INFLUENCE

Latest Episodes:

186 Geocachers Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

There are little treasures hidden all over your neighborhood, and throughout the world. You just need a GPS app (and some sleuthing skills) to find them. That's the fun of geocaching, a global phenomenon where people hide containers (large and small) in public spaces and drop the coordinates on a map. Find one, and you might be the first to add your name to the log, get some free swag, or enjoy the experience of a lifetime.

Alli and Lindsey chat with Scott Berks, Chad Courtney, and Jessie Brown, the hosts of The Geocaching Podcast, the long-running show about this worldwide and ever-growing IRL scavenger hunt.

Check out the Geocaching Podcast: https://geocachingpodcast.com/

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185 Dead Internet Theory: What If Everything Online Is Fake? Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

After noting cyclical patterns in the news and online discourse, combined with the rise of bots and overwhelming presence of advertising, some skeptical thinkers have proposed the "Dead Internet Theory," an idea that most (if not all?) online content is created by highly sophisticated bots. Where this interesting conspiracy goes awry is that — you guessed it — it's all a government coverup designed to keep us (the remaining human sheeple) in line.

Alli and Lindsey talk with Kaitlyn Tiffany, a writer at The Atlantic who reports on Internet culture, about how this compelling thought experiment quickly went off the rails into absurd existential solipsism.

Read Kaitlyn's reporting here: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/08/dead-internet-theory-wrong-but-feels-true/619937/

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[Encore Episode] 137 Second Life Sex Workers (June 22, 2020) Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

Here's a look back at one of our favorite episodes about sex work inside the still-thriving virtual world of Second Life. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we did, and we'll talk with you next week!

-- Original Show Notes | June 22, 2020 --

Cybersex is as old as the Internet itself. But as virtual spaces become more sophisticated, so too has sex work. Second Life is more of a "technology playground" than a video game -- a place where your digital skills can be traded for real money. Many players make a healthy living by providing custom goods or services, including sex work.

This week, Alli and Jen speak with Meela Vanderbuilt, the creator and owner of The Mondarchy, the most expensive brothel in Second Life. She's also joined by Reyna, the club's general staff manager. Together, they explain the culture of Second Life (which began way back in 2003), why Meela's brown-skinned avatar was rejected by other clubs. the inspiration for starting her own, and how sex work...works in a virtual world.

Special thanks to Quintin Smith for help with this episode. His outstanding video about The Monarchy and Meela's story can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR94zlsHFdc

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184 Cereal (with Dan Goubert of The Empty Bowl) Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

We shouldn't be surprised to find huge, passionate online communities about something as mundane as breakfast cereal. Dan Goubert has been sharing his love of cereal and tapping into the fandom for years with his blog Cerealously.net. There, he muses about cereal culture, delicious (and horrifying!) new products, posts meticulous reviews, and occasionally breaks breakfast news. The blog became so popular it caught the attention of podcast maven and cereal eater Justin McElroy. The two teamed up to create the soothing, meditative podcast The Empty Bowl.

Alli and Lindsey chat with Goubert about why cereal has such a rich mythos in American culture, what decades-old collectable cereal tastes like, Lin-Manuel Miranda's cereal preferences, and why his podcast is a great sleep aid.

Shout out to StreetlampKid in our Discord community for suggesting this topic!

Check out http://www.cerealously.net/

The Empty Blow: https://www.themcelroy.family/emptybowl

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183 Hot Goss, Our "Do Nothing" Group, and Your Emails Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

How's your summer going? We're checking in and sharing some of your amazing emails and voicemails. Join our new "Do Nothing" group, and get a sneak peek of what's to come on 2G1P.

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182 Welcome to The Omegaverse Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

We've all read sexy fanfiction from time to time, but a huge community of collaborative writers (and TikTokers) have taken it to a new level over the last decade. Enter: The Omegaverse, a complex, hierarchical world of sexual politics and impregnation, based on the mating habits of pack animals. And despite its fantastical nature, it's now striving to address real-world issues as well.

Alli and Lindsey speak with Morgan Sung, Internet culture reporter at Mashable, about her quest to unravel the complex social fabric of fanfiction built on other fanfiction. Morgan explains how Alphas, Betas, and Omegas interact when it comes to sex in the Omegaverse, why the strict hierarchical rules are made to be broken, the looming lawsuit that could change fanfic ownership forever, and why memes about breeding are blowing up on TikTok,

Follow Morgan Sung: https://twitter.com/morgan_sung

Read her Omegaverse explainer on Mashable: https://mashable.com/article/what-is-the-omegaverse-tiktok-tumblr-fanfiction

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[Encore Episode] 160 How the Internet Is Changing Language (w/ Gretchen McCulloch) - Originally Published January 18, 2021 Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

We're working out some scheduling snafus this week, but we'll be back again with fresh tales from the depths of the Internet. For now, we have an encore episode about a really fascinating topic we covered back in January. We hope you enjoy, and we'll see you again next week!

Original notes:

If you're concerned that LOLspeak and text messages are ruining language, fear not, grammar nerds! This week, Alli and Jen speak with linguist, author, and fellow podcaster Gretchen McCulloch, who says we are living in a special time for informal written language.

McCulloch explains why the Internet is changing language and culture in unprecedented ways, how regular people solved the 500-year-long quest for written sarcasm, and why post cards from George Harrison look like your dad's text messages.

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181 IKEA Hackers Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

IKEA furniture is cheap, modular, and everywhere. So it's no surprise that thousands of people on the Internet love to show off their Frankenfurniture on social media. Whether it's upgrading to fancier knobs on your dresser or turning a kitchen counter into a guitar (??), IKEA hackers walk among us all.

Alli and Lindsey speak with Jules Yap, creator of ikeahackers.net, a gathering place for superfans of the Swedish furniture brand.

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180 Sneakerheads Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

Everyone loves a good pair of sneakers. But some people *REALLY* love a good pair of sneakers. And when they meet online, a lot can pop off.

This week, Lindsey and Alli talk with Josh Luber, the co-founder of StockX, the largest marketplace for collectibles like sneakers, streetwear and trading cards. Luber discusses the explosion of the online sneaker community, and which pair in your closet might fetch the highest price.

Follow Josh: https://twitter.com/joshluber

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179 The Psychology of Online Sex Work Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

The Internet has removed gatekeepers for most forms of media, porn certainly among them. The rise of Only Fans and direct-to-consumer sex work has empowered millions of adult creators (mostly women) to take back control of their NSFW products. But as we've seen across influencer culture, the psychological tradeoffs can be high.

Alli and Lindsey talk with Dr. Rebecca Sullivan, a professor of gender and sexuality studies at the University of Calgary, who has researched (and written books) about pornography and sex work for many years. Dr. Sullivan explores the double-edged sword when it comes to online sex work, and why our culture of objectification still poses serious threats to women, even when they're in control.

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