On this week's Endless Thread, host Ben Brock Johnson and producer Grace Tatter bring us two stories about the power of livestreams – one from the Coldplay concert box seats, and another from a notorious rat corridor in Brooklyn, NYC.
Show notes:
What's the deal with "Astronomer" CEO and CPO affair? (Reddit)
A Crown Heights Building's Rat Infestation Gets a Livestream (Hell Gate)
Rat cam (YouTube/Adam Schleser)
I am a rat (a real live rotten-tailed rat) (YouTube/Adam Schleser)
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24:45
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24:45
Thinking Outside the Dox: What 'consensual doxing' can teach us about internet privacy
Kristen Sotakoun (@notkahnjunior on TikTok) says she has always been 'the FBI of the friend group' – that person you can count on to dig up the juicy details on anyone's social media.
It's a skillset that has earned her millions upon millions of views on TikTok in a series she has dubbed 'consensual doxing.' In her videos, Kristen completes challenges from her viewers to find their birthdays, using only publicly posted information online.
Kristen is now a handful of creators on TikTok who are making consensual doxing videos as educational content, encouraging viewers to think more deeply about what they post online, and where.
On this week's Endless Thread, we dive into the world of consensual doxing, what it can teach us about our privacy, and host Ben Brock Johnson gets (consensually) doxed.
Show notes:
I got popular on TikTok by being a total creep (Business Insider)
This Man Proves You Can Find Anyone Using Geolocation — and It's a Scary Lesson for All of Us (Distractify)
‘Consensual doxxing’ reveals the confronting truth about online privacy - you’re not as hidden as you think (7NEWS Australia)
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29:34
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29:34
There's a new emoji for sadness :(
What does the thumbs-up emoji mean to you? Or the wilted rose? The meanings of emojis are limitless and can differ across social groups or generations. On this episode of Endless Thread, Ben and Amory discuss two stories about how certain emojis have taken on surprising meanings.
Show notes:
* Here’s why the Aerial Tramway Emoji is suddenly in every YouTube comment section (daily dot)
*Alright guys.. What is does this emoji mean and why is it used so much? (Reddit)
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24:11
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24:11
Why it feels like it rains every weekend
If you feel like it's been raining a lot on the weekends this summer, you're not alone. A couple months ago, we noticed a thread on r/boston asking why? So, we enlisted the help of one of our WBUR colleagues, Climate and Environment Corespondent Barbara Moran to clear things up once and for all.
Show notes:
Rain Every Weekend??? (Reddit)
OMG, why is it raining every Saturday in Boston? (WBUR)
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21:37
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21:37
Episodes We Love: How to Fight a Shark
This episode originally aired on July 12, 2024. It has been updated to more clearly represent communication with Kayleigh Grant about a conversation with Kristian Parton.
When Endless Thread producer Grace Tatter heard a friend assert that she could ward off a shark because of TikTok, Grace was both concerned for her friend's safety, and curious. Why are there so many videos about "redirecting" sharks on TikTok, and how accurate are they?
Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dive into the controversial world of SharkTok, where influencers are trying to show a different side of sharks by getting up close and personal with them.
Show notes:
Mermaid Kayleigh (Instagram)
Welcome to Shark Bytes (YouTube)
Steven Spielberg on the BBC's Desert Island Disks
A diver's extremely close visit with a great white shark went viral. Marine biologists say don't copy her. (Washington Post)Credits: This episode was produced by Grace Tatter with Cici Yu. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. It was hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.
Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dig into the internet's vast and curious ecosystem of online communities to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and other jaw-dropping stories online and IRL.
Netherlands