Episoder
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How do YouTube influencers neg their audiences into taking lifestyle advice?
Internet culture writer Steffi Cao joins Jamie to discuss how influencers undermine audiences with video titles that are not what they seem. The two discuss authenticity on social media platforms, why clickbait titles still reign supreme, and if thereâs anything positive to come of this trend.
đ Read YouTube Influencers want to neg you into taking lifestyle advice in Fast Company
About Steffi Cao
Steffi Cao is an internet culture writer, most recently reporting at BuzzFeed News and Forbes as its inaugural creator economy staff writer. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, Bustle, and MTV News. Her work, including her eponymous newsletter, itâs steffi, was featured on NPR and The View this year. She resides in Brooklyn, and her favorite berry is the blueberry.
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine & Dr. Jamie Cohen
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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What is the true potential of AI text-to-video generation?
Director of Curiouser Institute and award-winning AI games designer Reed Berkowitz discusses OpenAI's Sora, an AI text-to-image model that will soon be made available to the public. As Hollywood rolls back studio investments and executives project up to 90% loss in animation jobs, how can we separate hype from reality in the space? And what are the best ways to use AI text-to-video generation today?
Show notes:
OpenAI's Sora
Jeffrey Katzenberg claims 90% of artist animation jobs will be lost due to AI
Tyler Perry stops $800 million studio investment after OpenAI's Sora
Bill Peebles alien generation
Blaine Brown alien remix
AnimateDiff
About Reed Berkowitz:
Reed Berkowitz is the Director of Curiouser Institute, who has more than 25 years of experience designing, writing, and researching award-winning interactive experiences for companies including Universal Studios, Paramount, Cartoon Network, Peanuts, Sanrio, and many more. He formerly served as the Creative Director of New Games at Latitude, an AI-powered games company.
Follow Reed Berkowitz
Twitter | Website
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Manglende episoder?
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How will creators and tech companies grapple with the decline of journalism?
On this week's episode, Jamie and Josh discuss the relationship between creators, platforms, and journalists, the ongoing shift from legacy news sources to platforms like TikTok and YouTube for news consumption, and how venture-backed outlets built on the promise of digital advertising contributed to journalism's current crisis. Additionally, they highlight what gives them hope about journalism's future â and how you can help contribute to it.
Show Notes
More than half of U.S. counties have no access or very limited access to local news - Northwestern
More Americans are getting news on TikTok, bucking the trend seen on most other social media sites - Pew Research Center
S&P 500 Closes at Record High as Wall Street Bulls Run Wild - Axios
In a Pennsylvania town, a Facebook group fills the local news void - Brandy Zadrozny
Carol's Journey - Brandy Zadrozny
404 Media
Defector
Credits
Hosted by Dr. Jamie Cohen and Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How can we separate hype from hallucination in AI games?
Award-winning games designer and Director of Curiouser Institute Reed Berkowitz discusses why it's so difficult for mid-to-large studios to create AI NPCs, the brand safety risks associated with AI in games, and why AI games might require more writers rather than fewer.
đčïž You can play Grilling Molly Stone now.
đ° You can read AI Powered NPCs â Hype, or Hallucination and AI in Games: Complicated Characters on Medium.
About Reed Berkowitz:
Reed Berkowitz is the Director of Curiouser LLC, who has more than 25 years of experience designing, writing, and researching award-winning interactive experiences for companies including Universal Studios, Paramount, Cartoon Network, Peanuts, Sanrio, and many more. He formerly served as the Creative Director of New Games at Latitude, an AI-powered games company.
Follow Reed Berkowitz
Twitter | Website
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Where can creators turn after theyâve been cancelled?
Internet culture writer Steffi Cao discusses why cancelled creators turn to right-wing values to grow their businesses, the difficulty audiences have determining authenticity, and why it all matters â from economics to real-world action.
đ Read Influencers are pandering to conservatives to salvage their post-cancellation careers in Fast Company.
About Steffi Cao
Steffi Cao is an internet culture writer, most recently reporting at BuzzFeed News and Forbes as its inaugural creator economy staff writer. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, Bustle, and MTV News. Her work, including her eponymous newsletter, itâs steffi, was featured on NPR and The View this year. She resides in Brooklyn, and her favorite berry is the blueberry.
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine & Dr. Jamie Cohen
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How did Palantir develop a meme-obsessed fanbase of retail traders â and what does it mean?
Business Insider senior correspondent Katie Notopoulos discusses the livestreaming, meme-making community behind Palantir's stock and the company's CEO Alex Karp.
đ Read How Palantir stock developed a weird, passionate, meme-crazy fan base on Fast Company.
About Katie Notopoulos
Katie Notopoulos is a senior correspondent at Business Insider writing about technology and business. Based in New York, you can email her [email protected] or message her on Twitter @katienotopoulos. She covers topics on internet culture, big tech, social platforms, crypto, and personal tech. Previously, Katie was a tech reporter at BuzzFeed News and has written for Fast Company, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and MIT Technology Review.
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine & Dr. Jamie Cohen
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How can we explore visions for a better internet as it undergoes a monumental evolution?
Media literacy influencer Kelsey Russell, award-winning journalist Kat Tenbarge, digital culture journalist Steffi Cao, and moderator Rachel E. Greenspan explore the role of surveillance and the rise of panopticontent, the importance of trust and safety on healthy platforms, and why youth voices need to be included in conversations about social media platform development. This panel was recorded live from Digital Void's The Meme in the Moment Festival 2023 at Caveat in New York City on December 14, 2024.
About Kat Tenbarge
Kat Tenbarge is an award-winning tech and culture reporter for NBC News Digital. Her coverage includes platforms, influencers, celebrities, and online culture. She also investigates sexual assault allegations.
About Kelsey Russell
Kelsey Russell is a content creator and full time graduate student at Teachers College, Columbia University. Kelsey Russell believes education should be entertaining and entertainment should be educational. This mantra comes to life on her TikTok page of almost 100K followers where she dynamically reads different forms of print media to her audience. By promoting an approach to new information from a state of curiosity and nostalgia, she hopes to make generations fall back in love with learning. Russell graduated from Boston University with a BA in sociology and is originally from Atlanta, Georgia.
About Steffi Cao
Steffi Cao is an internet culture writer, most recently reporting at BuzzFeed News and Forbes as its inaugural creator economy staff writer. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, Bustle, and MTV News. Her work, including her eponymous newsletter, itâs steffi, was featured on NPR and The View this year. She resides in Brooklyn, and her favorite berry is the blueberry.
About Rachel E. Greenspan
Rachel E. Greenspan is a writer and social media strategist in New York. Previously, she was a reporter and editor on Insiderâs Digital Culture desk, where she focused on right-wing extremism and its spread on social platforms. Her coverage of the QAnon conspiracy theory won the inaugural Best Debunking of Fake News award from NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Her writing has also been published in Time Magazine and MSNBC.
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How do reboots and IP fueled universes prevent us from ever feeling nostalgia?
Author of Foreverism Grafton Tanner discusses how the practice of keeping things alive prevents us from ever feeling nostalgia.
đ You can order Foreverism by Grafton Tanner now!
About Grafton Tanner:
Grafton Tanner is the author of Foreverism, The Hours Have Lost Their Clock: The Politics of Nostalgia (Repeater Books, 2021), The Circle of the Snake: Nostalgia and Utopia in the Age of Big Tech (Zer0 Books, 2020), and Babbling Corpse: Vaporwave and the Commodification of Ghosts (Zer0 Books, 2016). His work focuses on nostalgia, technology, and the rhetoric of neoliberalism, and his writing has appeared in such venues as NPR, The Nation, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and Real Life. He also hosts Delusioneering, an audio series about the myths of capitalism, and he writes and performs music with his band Superpuppet. Heâs currently writing a book on the re-emergence of exorcism in the late twentieth century.
03:30 The History and Politics of Nostalgia
04:11 The Shift in Perception of Nostalgia
04:27 The Impact of Nostalgia on Consumer Choices
04:51 The Medical Roots of Nostalgia
05:19 The Concept of Foreverism
05:52 The Evolution of Nostalgia to Commercial Term
07:50 The Impact of IP Fueled Universes on Nostalgia
11:02 The Commodification of Nostalgia
12:08 Persistent Storylling
21:30 The Shift in Acting Practices due to Foreverism
30:23 The Consequences of Foreverism on the Planet
36:03 Resisting Foreverism
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine and Jamie Cohen, PhD
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How does creative misuse of social media platforms inform the future of social media at large?
Director of Curiouser Institute Reed Berkowitz highlights five popular ways people are engaging, interacting, and using social platforms - ranging from Life360 to Roblox - and what it means for how we imagine and create a social media future that enhances our social capacities.
đ° You can read Everything About Social Media Is About To Change Again on Medium.
About Reed Berkowitz:
Reed Berkowitz is the Director of Curiouser LLC, who has more than 25 years of experience designing, writing, and researching award-winning interactive experiences for companies including Universal Studios, Paramount, Cartoon Network, Peanuts, Sanrio, and many more. He formerly served as the Creative Director of New Games at Latitude, an AI-powered games company.
đïž Digital Void is thrilled to announce a special Team Human Live featuring Douglas Rushkoff in conversation with Mitch Horowitz on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Caveat in New York City! Join two award-winning authors for a special live podcast taping, book signing, live music, and social hour. Click here for tickets and livestream.
Follow Reed Berkowitz
Twitter | Website
Show Notes and Resources:
Everything About Social Media Is About To Change Again - Reed Berkowitz
xhumming
Lofi girl
Pokémon Sleep
Life360
Roblox
Credits
Hosted by Dr. Jamie Cohen and Josh Chapdelaine
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Washington Post tech columnist and author of Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet Taylor Lorenz explores the social history of the internet. How did Mommy Bloggers shape the creator economy? What is Vine's influence on today's social media ecosystem â and how can its demise be a lesson for creators and platforms? Plus, why is it important to remain optimistic about social media platforms and technology?
đ Pre-order now: Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet
About Taylor Lorenz
Taylor Lorenz is a technology columnist for The Washington Postâs business section covering online culture. Previously, she was a technology reporter for The New York Times business section, The Atlantic, and The Daily Beast. Her writing has appeared in New York magazine, Rolling Stone, Outside magazine, Fast Company, and more.
Show Notes & Resources:
Daily Dot
Okay Go - Here It Goes Again
Tiger Beat
Heather Armstrong
Mommy Bloggers
Famous Birthdays
Casey Neistat interviews Robert Kinsel
Stream Con
Elsagate
Adpocalypse
Credits
Hosted by Jamie Cohen
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Cores are everywhere. From the film-inspired Barbiecore to Cottagecore â but how does a new core threaten to surveil everyday people?
On todayâs episode, Jamie provides us with a dispatch about the differences between Cores and aesthetics, the ways Cores present themselves online and offline, and why #humancore should be viewed with a critical eye.
Show Notes & Resources:
Once upon a time, there was cottagecore - Rebecca Jennings
Taylor Lorenz on living life extremely online - The Digi Fairy
Panopticontent - Buzzfeed News
Why women of color are missing from TikTok's 'stay-at-home girlfriend' trend - Insider
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How did an early YouTube vlog style return to popularity after a generation of TikTok and YouTube creators including Emma Chamberlain and Charli D'amelio went mainstream?
On today's episode, Jamie and Josh discuss how early YouTube creators like Tyler Oakley pivoted from creating content for family and friends to developing a public personality that came to define influencer culture at-large â and how a new generation of creators are documenting the banal and mundane in their content.
Show notes and resources
Vlog Like Nobody's Watching - Kate Fowler
sunday in edinburgh - Whatzaraloves
Raindrop - Tyler Oakley
Influencer Culture is Everywher â Even in Academia - Brooke Erin Duffy
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life - Erving Goffman
Follow Digital Void
Substack: https://substack.com/@digitalvoid
Twitter: https://twitter.com/digivoidmedia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalvoid.media
Press: hello at digitalvoid dot media
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How will AI, algorithms, creators, and data transparency shape the future of Hollywood?
On today's episode, Jamie and Josh dive into the key issues behind the SAG-AFTRA strike. How do major studios plan to use AI â and how can they come to an agreement with unions to ensure actors and writers are fairly compensated? How does a lack of data transparency from streamers and studios influence residual structures and the development of future projects? Why are non-union creators and influencers standing in solidarity with the unions â and what is their role in the evolving digital ecosystem?
Show notes and resources
What Happened the Last Time SAG and the WGA Went on Strike Together - TIME
Background Actors Sound Off on Alarming AI Future and What's At Stake In The Actors Strike - HuffPost
Christopher Nolan: Companies Don't Want To Take Responsibility For Whatever That Algorithm Does - Deadline
FAQs For Influencers - SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA issues strike guidance specifically for influencers amid confusion - NBC News
5 Predictions for the Future of Digital Media - BuzzFeed
Follow Digital Void
Substack: https://substack.com/@digitalvoid
Twitter: https://twitter.com/digivoidmedia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalvoid.media
Press: hello at digitalvoid dot media
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How did Barbie and Oppenheimer become a highly anticipated double feature audiences have named Barbenheimer?
This week, Josh and Jamie explore the history behind one of the summer's most anticipated box office weekends. How did a falling out between Christopher Nolan and WBD lead to this weekend's double feature? How have studios done an effective job allowing audiences to be creative and have fun with the film releases â and why shouldn't studios use this weekend as a blueprint?
Show Notes & Resources:
DiscussingFilm's viral tweet
@ULTRAGLOSS/ Trish's tweet
Airbnb Malibu Barbie Dream House
Over 20,000 people buy tickets to Barbenheimer
Margot Robie signs a fan's Barbenheimer shirt
Cillian Murphy endorses Barnenheimer
Entertainment Tonight asks: What should you wear to Barbenheimer?
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Metaâs primary Twitter competitor Threads earned more than 100 million downloads in its first five days - but what are the three key components required for the platformâs long-term success?
On todayâs episode, Jamie and Josh discuss the factors that led to the platformâs successful launch, how trust and safety protocols gave it an edge, and if Threads will allow Meta to shake off some of its negative reputation.
This episode was recorded on Thursday, July 6, 2023.
Show Notes
Twitterâs US Ad Sales Plunge 59% as Woes Continue - NYT
Instagramâs Threads bursts out of the gate with more than 30 million sign-ups - NBC News
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How can we be critical of fear-based AI hype cycles? OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently made headlines when he issued a 22-word statement warning of extinction due to the threats posed by AI - but what is Altman referring to, and what did he omit from his argument?
This week, Jamie and Josh offer a critical discourse about the current AI hype cycle, the push for regulation by the most influential tech companies, and how the public's cynicism about emerging technology might support regulatory efforts.
Show Notes
22-word statement
Gartner Hype Cycle
Tech leaders call for a six-month pause
Credits
Hosted by Josh Chapdelaine
Audio edited and mixed by Josh Chapdelaine
Digital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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What does it mean to be a rebel in a digital age? PEN Award-winning author Mitch Horowitz provides us with three strategies to move forward. Recorded live at Digital Void's Meme in the Moment Festival in New York City on Wednesday, October 26, 2022.
đïž You can see Mitch and an incredible lineup of speakers including Shannon Liao, Allegra Frank, Douglas Rushkoff, Ena Da, and Ryan Broderick at Memes, Myths, and Magic on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at New York City's Caveat. Click here to purchase tickets and livestream!
đș Click here to watch this video on YouTube.
đ° You can read excerpts of Horowitz's talk, What Does iI Mean to Be a Rebel In a Coarse Era?, on Medium.
About Mitch Horowitz
Mitch Horowitz is a historian of alternative spirituality and one of todayâs most literate voices of esoterica, mysticism, and the occult. Mitch illuminates outsider history, explains its relevance to contemporary life, and reveals the longstanding quest to bring empowerment and agency to the human condition. Mitch is a writer-in-residence at the New York Public Library and the PEN Award-winning author of books including Occult America; One Simple Idea; The Miracle Club; Daydream Believer; Uncertain Places; and the forthcoming Modern Occultism.ï»ż
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How did one of Broadwayâs newest shows become a cringeworthy TikTok trend that earned tens of millions of views?
Rolling Stone internet culture reporter CT Jones discusses how Bad Cinderella became an ironic trend for audiences. How did the showâs development and debut on Londonâs West End hurt the Andrew Lloyd Weber production? What does cringe mean in the context of trends and why does it drive discourse? How can we differentiate between genuine enthusiasm and ironic enthusiasm from fans on social media?
About CT Jones
CT Jones is an internet culture reporter for Rolling Stone focused on creator culture and LGBTQ+ news.
Keep up with CT Jones
Twitter | Linktree | Rolling Stone Articles
Show Notes and Resources:
Even TikTok Couldnât Save Broadwayâs âBad Cinerellaâ - Rolling Stone
Linedy Genao spray paint video - TikTok
Morbius gets resurrected by memes, flops on its first day back in theatres - The Verge
Spitgate
đź Digital Voidâs Memes, Myths, and Magic premieres at Caveat on Saturday, April 29, at 7:00 PM ET! Join a prolific speaker lineup as we explore the ways memes, myths, and magic influence our world in a digital age. From AI ethics to historical creepypasta trends - youâll hear from a range of experts about how we can make sense of digital culture in live communities. Featuring CT Jones, Moises Mendez II, Kelsey Weekman, Abby Govindan, Annie Rauwerda, Alex Petros, Morris Kolman, Ryan Broderick, and Jamie Cohen. Tickets are now available.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How can creators avoid being creatively trapped by the audiences they worked to build? Where is there space for creators to take risks?
Zine writer Matt Klein discusses his first-ever printed edition: Audience Capture. Klein explains the social theory behind the phenomenon, what happens to creators and audiences when audience capture is taken to its extreme, and how creators can resist becoming stuck. Kleinâs insights help to empower creators and audiences to create a healthier landscape between creators and audiences.
đ° You can order Audience Capture now.
đł Vote for Zine in this yearâs Webby Awards!
About Matt Klein
Matt Klein heads the foresight practice at Reddit where he studies culture and helps brands across all verticals identify emerging social shifts and author future-proofing business strategies.
As a quantitative futurist with a decade of experience in trend forecasting, marketing and innovation, Matt has consulted with the United Nations and Fortune 100 businesses, to venture capital investors, TV producers, and startups on what comes next. With a background in CyberPsychology and Memetics, Mattâs POV is rooted in the psycho- and sociological implication of emerging tech.
Keep up with Matt Klein
Zine | Twitter | LinkedIn
Show Notes and Resources:
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life - Erving Goffman
Rick Rubin: The audience doesnât know what they want - 60 Minutes
đź Digital Voidâs Memes, Myths, and Magic premieres at Caveat on Saturday, April 29, at 7:00 PM ET! Join a prolific speaker lineup as we explore the ways memes, myths, and magic influence our world in a digital age. From AI ethics to historical creepypasta trends - youâll hear from a range of experts about how we can make sense of digital culture in live communities.
Featuring: Kelsey Weekman, Abby Govindan, Annie Rauwerda, CT Jones, Moises Mendez II, Alex Petros, Morris Kolman, Ryan Broderick, and Jamie Cohen. Tickets are now available.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How has a Type 2 diabetes drug become a go-to for celebrities and influencers looking to lose weight â and what are the damaging effects of its popularity?
This week, we invited Buzzfeed reporter Kelsey Weekman to discusses her article, The Oscars Were a Nightmare For Fat People at Every Turn,. Weekman discusses how this yearâs Academy Awards highlighted the stigmas fat people face in Hollywood and influencer culture â and why she decided to speak out. Further, Weekman explains the rise of Type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic for weight loss. Why is the drug more popular than ever? What can tech companies and influencers do to promote more inclusive spaces?
About Kelsey Weekman
Kelsey Weekman is a journalist specializing in internet culture and Gen Z. She is currently a social news reporter for BuzzFeed News. On the side, she writes a newsletter about online youth culture called okay zoomer.
Keep up Kelsey Weekman
Twitter | Instagram | Buzzfeed Articles | okay zoomer
Show Notes and Resources:
The Oscars Were A Nightmare For Fat People At Every Turn - Kelsey Weekman
Maintenance Phase -Aubrey Gordon
đź Digital Voidâs Memes, Myths, and Magic premieres at Caveat on Saturday, April 29, at 7:00 PM ET! Join a prolific speaker lineup as we explore the ways memes, myths, and magic influence our world in a digital age. From AI ethics to historical creepypasta trends - youâll hear from a range of experts about how we can make sense of digital culture in live communities. Featuring Kelsey Weekman, Abby Govindan, Annie Rauwerda, CT Jones, Moises Mendez II, Alex Petros, Morris Kolman, Ryan Broderick, and Jamie Cohen. Tickets are now available!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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