The Content Mines

Latest Episodes:

The Great Paid Verification Debate Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

This week Ryan and Luke sat down in their favorite pub in London and hashed out what is, perhaps, the greatest debate of our time: Whether or not paid verification on Twitter is good or bad. Luke thinks it’s fine. Ryan thinks it’s disgusting. All things considered, this stayed pretty civil. Also, literally right before we finished editing this episode Elon Musk seemingly ended the paid verified, at least temporarily. Which makes this whole conversation a bit more philosophical that practical, I suppose.

Also, here’s the Quora thread that Producer Alan found.

And, finally, thanks to everyone who came out to Bad Posters Club in London last night! It was a blast!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

Vague Hype Cycles With Billion Dollar Valuations Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

This week Ryan and Luke are in Lisbon, Portugal, for (the) Web Summit! They learned all about the metaverse and the blockchain and artificial intelligence and the highkey art of crushing deals. We also talked, of course, about the Elon Musk-ification of Twitter. Weirdly, Luke wants to pay for Twitter Blue. Ryan thinks it’s for class traitors, but also will probably end up paying for it.

No bonus episode this week, but we’ll see you at our live show in London next week and be back with a whole bunch of fun stuff next week.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

The Stay-At-Home Girlfriends Of Tiktok Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

This week we kick things off with a look at Google’s very bad earnings report and a bombshell Reuters report that revealed that Twitter seems to be hemorrhaging users. Then we take a dive into the exploitative and uncomfortable world of British “dangerous places” YouTubers. You know the ones. Those posh guys that go vlog in failed states and turn human misery into clickbait. And, finally, we take a long and comprehensive look at the rise of the TikTok stay-at-home girlfriend. Ryan says stay-at-home girlfriend content seems deeply isolating and lonely and sort of haunting to watch. While Luke just really wants to do nothing all day except drink juices and swim.

SHOW NOTES

“Alphabet just had its worst day since March 2020, when Covid shutdowns started in the U.S.”

“Exclusive: Twitter is losing its most active users, internal documents show”

Lord Miles Routledge Adventures

Bald and Bankrupt

Yes Theory

Kendel Kay’s TikTok

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

The Liz Truss Lettuce And Trickle-Down Twitter Brain Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

Soooo this week’s big topic was about the currently-unraveling political situation in the UK. And while we were editing the episode British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned. But other than that, thanks to how weirdly slow-fast British politics moves, not much else we talked about this week has changed, so this should all still be pretty relevant! We also talked about the current trend of weird rich guys buying social networks and Ryan shares a theory he has about Netflix.

Also, come to our live show in London next month! The amazing lineup includes:

* Chris Stokel-Walker, tech journalist

* Saima Ferdows, comedian and producer

* Hanna Ines Flint, author of Strong Female Character

* Charlotte Colombo, freelance writer and editor at The Daily Dot

* Sophia Smith Galer, journalist, content creator, and author of Losing It

Get tickets here!

SHOW NOTES

A rundown of the Kanye West Parler stuff

The good Netflix thread

Platformer’s Meta vs The Wire story

The Wire’s most recent statement on the whole thing

The bad right-wing Indian news site that does unfortunately make a good point about the whole Meta thing

Another good tweet about the Meta India stuff

The Liz Truss lettuce stream

@supertanskiii, @RussInCheshire, and @archer_rs

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

TwitchCon's Cursed Foam Pit Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

This week we’re checking back in on Twitch, the livestreaming platform that just can’t quite seem to figure out how to fit in with the rest of the internet. We’re going through the latest controversies from TwitchCon, including the cursed foam pit. But we’re also, more broadly, talking about why Twitch remains a somewhat niche thing. There was this assumption years ago that Twitch would eventually replace ESPN somehow, but that moment never happened, leaving the platform in a bizarre gray area where it sits just off to the side of everything else. So where does it go from here?

SHOW NOTES

“We need to talk about Facebook PR guy Andy Stone”

“Elon Musk's tweets about Ukraine, Taiwan and Kanye stoke worries about Twitter ownership”

“Meta and news outlet’s spar deepens India’s trust deficit”

Tweets from The Wire about the XCheck controversy

“‘Fat Bear Week’ Hit By Voter-Fraud Attempt”

John Fetterman makes his own memes

“TwitchCon had a foam pit exhibit. Two attendees say they got injured when they jumped in.”

Hasan responding the Sam Hyde meme

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

Elon Musk Is Not A Deep Thinker Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

This week we’re talking about what was revealed by Elon Musk’s texts about Twitter. It turns out Elon Musk is not the deep thinker a lot people think he is. It’s not clear he understands how Twitter works or why people use it. And he definitely doesn’t know what two-factor authentication is. Also, Luke gets really mad about a New York Times tweet about cooking breakfast but then tries to act like he’s not actually mad.

Also, come to our live show in London next month!

SHOW NOTES

A full transcript of all the text messages

Charlie Warzel’s great Atlantic piece

More on the Musk texts

The New York Times tweet that Luke got upset about

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

There’s A Digital Advertising Apocalypse Coming Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

This week we’re talking about the very dark times that appear to be fast approaching the world of digital advertising. That may sound kind of boring, but it’s going to have ramifications all over the internet. What happens when the internet’s largest platforms — which are basically just advertising companies — stop being able to effectively sell ads? Also, we spend a lot of time trying to reverse engineer MrBeast’s formula for successfully psychologically torturing random people for ad revenue.

Here’s the MrBeast video we reference and here’s the Walmart metaverse clip.

Oh, and if you’d like to vote for us for a Lovie Award, you can do that here. Please help us realize our dream of wearing suits together at a fancy European cocktail reception.

And, finally, we have a new producer and editor starting this week! His name’s Alan and you’ll hear him in this week’s episode.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

Can Meta's Platforms Still Swing An Election? Sep 23, 2022

Show notes

This week we’re looking forward at the US midterms and the upcoming Brazilian presidential election by looking back at how Meta’s platforms played a role in both four years ago. It may feel like nothing’s changed, but it also feels like we’re in a completely new online world. So we’re curious whether apps like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have the viral power to impact an election in 2022.

And if you’d like to vote for us for a Lovie Award, you can do that here. Please help us realize our dream of wearing suits together at a fancy European cocktail reception.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

The Daftest Ways The UK Is Mourning The Queen Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

We’re talking about the Queen of England’s death this week. We’re talking about the totally bizarre reactions the American media had and the even more bizarre reactions British society had. Also, yes, we also talk about Tumblr’s reaction. Luke also breaks down the difference between the magic hats and the magic stones and what they mean.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

The Weird Thread Men Of Twitter Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

You’ve definitely seen these guys. They take what would normally be one very boring LinkedIn post, but turn it into an even duller Twitter thread. What’s the deal? Is it a growth hack? (Yes, probably.) Is it because they crave attention? (For sure.) Is it evil? (Maybe.) But most importantly, what does it say about Twitter as a platform? Also, yes, we talk about the Harry Styles spit video.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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