Slate Technology

Elon Musk isn't wrong that Twitter has a bot problem. But he's kind of missing the point.

Guest: Samuel Woolley

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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Over the past few months, musicians have been posting on TikTok about how their record labels are forcing them to make TikTok videos to promote their new music. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison look at what all these famous musicians like Charli XCX, Florence Welch, and Ed Sheeran are posting, why the music industry is so desperate for viral hits, and who we should feel sorry for in all of this.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher.

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Some call him revolutionary. Others call him a hack. Is his success warranted?

Guest: Ashlee Vance

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

Thanks Avast.com!

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The Mormon moms on TikTok are accused of “soft swinging,” or engaging in sexual acts with people other than their spouses while their spouses are in the room, and people cannot stop asking about it. On the show today, Madison and Rachelle talk about Liam Payne’s recent comments about his former One Direction bandmates, and then they’re back with High Speed Downloads about the Early American Youtube channel, and the drama surrounding the Mormon moms of TikTok.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher.

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Like so much of pop culture, online culture is largely rooted in the work of Black and other marginalized people. Writer and activist Bridget Todd celebrates their stories on her podcast There Are No Girls on the Internet. On today’s episode of A Word, she joins Jason Johnson to talk about the challenge of preserving that history, and building communities for women, LGBTQ people, and Black folks in an increasingly hostile online world. 

Guest: Bridget Todd, host of the “There Are No Girls on the Internet” podcast.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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Schools have spent millions to detect threats online. It mostly doesn’t work.

Guest: Arijit Sen

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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Since it started over six weeks ago, the court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has been impossible to escape online. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison look at the troubling ways people are discussing the trial, the cottage industry of lawyers reacting to the trial, and the stakes that have been lost in the breathless coverage and endless meme-ing of Heard and Depp.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher.

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What can current surveillance infrastructure tell us about online privacy after the fall of Roe? 

Guest: Lily Hay Newman

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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Earlier this month, Bobbi Brown’s new foundation line blew up on TikTok thanks to some rather ungenerous videos from beauty influencers. In an effort to defend her new Jones Road line, Brown took to TikTok and filmed her own response, rocketing the drama into the TikTok mainstream. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle dig through the drama to explain why this isn’t just a story about one makeup company, and what it reveals about the state of the influencer industry.

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder.

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Is El Salvador heading for default after going all in on crypto?

Guest: Anna-Cat Brigida

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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