INFLUENCE

As we spend more and more time inside digital worlds, documenting human behavior in virtual spaces has become an exciting new field of research. Alli and Jen talk to gaming archaeologist Andrew Reinhard about his expeditions inside the universe of No Man's Sky.

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

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz studied data from Google, Pornhub, and other online platforms. He found that overt racism is alive and well in America, porn preferences are not what you'd expect, and many women are asking Google if their husbands are gay. Alli and Jen talk to Seth about the bizarre trends in his data analysis book Everybody Lies.

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

Turns out attorneys are humans, too. Alli and Jen talk to Keith Lee, who created Lawyer Slack -- a private, lawyers-only chat room where attorneys can speak freely about ongoing cases, modern legal issues, ridiculous lawsuits, Game of Thrones, and cute doggos.

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

A Facebook group with 50,000 members is all about posting pictures of British breakfast food so people can curse at you. Alli and Jen get the scoop behind one of the most hilarious and bizarre Facebook communities.

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

In the era of fake news, climate deniers, and anti-vaxxers, productive discussion about peer-reviewed science can be hard to come by on the internet. Fortunately, the subreddit r/science (with 17 million subscribers) has some ingenious ways to connect the curious masses with real scientists, root out trolls, and present controversial topics some readers might not be ready for. Alli and Jen get sciency with head moderator Dr. Nathan Allen, a PhD in synthetic chemistry.

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

Most dating apps pair people based on looks or shared interests. Hater matches couples based on things they hate: Slow walkers, the Super Bowl, tall dudes at concerts. Does having a "hate" in common create a deeper connection? Alli and Jen interview the Creator of Hater Dater, Brendan Alper.

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

Autonomous sensory meridian response (known as ASMR) is that tingly sensation on the back of your neck when you hear certain quiet sounds, like whispering or tapping. There's a huge community devoted to triggering your tingles on YouTube. Alli and Jen talk to Gibi, an "ASMRtist" about her rise to tingly internet fame.

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

Thousands of people identify as "vampires" online, but the term is more complicated (and metaphorical) than horror movie stereotypes. Alli and Jen talk to self-identified vampire Anshar Seraphim about tasting human blood and absorbing other people's energy and emotions.

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

Today I F@*#ked Up (or r/TIFU) is a place where people anonymously share their most terrible or embarrassing stories. It's also one of the most popular communities on Reddit. Alli and Jen ask a moderator of TIFU about the craziest stories the sub has ever seen.

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

Making an appointment to be cuddled by a stranger might seem odd, but Adam Lippin -- the founder of Cuddlist.com -- believes therapeutic touch will be as common as yoga in the next few years.

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