Panic World

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You might be listening to AI music Sep 10, 2025

Show notes

The band The Velvet Sundown broke through the music charts with millions of streams in months after coming from nowhere — and being an entirely AI band. Is it an existential threat to the health of the music industry and the internet when you can’t even tell if the “song of the summer” was sung by an actual human, or a robot? Music critic Anthony Fantano joins us to discuss.

Anthony Fantano runs The Needle Drop, where he reviews albums and comments on the music industry. You can check him out there or follow him on Instagram @afantano.

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BONUS: The new age of terror Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

On Wednesday, June 27th there was a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing two kids and injuring a dozen more people. The shooter took her own life, and left behind two YouTube videos and a manifesto that were dogwhistles for both The Order of Nine Angles (O9A) and 764, the latter of which we've previously covered on the show. Ryan & Grant talk about both of these networks and how the mainstream news and the internet have responded.

Want to hear the rest of the conversation? For the month of September, we're offering 90% off the Panic World Patreon.

Use code PANICYEAR at checkout to pay just fifty cents to get ad-free and extended episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our Discord. Sign up at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld.

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Mobile game ads: The worst online slop Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

They’re full of slime, weird crime, and seemingly a lot of fetish stuff. Today, we’re talking about the sloppiest of slop online these days, mobile game ads. An expert on the form, Chelsey Weber-Smith, joins us to talk about the history of the genre, from the earliest games like Evony to today’s prolific Lily’s Game, as well as what psychological tactics are being deployed in these banner ads, what makes anyone play these games, and is anyone?
Our guest Chelsey Weber-Smith hosts American Hysteria, a show that explores the fantastical thinking of irrational fears of Americans — so very much aligned with our work here on Panic World. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts, and follow the rest of Chelsey’s work here.

Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our Discord? Sign up for just five bucks a month at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld.

And Panic World is now posting episodes to YouTube

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BONUS: The secret plan to outlaw porn in the US (is working) Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

This is a rerun from February this year, when 17 states in the US had banned PornHub. The tally now stands at 21, and both Mike Johnson and the Supreme Court don't seem fussed to stop there.

Have a listen, especially if you haven't already, before we come back with new episodes next Wednesday, September 3.

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As of this recording, 17 states don’t have access to PornHub. You might assume that’s because of very normal people like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson needing to monitor his son’s masturbation habits, but was it conservatives’ fault? Or… was it well-meaning liberals? Junlper joins us to discuss who is behind this new and extreme porn ban, and its implications beyond those states and across the country.

Our guest Junlper works for The Onion and cohosts the podcast Western Kabuki. You can follow her at ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/junlper.beer⁠ on Bluesky or ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@junikcl⁠ on YouTube.

Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at:⁠ https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld⁠.

Links

"Nick Kristof and the Holy War on PornHub" by Melissa Gira Grant: ⁠https://newrepublic.com/article/160488/nick-kristof-holy-war-pornhub⁠

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Does Mark Zuckerberg Care Anymore? (How Is This Better?) Aug 27, 2025

Show notes

Hi, everyone!

We're out this week, but we wanted to share an episode of How Is This Better? featuring our very own, Ryan Broderick.

The episode covers the evolution of everyone's favorite: Mark Zuckerberg.

We'll be back next week with an all new Panic World, but for now – make sure you follow/subscribe to How Is This Better? wherever you get your podcasts!Subscribe to How Is This Better? on:

YouTube

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

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Is the ghost of Epstein breaking MAGA? Aug 20, 2025

Show notes

We made it nearly a year without having to cover Epstein, but with Trump and his allies consistently committing own-goals and bringing him up, the day has come. Today we’re talking about the Epstein files and what appears to be Trump’s most consequential weakness so far. Josie Duffy Rice joins us to talk about how and why Epstein became so central to the MAGA movement, and whether this could be the thing that finally cracks Trump’s base.

Our guest Josie Duffy Rice is a journalist, writer, and law school graduate whose work you can follow on her website or @jduffyrice on Bluesky and Instagram.

Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our Discord? Sign up for just five bucks a month at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld.

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Investigating a cult inspired by a cartoon mouse (w/ PJ Vogt) Aug 13, 2025

Show notes

If a fandom exists long enough in isolation, does it inevitably become toxic or at least, very strange? This is the main question we’ll be exploring today, through a story that begins in 1989. That’s the year that Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers premiered. More importantly, it’s when the world was introduced to a sweet little mouse girl, Gadget Hackwrench. Gadget became quite popular on a certain part of the internet, and PJ Vogt joins us once again to learn about the Cult of Gadget, and the weird wild world of “Rangerphiles.”

Our guest PJ Vogt is the host of Search Engine. He has previously come on Panic World to talk about whether teens were really gorging themselves on Tide Pods, and you can listen to that episode here. Check out Search Engine here or wherever you get your podcasts!

Notes

Interested in seeing how Ryan & PJ react to Gadget "art"? Or perhaps what Grant's producer cage looks like? Panic World is now posting video episodes to YouTube!

Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our Discord? Sign up for just five bucks a month at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld.

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BONUS: Sydney Sweeney and rage bait Aug 08, 2025

Show notes

Ryan and Grant discuss that American Eagle ad and why everyone is arguing about Sydney Sweeney's "good jeans."

Want to hear the rest of their conversation, and enjoy other cool stuff like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our Discord? Sign up for just five bucks a month at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld.

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Why eating disorder content is all over the internet Aug 06, 2025

Show notes

Eating disorder content has been a problem on the internet since as early as 2001, but it accelerated with the advent of social media. Today we’re examining why it’s become more prevalent than perhaps at any other time. EJ Dickson, a writer who investigated the #SkinnyTok community for The Cut, joins us to talk about the introduction of eating disorder content in the mainstream internet, its causes and characters.

Our guest EJ Dickson is a senior writer at The Cut. You can check out her investigative piece on Liv Schmidt and #SkinnyTok here, and follow her work everywhere @ejdickson.

Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our Discord? Sign up for just five bucks a month at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld.

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The cult using Minecraft to recruit Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

Often, like in the case of the Momo Challenge, when parents freak out about a thing online, it’s probably not really a thing. But, today we are talking about one panic that is real — “764,” the comm-network that is gamifying committing crimes and abuse. Joining us is Marcus Parks of The Last Podcast on the Left, to dive into this conspiracy that’s more than a theory.

Our guest Marcus Parks is a host of The Last Podcast on the Left, which is currently doing a miniseries on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Check it out on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!

We have a related bonus episode of our Patreon this week, where our producer Grant Irving sat down with expert on extremist ideologies and groups, Dr. Marc-André Argentino. Learn more about the history of cults and networks like 764 by joining our Patreon for just five bucks a month at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld.

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