Slate Technology

Candice Lim is joined by Anisa Khalifa, a podcast producer and host of The Broadside from WUNC. They dissect the phenomenon surrounding video essays, which are not exactly new to YouTube, but finding a captivated audience in Gen-Z and millennial culture. From deep dives into The Hobbit to retellings of Greek mythology, the ability to analyze pop culture, cite sources and listen to spoken essays uninterrupted is creating the hunger for more longform content.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.

ICYMI is sponsored by BetterHelp.

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In the days leading up to the New Hampshire primary, voters received a robocall purportedly from Joe Biden. Authorities have now determined the call was likely A.I.-generated. 

In the era of A.I., how can voters tell what’s real and what’s not? And will the general election be thrown into chaos by artificial intelligence-created disinformation? 

Guest: Makena Kelly, senior writer at Wired covering politics and technology

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Paige Osburn and Anna Phillips.

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Candice Lim talks to Mychal Threets (@​​mychal3ts), a Bay Area librarian by day and beloved TikTok creator by night. In December 2023, Threets was the target of a negative tweet that called his TikToks weird. But in a shocking twist, the internet ran to Threet’s defense, praising his work and platform as a librarian. Threets joins the conversation to talk about his reaction to that moment, his new rules for navigating the comment section and his surprisingly millennial-core music taste.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.

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How much of our lives—our tastes, preferences and choices—have been fed to us through an interlocking, impersonal network of algorithms? 

Guest: Kyle Chayka, staff writer at the New Yorker and author of Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture.

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Candice Lim is joined by Slate staff writer Luke Winkie for a mailbag episode. They dive into listener questions about hot topics such as Stanley cups, Josh wine and the two tunnels dumbfounding the internet. Do you have an internet query, trend or phenomenon you just can’t wrap your head around? Let us help! Send your internet conundrums to [email protected] and we just might read your email on an upcoming episode.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.

ICYMI is sponsored by BetterHelp.

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When a cyberattack knocked the British Library out of commission in October of last year, a nation's researchers, scholars, students, and bookworms were left high and dry. Months later, the library is starting to come back online in limited capacity, but the attack has laid bare just how fragile our digital systems are. 

Guest: Sam Knight, staff writer at the New Yorker

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Candice Lim is joined by Milly Tamarez and Alise Morales, the co-hosts of Go Touch Grass — a new podcast that dives into the online gossip and niche drama you’ve missed this week. They dive into their internet diaries, which include Heather Gay memes, West Elm Caleb conspiracy theories and what happens when AI bots cheat on each other.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.

ICYMI is sponsored by BetterHelp.

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Covered in cameras, full of microphones, and always eager to use location data, our vehicles are “smartphones on wheels”—and privacy nightmares.

Guest: Kashmir Hill, technology and privacy reporter for the New York Times.

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Last week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spears asked you to weigh in on your preferred map app: Reigning champ Google, or late bloomer Apple? This week, they reveal your answers and discuss the merits of each. Also: Boeing’s airplane malfunctions, and what Bitcoin’s ETF approval means for crypto. In the Plus segment: Untangling the plagiarism drama of billionaire Bill Ackman and his wife Neri Oxman.

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Podcast production by Jared Downing.

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Candice Lim is joined by Vox culture reporter Aja Romano to explain the rapid social media rise of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. On December 28, 2023, Blanchard was released from prison after serving eight years following the brutal murder of her mother. Almost immediately, Blanchard became a social media celebrity who currently has more than 8 million followers on Instagram and 9 million followers on TikTok. But Blanchard’s internet presence raises questions about the way social media treats prisoners who have left the carceral system and whether the overwhelming support for Blanchard is warranted.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.

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