how Amazon uses its various spheres of control to manipulate our ideologies surrounding labor, consumer rights, mass surveillance, and corporate dependency. Part one will cover Amazon's newly expanding use of propaganda through social media and advertorial content, specifically the company's creation of the Prime Day Concert, their 'FC Ambassadors,' and a in-house blog. Part two will explore Amazon's anti-union training, and the reality of working in an Amazon warehouse. We will examine the safety of their warehouses, the suicides and deaths that have occurred, and what it is like to go on an Amazon FC tour. Part three (and possibly four) will examine how Amazon has partnered with the US Government's Department of Justice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many privately-owned surveillance companies to expand their state-wide technological monopoly. The series will end on the political ramifications of this newly expanding capitalist specter, and how some current organizations, even presidential candidates, plan to stop this.

Eating For Free is an investigative pop-culture podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Article Links

Corporatism (Wikipedia)
Neo-feudalism (Wikipedia)
Advertorial Propaganda (Wikipedia)
What's an Amazon 'FC Ambassador' and Are They Okay? (Bryan Menegus, Gizmodo)
@AmazonFCHannah (Twitter)
The Amazon (Propaganda) Blog (About Amazon.com)
I watched Amazon's Prime Day concert—and it made me want to shop for a new planet (Joe Berkowitz, Fast Company)
Amazon fired a warehouse worker who was trying to unionize. Now he's taking legal action (Alexia Fernández Campbell, Vox)

About the Boycott: BDS and the Fight for Palestinian Liberation with Alex Verman (Part 2) Aug 21, 2019

Show notes

What is BDS? Why are people around the world calling for the social and economic boycott of Israel? Why are the celebrities that perform there entrenched in controversy? In this extra-special two-part interview, we talk to the talented and hilarious writer/researcher Alex Verman—who is here to explain why these movements exist, and what we can do to help. We cover the origins of which imperial powers are killing and forcing Palestinians out of their home land, and why organizations like the BDS and PACBI are here to help those affected. Alex breaks down how this issue is not solely a Palestinian conflict, but a world-wide system of colonialism, capitalism, racism, and xenophobia, dirtectly effecting millions across the world. Part two drops next week, stay tuned!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Links and resources:

Full masterlist of links: https://www.one-tab.com/page/h3zPWikLTu2DEo8RuPq_8w
#justiceformoka
gofundme.com/princessaanya
PASAN.org
Maggie's Toronto Sex Workers' Action Project
alexverman.com
tinyletter.com/alexvee

Anti-Capitalist Happy Hour: Disney Waged War Against Unions While Cannibalizing Your Nostalgia Aug 14, 2019

Show notes

And... we're back! Between our amazing interview about the BDS movement with the iconic Alex Verman, let's get back into our listener letters! We talk #JANA and the horror that is YouTube media, listen to a voicemail from an alleged nefarious source, read from a listener about their experience looking into the world of female sexual dysfunction (and the medication marketed to those groups), and end on a shocking voicemail left from someone working in the animation industry (hint, its about The Lion King!), and much more! Stay tuned next week for part two of our Alex interview, you won't wanna miss it!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

About the Boycott: BDS and the Fight for Palestinian Liberation with Alex Verman (Part 1) Aug 07, 2019

Show notes

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Links and resources:

Full masterlist of links: https://www.one-tab.com/page/h3zPWikLTu2DEo8RuPq_8w
#justiceformoka
gofundme.com/princessaanya
PASAN.org
Maggie's Toronto Sex Workers' Action Project
alexverman.com
tinyletter.com/alexvee

Anti-Capitalist Happy Hour: Nothing Makes This Pop Star Feel More Alive Than Her American Express Credit Card Jul 31, 2019

Show notes

Hello from the ether girls and gays! Even on our brief August hiatus, we still brought together your emails and hot-line calls for our second annual anti-capitalist, listener letter happy hour—we talk FOSTA SESTA and what sex work means for the people affected by it, exploitation of addiction in the gaming industry, the late-stage capitalism of Amex-sponsored gay pride events, our future for interviews, season 4 expectations, and much more! Look forward to our interview about the BDS movement with the icon and incredibly talented Alex Verman dropping next week, as well as part of this episode the week after!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Hillsong, Corporate Christianity, and the Neoliberalization of Jesus (Part 4) Jul 25, 2019

Show notes

What does the Australian ministry, a charismatic Evengalical church, neoliberal tech companies, and the state of late-capitalism all have in common? Yes girls and gays, it's the end of our ongoing mini-series / extensive deep-dive covering the wild and disturbing world of the newly emerging megachurch: Hillsong. Starting as an independent Pentecostal branch off the long-standing Australian institution, Hillsong spread across multiple countries and continents bringing in now over a 100,000 members each week, plus half a million online, watching and engaging in their radical and new-wave form of religious and spiritual practice. As we finish our investigation, we realize the greater social, political, and economic implications of the prosperity gospel, and how it is now influencing western institutions and governments across the world. We read from two fantastic listener-letters that go into these shocking details, as well as adding context to why churches like these exist in the first place. If you have any information or further research to send along, don't be afraid to contact us as we'll be following up on this subject in the near future as more comes out. It's been a wild ride, thanks for joining us!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at questions@eatingforfree.com!

Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Links:

Scott Morrison calls for 'more love' as he prays for Australia at Hillsong conference (The Guardian)
Australian politics doesn't need a Christian lobby (ABC AU)
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017
Zoe Church: Hollywood's Latest Religious Obsession (Refinery29)
Chad Veach (Instagram)
This Preacher Would Be Happy to Share Your Bowl of Açaí (NYT)
PushPay (Wiki)
A preacher for Trump's America: Joel Osteen and the prosperity gospel (Financial Times)
Popular Millennial Media Outlet Blasts L.A. Church for Practicing Basic Christian Beliefs (Faithwire)
Hollywood's Holy Hipster Scene (VanityFair)

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