Wow If True

We are a shining beacon of 2009 fandom in these trying times. Chill vibes only on the pod as very online playwright Alexa Derman stops by to tell us about "Big Fanfic Piece," a digital play in which her friends performed her 2009 fanfiction.net profile, which she deleted after being featured in a list of "worst Twilight fanfics." Also, we have to talk about HPMOR. And then we tell you Iz's twelve year old fanfiction.net account username, which we are sure everyone really wanted to know.  

Show Notes 

Alexa's Big Fanfic Piece: https://bigfanficpiece.tumblr.com/

 

Affiliate Links 

Libro.fm: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=25361&awinaffid=1001477&ued=https%3A%2F%2Flibro.fm%2Fmembership%3Fmp%3DWOW (…or just enter promo code WOW to start a monthly subscription with two books for the price of one!) Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/wowiftrue

 

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue

Website: https://wowiftrue.com/

Email: [email protected]

 

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Eric Silver, and our production is by Allison Mills. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode: there’s nothing wrong with web3 and it is going just great, because we’ve entered a parallel dimension where crypto doesn’t exist but women do. That’s a lie: we’re here to talk about the biggest financial seizure in history, cryptoland, and also, Razzlekhan. And we’re joined by special guest Molly White, creator of “web3 is going just great,” a site that chronicles the many stumbles web3 has while it continues its sigma grindset. Also, Amanda raps. So you should listen for that, at the very least.

 

Show Notes 

Web3 is going just great: https://web3isgoinggreat.com/

Molly’s website: https://www.mollywhite.net/

Abuse and harassment on the blockchain: https://blog.mollywhite.net/abuse-and-harassment-on-the-blockchain/

Razzlekhan video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-38TQeQrQ88

Cryptoland video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x26fUL_YB14 

Crypto money laundering scandal: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-08/judge-grants-bail-to-crypto-couple-charged-in-4-5-billion-hack?sref=w8mEqFdc

Deep dive on Razzlekhan: https://www.theverge.com/22924237/razzlekhan-bitfinex-hack-laundering-bitcoin-explained-rapper-heather-morgan

 

 

Affiliate Links 

Libro.fm: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=25361&awinaffid=1001477&ued=https%3A%2F%2Flibro.fm%2Fmembership%3Fmp%3DWOW (…or just enter promo code WOW to start a monthly subscription with two books for the price of one!) Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/wowiftrue

 

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/Email: [email protected]

 

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Eric Silver, and our production is by Allison Mills. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

[TW: mention of sexual assault 5:05-5:20]

In this episode: Is this a poetry workshop? No! It’s the gamer girl spectacular, featuring gamer girl Eric Silver. Just kidding, Eric isn’t a gamer girl, Eric’s the Head of Creative at Multitude Productions and Dungeon Master of Join the Party. We’re here talking about real gamer girl things, like mergers and acquisitions — specifically Microsoft and Activision, the Undertale-Pope connection, and whether we approve of Wordle culture or not. After we recorded this, every single game company decided to merge (Sony and Bungie!), and the NYT acquired Wordle, proving once again that we are cursed with Apollo’s gift of prophecy.

Affiliate Links 

Libro.fm: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=25361&awinaffid=1001477&ued=https%3A%2F%2Flibro.fm%2Fmembership%3Fmp%3DWOW (…or just enter promo code WOW to start a monthly subscription with two books for the price of one!) Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/wowiftrue

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/Email: [email protected]

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Eric Silver, and our production is by Allison Mills. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode: Iz breaks Amanda with the identity of blorbo, we discuss the circular nature of social media fame and going viral for nothing (hello Hype House yes this is a drag), and the current Tower of Babel situation Tumblr is undergoing. Also, we talk about rebranding, both conceptually and as a very real thing we’re doing.

Show Notes

Blorbo links?

https://twitter.com/tumblr/status/1480981759369965571

https://casgirl.tumblr.com/post/672727025101979648

https://pwcbthesixth.tumblr.com/post/673230436853596160/to-anyone-who-missed-it-blorbo-a-favourite

https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/blorbo-from-my-shows-tumblr-meme/

The New Yorker on Tumblr: 

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/how-tumblr-became-popular-for-being-obsolete

Affiliate Links 

Libro.fm: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=25361&awinaffid=1001477&ued=https%3A%2F%2Flibro.fm%2Fmembership%3Fmp%3DWOW (…or just enter promo code WOW to start a monthly subscription with two books for the price of one!) Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/wowiftrue

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/Email: [email protected]

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Eric Silver, and our production is by Allison Mills. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

​​Wow If True is your one-stop internet culture shop, hosted by meme sommeliers and real-life besties: tech journalist Amanda Silberling and terminally-online law guy Isabel J. Kim. We dig into what, where, and how something's going viral, and why what’s happening online matters in real life. New episodes every other Wednesday.

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/Email: [email protected]

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Eric Silver, and our production is by Allison Mills. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we’re rolling back the calendar to talk about the viral highlights (and lowlights) of 2021. Just kidding, we’re talking about Timothée Chalamet being Amanda’s real life nemesis, the magnetic, unexplainable appeal of Pete Davidson, and also the upsetting juxtaposition between tragedy and comedy that defined viral events in 2021. Also, Isabel threatens to murder three different people.  

Show Notes

Paige Skinner's 2021 discourse list: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r9Poy88d4mO2g4BsZY2xRYRqseFUrHztTAfoVzyu2uw/edit

Llama in a Tux discourse list: https://twitter.com/llamainatux/status/1475173334505693184?s=21

 

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/Email: [email protected]

 

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Isabel J. Kim, and our production is by Allison Mills. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mysticism meets data science in this week’s episode, where we unwrap Spotify Wrapped and talk way more about auras than we needed to. Also, if the algorithm suggested this episode to you — great news for recursion fans, we talk about the algorithm. And last, weird news for money fans, Mr. Beast is throwing lots of it away, cause that’s what the content machine craves — not you though, YOU want to listen to this episode.

 

Show Notes

Mystic Michaela: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-12-01/learn-more-about-the-audio-aura-in-your-spotify-2021-wrapped-with-aura-reader-mystic-michaela/

Brand cocoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPHK494AUxE

Amanda’s MrBeast/Squid Game article: https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/03/mrbeast-squid-game-creator-economy-viral/

Isabel is on a cool list: https://www.tor.com/2021/12/14/must-read-speculative-short-fiction-for-november-2021/

 

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/Email: [email protected]

 

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Isabel J. Kim, and our production is by Allison Mills. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

32: Corporate Cringe

Facebook rebranded, which is extremely cringe and not based. Also, venture capitalists are subsidizing the lives of creators now, and we can’t decide whether that’s cringe or if we’re jealous that no one is giving us millions of dollars for this S-tier podcast. Also also, Isabel makes Amanda go into the Wendy’s Discord, the definition of corporate cringe. Somehow, Amanda’s childhood skiing accident comes up. It’s a mess of an episode, but we know you love mess.

Show Notes

Venture capital firm invests in creator: https://www.axios.com/content-creators-financing-investing-startups-cb5cea1f-9bf6-4345-9b37-e9bcb5506e94.html

Facebook’s biggest crime (forgot to mention in episode but you gotta see this): https://www.inputmag.com/culture/leak-this-internal-facebook-benefits-video-may-be-its-greatest-crime

Wendy’s has a discord: https://twitter.com/Wendys/status/1425549128399040519

The Empire State Building Stans Taylor: https://twitter.com/empirestatebldg/status/1458460717544361988?s=21

The corporate Twitter that is the best and most crisis-inducing: https://twitter.com/steak_umm

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/Email: [email protected]

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Isabel J. Kim, and our production is by Amanda Silberling. We like memes. 

 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

31: Cult Survivor TikTok (ft. Elizabeth Hunter)

Sometimes, the algorithm is… good? For people with very specific experiences — like surviving a cult — social media can be a place of connection and healing. Elizabeth Hunter went viral on TikTok for talking about her experiences growing up in a fundamentalist cult, and now, she’s the named plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Department of Education — it’s a long story, but we have it all for you here on your favorite internet culture podcast! We also confront Elizabeth about the awful way in which she cuts avocados and talk about how going viral has impacted her life. 

Trigger warning for discussions of child abuse and sexual assault. Here are some timestamps to avoid if you wanna steer clear: 

15:10 - 15:25 22:00 -22:10 31:15-31:45

 

Show Notes

Elizabeth’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatlizhunter Elizabeth’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatlizhunter/ Elizabeth’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTxpivxeCjK6i9RSBS9vMGg

Elizabeth in Teen Vogue: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/lgbtq-students-sue-religious-schools-discrimination

Elizabeth in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/christian-colleges-lawsuit-lgbtq-equality-act/2021/03/29/39343620-90af-11eb-9668-89be11273c09_story.html

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/Email: [email protected]

 

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Isabel J. Kim, and our production is by Amanda Silberling. We like memes. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Another episode, another deep dive into pointless internet drama. This time, we’re talking about Realms of Ruin, the ill-fated NFT-based publishing project created by six bestselling young adult authors that people hated so much, it got shut down in hours. Plus, Isabel somehow finds a way to mention Supernatural and Homestuck, and Amanda shares her most controversial opinions. 

Show Notes

If you are looking for even more content on this, here’s a deep dive that we think is very good and we have no bias: https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/26/inside-realms-of-ruin-ya-novelists-failed-nft-project/

Find Us Online 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/Email: [email protected]

About Us 

Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our music is by Sam Rizer, our cover art is by Isabel J. Kim, and our production is by Amanda Silberling. We like memes. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.