INFLUENCE

Latest Episodes:

65 How the transgender community found a safe haven on Discord Jan 07, 2019

Show notes

Has the internet made things easier for the transgender community? That may depend on which corners of the web you hang out in. For Luna Baker (who transitioned from male-at-birth to female), a variety of digital havens for trans people came and went: Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Facebook groups, etc. Harassment and bullying followed in all of them. She finally arrived at Discord, where strict permissions and moderation carved out a place where members of the trans community could talk about anything, free from the pressures of typical online discussion. This week on 2 Girls 1 Podcast, Alli and Jen talk with Baker about her transition, the digital trans community, portrayals of trans people in media, and the complicated laws and norms that can hinder trans people from seeking the treatment they need.

This week's episode is supported by Penguin Random House Audio, which publishes thousands of award-winning audiobooks every year, including your sci-fi and fantasy favorites like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Hank Green's novels. Download Penguin Random House Audio books wherever you listen to your favorite audiobooks (Audible, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.) or check out http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/2Girls1Podcast to browse their latest selection.

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64 This Couple Quit the Internet for 1 Month and Lived to Vlog About It Dec 24, 2018

Show notes

Craig Benzine (better known as WheezyWaiter on YouTube) has been making online videos for a living since 2007. That's a long time to be living and working on the Internet, and when he felt social media was sucking up all his time, he challenged himself to quit for an entire month. His wife Chyna, feeling similar stress, joined the cause. The couple went dark(ish) for 30 days, then resurfaced with a hilarious video about what they learned from being disconnected for so long in a 2018 world. Alli and Jen talk to Craig and Chyna about their life-altering experiment, and what it might mean for your digital habits.

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63 Getting Plastic Surgery to Match Your Filtered, Perfect Selfies Dec 17, 2018

Show notes

As media has shifted from broadcast to social, so too have our perceptions of beauty and self-confidence. Plastic surgeons are seeing their patients get younger, and who aspire to look more like their own highly curated selfies, rather than a celebrity or model. What does this say about a culture that is increasingly focused on documenting self image? Alli and Jen speak to Marla Frezza, who modified her nose to match her own selfie filters. They're also joined by producer Maria Chiu, who documented Marla's journey in a video for Broadly/VICE, entitled "I Got Surgery to Look Like My Snapchat and Facetune Selfies."

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62 The 'Universal Language' of Esperanto Is Thriving on the Internet Dec 10, 2018

Show notes

Esperanto is a language invented 130 years ago with the goal of uniting the world under a simplified common tongue and creating everlasting peace. Spoiler alert: That never happened. But the Internet is rekindling the passion of the global Esperanto community, and millions of people are speaking and learning it through the power of language courses like Duolingo and online communities. Alli and Jen talk with Stela Besenyei-Merger, one of only 350 native Esperanto speakers in the world, and Chuck Smith, who is credited for bringing Esperanto onto the mainstream web and developing a Wikipedia in the language. What does it mean to speak Esperanto in 2018, and how is the "DNA" of this language bridging communication gaps in the 21st century?

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61 How 3D Printing Is Transforming the Board Game Industry Dec 03, 2018

Show notes

What if you could 3D print that new lamp, designed by an Internet stranger for free, rather than ordering it from Amazon? When 3D printing tech goes mainstream, it will almost certainly revolutionize ecommerce (and create a whole new kind of online piracy). But until then, we're observing a microcosm of that play out in the tabletop gaming space, where designers are modeling pieces and creating entirely new games that players can download, print, or play virtually. Alli and Jen talk to Arian Croft (aka dutchmogul) of Ill Gotten Games, one of the most prolific and well-followed designers on Thingiverse, about this passionate community.

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60 How One Guy Tricked the Internet Into Thinking His Shed Was London's Best Restaurant Nov 26, 2018

Show notes

When Oobah Butler was hard-up for cash, he found a gig writing fake reviews for London restaurants he'd never been to. He fell into an abyss of forgeries on TripAdvisor that gave him an idea. What if he invented a fake restaurant, powered by more fake reviews, to fool everyone? The performance art stunt took on a life of its own, and compelled him to have a fake grand opening of "The Shed," London's #1 restaurant on the Internet -- which served microwave meals in Butler's backyard. The ultimate "Emperor Has No Clothes" story propelled Butler to worldwide fame, where he continued to trick the media by hiring actors to portray him in interviews.

Alli and Jen have a long talk with Butler about why the anonymity of the Internet makes people so gullible.

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59 Creepypasta and the Evolution of Internet Horror Storytelling Nov 19, 2018

Show notes

Ghost stories around the campfire are as old as humanity itself, but spooky tales became memes unto themselves as the Web matured. Creepypasta (a derivative of "copypasta" which is derivative of "copy/paste") is the catch-all term and dominant wiki for the spooky stories that circulate and mutate on the Internet. Alli and Jen talk to Andrew Movitz (aka ClericOfMadness), the founder of the Creepypasta wiki, about why these stories tap our deepest fears, and the transformation of Creepypasta culture into an author-centric community.

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58 Meet the unlikely duo fighting Facebook's rampant romance scams Nov 12, 2018

Show notes

When Bryan Denny, a retired 26-year U.S. army veteran, started getting marriage proposals from strangers on Facebook, he knew something was up. Thousands of scammers were using stolen pictures of him in uniform to trick well-meaning Facebook users into sending money, iPhones, and gift cards overseas to a military hero with an honest face. Kathy Waters' family friend was among the victims. Denny and Waters now spend their free time busting fake accounts and pleading with lawmakers and Facebook for a solution. Alli and Jen talk to the dynamic duo about their crusade to stem the Facebook romance scam epidemic.

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57 Will Sex Robots Ever Replace Your Human Partner? (Probably.) Nov 05, 2018

Show notes

Sex dolls have been around since at least the 17th century, but advances in AI and robotics are bringing them ever closer to meaningful companionship. Alli and Jen speak with Susan Pirzchalski, the chief robotics engineer of Realbotix, who is working to make the popular Real Doll sex toys come to life with sophisticated personalities.

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56 Inside the terrifying rabbit hole of messed-up YouTube videos for kids Oct 29, 2018

Show notes

If you leave a toddler alone with an iPad long enough, YouTube's algorithms will guide her down a deep, dark rabbit hole of strange, low-quality, and often disturbing videos manufactured for kid consumption. These channels use recognizable characters (Mickey Mouse, Paw Patrol) to draw kids into horrifying click-bait narratives they can't resist. Who is making these videos, and what is YouTube doing about it? Alli and Jen talk to K.G. Orphanides who has written extensively about YouTube's strange kid content underbelly.

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Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comTalk to Alli and Jen:

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