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PODCAST

INFLUENCE

What does it really take to make a living (and an impact) on the Internet today? Join Matt Silverman (who has been covering online culture for 15+ years) in conversation with YouTubers, musicians, podcasters, streamers, journalists, TikTokers and more about turning creativity into a job, building community on ever-changing platforms, and their complex relationships with huge online audiences. INFLUENCE is the relaunch of 2 GIRLS 1 PODCAST, a weekly comedy/interview show about fascinating online

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All Episodes

61:14

169 Why the Creator of Nyan Cat Could Have Made...

INFLUENCE ·

2021/03/29

In 2011, Chris Torres drew a pixelated cat with a Pop Tart body and a rainbow shooting out of its butt. It raised $100 for a charity in Texas. 10 years later, it's not only one of the Internet's most iconic images (representing the silliness of the social media age), but has sold at auction as a non-fungible token (NFT) for 300 Ether -- currently, the equivalent of $590,000. So how can you own an Internet meme, which is by definition a digital file that has been shared and remixed millions of times

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48:30

168 Dogecoin and the Decentralized Dance Party

INFLUENCE ·

2021/03/22

Since 2013, The Doge meme has made us laugh, cry, and stare longingly into the beautiful eyes of a Shiba Inu. Like most memes, it’s an image put into new contexts again and again. And in late 2013, it was turned into a cryptocurrency. Dogecoin began as a joke — a way to poke fun at the rise of blockchain and crypto trends. But today, it's incredibly popular as a commodity and digital currency, with an estimated market cap of $5 billion (as of this writing). Gary Lachance, an open source and

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68:12

167 Ships of the Northern Fleet

INFLUENCE ·

2021/03/15

The cult steampunk adventure book series "Ships of the Northern Fleet" has inspired a TV show, graphic novels, and even a breakfast cereal. But the influential show has fallen off the pop culture radar in recent years. That is until a TikToker named Mister Nickel brought a flood of nostalgia back to the Internet to reunite the rabid fan community. Alli and Jen talk with Mister Nickel and the one and only Catie Osborn, the actor best known for playing Annie on "Ships" for multiple seasons (before the

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69:44

166 How 'Blaseball' Fans Help Create the Game They Love

INFLUENCE ·

2021/03/08

Bored during the pandemic? Maybe you should try betting fake money on a league of simulated baseball teams where imaginary players like Jessica Telephone and Jaylen Hotdogfingers are regularly incinerated, undergo life-altering surgeries, and become ... encased in giant peanut shells? Welcome to "Blaseball," the absurdist browser-based game that has captured thousands of imaginations and spawned an obsessive fandom that creates art, backstories, podcasts, multi-verse wikis, and even music about the

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75:03

165 Consensus-Based Reality: How Blockchain...

INFLUENCE ·

2021/03/01

When people talk about Bitcoin and blockchain tech, the conversation typically moves to the price of commodities and the hype around trading them. But the actual blockchain movement is about so much more. Alli and Jen talk with Adam B. Levine, the podcast editor at CoinDesk, who breaks down how our trust in banks, governments, and monetary policy has failed us in the 20th century, and why cryptocurrencies re-assign that trust to math and a "consensus-based reality" — that is, a majority of people

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78:02

164 Why Disinformation Spreads So Quickly in Online...

INFLUENCE ·

2021/02/22

While we love Internet communities, it's clear that some can seed and spread weaponized information at breakneck speeds. Platforms facilitate this, but social dynamics are also at work here. And if there's any hope of squashing disinformation, it's time to take a hard look at the communities that are incentivized to manufacture it. Alli and Jen talk with Bridget Todd, an activist and host of the podcast "There Are No Girls on the Internet," whose recent series "Disinformed" is about making sense of

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66:04

163 The_Donald

INFLUENCE ·

2021/02/15

Here on 2 GIRLS 1 PODCAST, we typically cover online communities that make a positive impact on the internet through their creativity or inclusivity. But not all digital watercoolers are a force for good. The_Donald is a now-banned subreddit that was home to some of the former president's most passionate supporters. That, in itself, is barely interesting. What boggles the mind is how this community rocketed disinformation into mainstream discourse, helped organize the January 6 insurrection, and

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71:03

[Encore Episode] 111 @MugJerry and the Quest for...

INFLUENCE ·

2021/02/08

We've got some great new episodes in the pipeline for you, but while we wait, here's an encore of one of our favorites, originally published on December 8, 2019. -Original Notes- The Instagram account turned multi-million dollar media company @FuckJerry is notorious for stealing funny tweets, memes, and other content from creators, and posting them — without credit or compensation — to their own social accounts. Fuck Jerry's following has exploded in recent years (14.5 million Instagram followers at

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53:30

162 Something Awful

INFLUENCE ·

2021/02/01

Since 1999, the website Something Awful has been an Internet culture tastemaker, and this closed community is still going strong two decades later — a rarity for online platforms. Many modern memes and web culture references have their roots on Something Awful's humor forums. For a one time fee of $10, you get full access to the site's vibrant discussion and community. That nominal barrier-to-entry is the secret to keeping the discourse quality high and shitpost ratios low, according to the site's

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60:10

161 Buy Nothing

INFLUENCE ·

2021/01/25

Want to save money, help your neighbors, and create less waste all at the same time? The Internet can help. Specifically, the "Buy Nothing" communities that have sprouted up in thousands of cities and towns around the world. Usually, they operate within Facebook groups, where people post things they want to get rid of, and neighbors can claim them. Alli and Jen speak with Marina Milosevic, the admin of the Santa Monica, CA Buy Nothing group, about the origins of the movement, managing a community

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66:56

160 How the Internet Is Changing Language (with...

INFLUENCE ·

2021/01/18

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

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52:22

159 Blasphemy Fetishes

INFLUENCE ·

2021/01/11

It won't shock most psychologists (armchair or professional) that figures of authority and oppression in early childhood can lead to kinks in adulthood. Look no further than blasphemy porn to bear out that theory. This week, Alli and Jen talk with Sabrina Bea, a blasphemy fetish cam model who specializes in tearing up bibles and dressing as nuns. Sabrina tells us why her clientele are searching for this highly specific content, and why they'll pay big bucks for it. Also, the most common (and

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55:26

158 COVID Long Haulers

INFLUENCE ·

2021/01/04

The media tends to present 2 kinds of COVID-19 patients: Those who make a full recovery, and those who die. But there's a massive group of people who suffer long term symptoms like months-long fevers, hair loss, and respiratory issues. And when they asked their doctors what was wrong, they got no answers. So these COVID "Long Haulers" have turned to Facebook groups to share their experiences, get advice, and pool the wisdom that medicine is only beginning to understand. Alli and Jen talk with

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26:29

Your Response to Our 4chan Episode

INFLUENCE ·

2020/12/28

Our interview about 4chan culture elicited the most listener response in the shortest period of time, so we want to share a lot of it. Alli, Jen and Matt discuss the 2G1P approach to primary source interviews, bias, and where we failed in covering this very complicated platform. Happy New Year from 2G1P! See you in 2021. Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1P Join us on Discord: discord.gg/2g1p Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.com Talk to Alli and

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50:45

157 Reddit Gifts (Internet Secret Santa)

INFLUENCE ·

2020/12/21

If you'd like the brighten the day of an Internet stranger, look no further than Reddit Gifts, the yearly online celebration where more than 100,000 Secret Santas swap gifts around the world. Alli and Jen talk with Janet, a Redditor who has swapped 19 gifts with strangers over the course of her secret Santa sleuthing. Janet shares the excitement of shopping for (and online stalking!) strangers, the fun of receiving great gifts, some life-changing stories from the community, and what happens when you

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69:46

[Encore Episode] 113 ClausNet: The Social Network for...

INFLUENCE ·

2020/12/14

It's been a busy week, so we're sharing one of our favorites to get you in the holiday spirit. We'll be back next week with more fun! -Originally Published December 22, 2019- Portraying Santa Claus in the modern era takes a village. What's the best way to whiten your eyebrows? Growing a beard, or applying one? How jolly is too jolly? That's where ClausNet comes in. It's a social network, online forum, marketplace, and community where Santa performers can trade tips, tell stories, and learn the best

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79:12

156 4chan: The Birthplace of All Memes

INFLUENCE ·

2020/12/07

4chan is often maligned by the media and mainstream culture as a hive of hate speech and hackers, but it's far more complex. 4chan culture is unique for its anonymity, ephemeral content, and un-challenged free speech, which often birth viral memes and hilarious crusades weeks before they reach Reddit or Facebook. 4chan's ability to mobilize real-world action against injustices like animal and child cruelty is also well documented. So how does this massively popular message board tick in a world

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77:04

[Encore Episode] 94 Sweepers (Originally Published...

INFLUENCE ·

2020/11/30

Happy Thanksgiving! We're taking a breather this week and re-sharing another one of our favorites, this one originally published in July of 2019. We hope you enjoy! -Original Notes- Tom has been to the Super Bowl multiple times. He goes on free cruises yearly, has ridden on the Daytona 500 track at 200 miles per hour, traveled with the U.S. soccer team, and devoted a room of his house to store all the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and big screen TVs he's won over the years. That's because he enters

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55:05

155 Modern Families Are Easier to Make Thanks to the...

INFLUENCE ·

2020/11/23

21st century families come in all shapes and sizes. And while dating apps have helped people from all different backgrounds and locations get together, there hasn't been an online system in place for non-romantic coupling, specifically for the surrogacy, platonic co-parenting, and other family structures. That's where Modamily joined the "matching app" ecosystem. As the CEO Ivan Fatovic explains, it came out of a dinner conversation among single women who hadn't found their life partner yet, but

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51:23

154 Financial Domination (Allie Eve Knox Returns!)

INFLUENCE ·

2020/11/16

Professional dominatrix and cam model Allie Eve Knox returns to discuss her particular area of expertise, Financial Domination (aka FinDom), the fetish where clients want to be told what to do with their money. But contrary to popular belief, it's not all about wasting your client's cash. In fact, Knox explains why a more sustainable approach to financial domination works out best for everyone involved. Think of it more as financial planning — with a lot more nudity. Knox shares how she got started

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