Digital Folklore

By Perry Carpenter & Mason Amadeus | RealmSociety & Culture Technology History

Digital Folklore episodes

April 29, 2025 Artifacts of Deception (Deceptive Minds - issue #2)
This is the 2nd of 2 sample episodes/issues of Perry's new audio newsletter, Deceptive Minds. If you enjoyed these and want to receive future editions, please subscribe here.
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Hey friends! Here's issue 2 of Deceptive Minds: a newsletter about how we are fooled, how we fool ourselves, and what we can do about it.
🔥 Since starting this newsletter last week, we're already closing in on 3,000 subscribers to the print edition! 🔥 Huge thanks to everyone who's jumped in early!
This week, I'm diving into what I call the “artifacts of deception,” and why the flashy stuff (deepfakes, fake emails, cloned voices) isn’t the real trick you need to watch for.
Hope you enjoy this exploration into the hidden mechanics of how deception *really* works.
Here we go…
— Perry

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12 min
April 29, 2025 Introducing: Deceptive Minds (the audio experience)
Hey listeners, Perry Carpenter here. I've got something exciting that I think you'll be interested in. It's the audio version of a newsletter that I recently started.
The newsletter is called Deceptive Minds, and it's all about how we are fooled, how we fool ourselves, and what we can do about it.
I'm dropping the first two episodes/issues in this feed so you can decide if you like it and might be interested in subscribing to the ⁠audio⁠ or ⁠print⁠ versions.
Oh -- and while I've got your attention, I'd love for you to check out my new website ⁠⁠The Deception Project⁠⁠ at ⁠⁠https://thedeceptionproject.com⁠⁠. I've got a few fun things planned that should be landing there soon.
So stay tuned.
Thanks!
Perry

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6 min
October 07, 2024FAIK Miniseries (sneak peek) | Chapter 3: The Mindset and Tools of a Digital Manipulator
This is Part Three of a ten-part miniseries exploring Perry Carpenter's latest book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions. Each episode kicks off with a dramatized reading of the "Whispers from the Static" vignette that opens the chapter, followed by an in-depth conversation with Perry Carpenter and Mason Amadeus, where they unpack the chapter's themes and real-world implications.
Get the Book (Amazon Associate Link): FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions
Check out the website for more info: https://thisbookisfaik.com
Voice credits for the opening "Whispers from the Static": Kayla Temshiv
This is the last episode we are publishing in this feed. If you enjoy The FAIK Files, be sure to follow the show's feed so you don't miss out on future episodes.
Links to the show:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-faik-files-decoding-ai-deception/id1771521321
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CGEktxUQAbgwQaWB922Ip?si=9-NazIazRgKCDXudoGwAdQ
All others: https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/the-faik-files

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31 min
September 30, 2024FAIK Miniseries (sneak peek) | Chapter 2: New Frontiers of Deception: AI and Synthetic Media
This is Part Two of a ten-part miniseries exploring Perry Carpenter's latest book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions. Each episode kicks off with a dramatized reading of the "Whispers from the Static" vignette that opens the chapter, followed by an in-depth conversation with Perry Carpenter and Mason Amadeus, where they unpack the chapter's themes and real-world implications.
Get the Book (Amazon Associate Link): FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions
Check out the website for more info: https://thisbookisfaik.com
We'll be posting episodes 1 through 3 on this feed. If you enjoy The FAIK Files, be sure to follow the show's feed so you don't miss out on future episodes.
Links to the show:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-faik-files-decoding-ai-deception/id1771521321
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CGEktxUQAbgwQaWB922Ip?si=9-NazIazRgKCDXudoGwAdQ
All others: https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/the-faik-files

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33 min
September 30, 2024FAIK Miniseries (sneak peek) | Chapter 1: The Eternal Battle for the Mind
This is Part One of a ten-part miniseries exploring Perry Carpenter's latest book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions. Each episode kicks off with a dramatized reading of the "Whispers from the Static" vignette that opens the chapter, followed by an in-depth conversation with Perry Carpenter and Mason Amadeus, where they unpack the chapter's themes and real-world implications.
Get the Book (Amazon Associate Link): FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions
Check out the website for more info: https://thisbookisfaik.com
We'll be posting episodes 1 through 3 on this feed. If you enjoy The FAIK Files, be sure to follow the show's feed so you don't miss out on future episodes.
Links to the show:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-faik-files-decoding-ai-deception/id1771521321
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CGEktxUQAbgwQaWB922Ip?si=9-NazIazRgKCDXudoGwAdQ
All others: https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/the-faik-files

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34 min
July 11, 2024 UPDATE: Perry Made Something Cool...
B&N Preorder Link: https://faik.to/GetFAIKed
Amazon Preorder Link: https://amzn.to/3Lg55kZ
Barnes & Noble is offering 25% off of pre-order books until July 17th if you join their free rewards program.
Perry's new book FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions comes out October 1st of this year!

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2 min
May 13, 2024Dr. Andrew Peck | Unplugged
Unplugged episodes are where we ditch all the fancy production and story elements and bring you the raw (or slightly edited) interviews with folklore experts.
On today’s episode, Mason & Perry got to speak with Andrew Peck. This was a very special interview for us because it ties all the way back to the ending lines of season 1 episode 1. If it’s been a while since you’ve listened to that episode, you may have forgotten that we ended with a quote from Andrew’s paper: Tall, Dark, and Loathsome: The Emergence of a Legend Cycle in the Digital Age. And that was the perfect way to move into the rest of the season.
After that episode, Andrew was kind enough to reach out to us with some very encouraging words. That validation, right after our first episode, was incredibly encouraging.
So it was an honor to be able to bring Andrew on the show in episode 7 of Season 2. … and he blew us away with his acting and how “all in” he was in the role we wrote for him. If you haven’t yet listened to that episode, you’ll want to add it to your list.
Ok, let’s get unplugged…
Guest:
Dr. Andrew Peck (University Profile)

Additional Resources (Books are Amazon Associates Links to help support the show)
Digital Legend and Belief: The Slender Man, Folklore, and the Media, by Andrew Peck
Folklore and Social Media, edited by Andrew Peck and Trevor J. Blank
Journal Article -- Tall, Dark, and Loathsome: The Emergence of a Legend Cycle in the Digital Age, by Andrew Peck
Journal Article: A Problem of Amplification: Folklore and Fake News in the Age of Social Media, by Andrew Peck
Digital Folklore Season 2, Episode 7: If Memory Serves (Mandela Effect, Folk Trust, & AI)
Folkwise Interview with Andrew
🗣 Join our Discord community
💁‍♀️ Support us on Patreon
🕸 Sign-up for our newsletter, check our our merch, and learn more about the show at digitalfolklore.fm.
📚 Check our book list for some great folklore-related books
Find us on the socials:
Twitter: @digiFolklorePod
Facebook: DigitalFolklorePod
Instagram: DigitalFolklorePod
TikTok: digitalfolklore

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45 min
March 11, 2024After the Episode | S2E10 (No-clipping Reality)
Perry & Mason catch up after the production of Season Two!
Alas, Perry's audio track suffered some stuttering - but the gang reconvenes to debrief after a chaotic and wonderful adventure.
Things we mentioned:
How chaotically this episode came together, and we hint vaguely about a bunch of really cool stuff we almost did - and will be doing in the future.
Some insight into details of the season's production, sound design, writing, etc.
Mason brings up the "Dead Internet Theory" which he didn't clarify is a conspiracy theory, but at the heart of it is an idea that he felt compelling - that the noise of AI-generated content drives us farther apart online and into less accessible spaces.
Some of our discord members share their favorite examples of liminal spaces!
Somebody asked us if Gen Z was gonna be alright.
Episode editing help by Matt Bliss of MBPod.
If you want to find the extra clips and BTS snippets, join our Discord server using the link below!
🗣 Join our Discord community
💁‍♀️ Support us on Patreon
🕸 Sign-up for our newsletter, check our our merch, and learn more about the show at digitalfolklore.fm.
📚 Check our book list for some great folklore-related books
Find us on the socials:
Twitter: @digiFolklorePod
Facebook: DigitalFolklorePod
Instagram: DigitalFolklorePod
TikTok: digitalfolklore

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52 min
February 29, 2024No-Clipping Reality (Liminal Spaces & Possibility)
No-Clipping Reality (Liminal Spaces & Possibility)
Out of the frying pan, and into the... backrooms, I guess? Welcome to the final episode of Digital Folklore's second season! We hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. Perry and Mason wander through endless, yellow, dank, decrepit hallways. Will they find Digby? Will Todd find them? What's going on? Where do we go from here? I don't know, I just write the shownotes.
Speaking of writing the shownotes -
Hey, if you're reading this - please join our Discord! Genuinely, it's a really rewarding place full of great folks - and we feel strongly about building a supportive community around our shared nerdiness. There's plenty of room for you!

In This Episode:
Voices from our discord community!
The return of the famous Carterhaugh Twins*!
Uncomfortably wet sound design (Mason says "you're welcome")
Why transitions, waiting time, and all those other pockets of not-quite-doing-something-time are important.
Rituals, fairytales, creepiness, light hearted joy, and so much more.
*they're not actually twins, Daisy just got us saying that lol

Guests:
Dr Brittany Warman & Dr Sara Cleto: Founders of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore & The Fantastic! They're incredible, and you should check out their work!

Featuring voice acting from:
Hannah Wright of Inn Between* as NEWSCASTER 2
Brooke Jennett of THIRTEEN as Digby (and one of the newscasters!)
Rich Daigle of Mouth Almighty as Todd
*Mason plays the character Larkin in Season 5 of Inn Between!

🗣 Join our Discord community
💁‍♀️ Support us on Patreon
🕸 Sign-up for our newsletter, check our our merch, and learn more about the show at digitalfolklore.fm.
📚 Check our book list for some great folklore-related books
Find us on the socials:
Twitter: @digiFolklorePod
Facebook: DigitalFolklorePod
Instagram: DigitalFolklorePod
TikTok: digitalfolklore

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45 min
February 05, 2024After the Episode | S2E9 (Unwrapping our Presence)
Perry & Mason catch up after the production of the last episode!
Things we mentioned:
Perry & Mason discuss their most/least favorite emoji, their favorite contemporary legends, and their own embarrassing browser histories!
Todd is real, and cursed Mason's editing computer.
Mason reveals that he owns PregnantSonic.com, which points to the patreon page for the excellent audio drama podcast Inn Between (which Mason is a character on in the current season!)
Perry retells an upsetting legend to Mason.
Matt did some silly sound design in this one 👀
Listener messages and shout outs!
Episode editing by Matt Bliss of MBPod.
If you want to find the extra clips and BTS snippets, join our Discord server using the link below!
🗣 Join our Discord community
💁‍♀️ Support us on Patreon
🕸 Sign-up for our newsletter, check our our merch, and learn more about the show at digitalfolklore.fm.
📚 Check our book list for some great folklore-related books
Find us on the socials:
Twitter: @digiFolklorePod
Facebook: DigitalFolklorePod
Instagram: DigitalFolklorePod
TikTok: digitalfolklore

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
36 min

About Digital Folklore

From the publisher's feed

Digital Folklore is an immersive audio adventure that takes place inside a fictional universe, but explores the real-world truths behind various expressions of internet culture and how each holds up a mirror to the society from which they emerge.