Episodes
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In part two of our Overly Attached Girlfriend series, we talked to the OAG herself -- Laina Morris. She revisits the viral moment she didn't see coming in 2012, the weirdness of being in a Delta Airlines safety video, and navigating what a career online and at the mercy of the algorithm looks like while struggling with depression.
Laina's been away from regular posting for the last five years as she navigated it all, and she and Jamie get into how to maintain your self-worth and share yourself safely. Slap on your scary eyes, baby, we're going in.
Follow Laina on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@laina
Follow Laina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laina
Follow Laina on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laina622
Sixteenth Minute Reddit! : https://www.reddit.com/r/SixteenthMinute/
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In the summer of 2012, Laina Morris became an overnight viral star as the Overly Attached Girlfriend, a parody of the rampant Justin Bieber "Beliebers" of the era. The week after, she had to decide if she'd drop out of college or pursue the life of a job that didn't quite exist yet -- a full-time YouTuber.
In part 1, Jamie takes a look at Laina's ascent, and how the image of the YouTube star was first conjured from thin air by a bunch of Silicon Valley weirdos, and perfected by YouTubers themselves. Net week, Jamie speaks exclusively with Laina Morris in part two!
For more on the history of the social media algorithm, check out "The Chaos Machine" by Max Fisher: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-chaos-machine-the-inside-story-of-how-social-media-rewired-our-minds-and-our-world-max-fisher/18203720
For more on YouTube celebrity, check out "Extremely Online" by Taylor Lorenz: https://bookshop.org/p/books/extremely-online-the-untold-story-of-fame-influence-and-power-on-the-internet-taylor-lorenz/19718842?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrp-3BhDgARIsAEWJ6SwYyF8sigAMNiXmi3fokHCkE2bzkcSOCaQ7nB0cdh3vmpjNcJS4rVAaAhV6EALw_wcB
Follow Laina on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@laina
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Episodes manquant?
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In part two of this definitely minisode series, Jamie talks with ex-Mormon YouTuber and author of How to Leave the Mormon Church: An Ex-Mormons Guide to Rebuilding After Religion Alyssa Grenfell about how the LDS may have found a back channel to bankroll its most powerful influencers, without leaving a paper trail.
Alyssa walks Jamie through how she thinks it's done, and how the LDS has succeeded and fumbled its relationships with influencers in the past.
Buy Alyssa's book!: https://www.howtoleavethemormonchurch.com/aboutWatch Alyssa's full theory here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGXggLIafrc
Subscribe to Alyssa's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@alyssadgrenfell
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This week, Jamie takes a treacherous voyage into a complicated question -- why on Earth are there so many successful Mormon influencers? In this two-part series, she looks at how the origins and the values of the Mormon church deceptively align with the conservative "tradwife" influencing space of today... and yes, she will get into the tradwives. Contained herein: Joseph Smith shoving his face into a hat, a new Hulu reality series that is deceptively boring, Ballerina Farm, and the Mormons' early success in the conservative mommy blogging space.
Tune in for part 2, where ex-Mormon Alyssa Grenfell poses a theory at how the Church of Latter Day Saints stays two steps ahead of it all.
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Sixteenth Minute exclusive! We’ve got the first in depth interview with Bryan Gaw, aka the Left Shark himself.
This week, Jamie revisits the 2015 Super Bowl saga that was Left Shark — the costumed cartilaginous fish that went rogue in 2015 beside Katy Perry during a chorus of ‘Teenage Dream,’ capturing the world’s heart. The person inside is just as lovable, and Jamie takes the bus to West Hollywood to meet dancer-turned-celebrity-stylist Bryan Gaw to revisit one of the internet’s few wholesome moments.
Plus… ELLLLLVIS PRESTOOOO
Follow Bryan Gaw here: https://bryangaw.com/
And here: https://www.instagram.com/bryangaw
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This week, the curvy wife saga concludes. Jamie talks to Cate Navarrete of the Body Positivity Alliance and Tigress Osborn of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance about where this moment falls in the decades-long history of fat activism, and how mainstream media narratives tend to depoliticize civil rights issues. Also, Jamie mumbles the lyrics to "Hot Wife" by curvy wife guy to herself. Also, Jamie learns what "hotwife" means. *airhorn*
Learn about NAAFA here: https://naafa.org/
Follow Tigress here: https://www.instagram.com/iofthetigress/?hl=en
Learn about the Body Positivity Alliance here: https://bodypositivealliance.org/
Learn about Cate here: https://bodypositivealliance.org/team-and-board/cate-navarrete
Read Tigress's original essay here: https://naafa.org/blog-archive/black-history-always
For more on the history of fat activism and body positivity, start here (curated by the amazing Aubrey Gordon of Maintenance Phase!): https://www.yourfatfriend.com/fat-reading-list
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In 2017, Robbie Tripp posted about his "curvy wife" Sarah, inspiring months of discourse and a permanent internet turn of phrase. This week, Jamie revisits the saga and speaks to Curvy Wife Guy himself ahead of the release of his new single, which is obviously called "Hot Wife." How did a couple build a 'desert empire' on a controversial post, and what does that say about the internet economy?
Tune in next week for part two, where Jamie takes a closer look at how this story resonated with women and fat activists -- featuring interviews with journalist Rebecca Jennings, Tigress Osborn of NAAFA (the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance), and Cate Navarrete of the Body Positivity Alliance.
Stream Robbie's music here.
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This summer, a fish named Alice fell from the sky and directly into the lawn of junior doctor Ben Beska. And so, of course, he tweeted about it... only to lose his newly beloved fish just a week later. What followed was what it looks like to go viral in 2024. Jamie speaks with Ben Beska over the course of two months to track the journey; plus, we talk to Stanford psychiatrist Dr. Elia Aboujaoude to learn what going viral has the potential to do to your mind.
Follow Ben's fish adventures here: https://x.com/Beska
Buy Dr. Aboujaoude's new book, A Leader's Destiny, here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/elias-aboujaoude/a-leaders-destiny/9781541703018/?lens=publicaffairsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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This week, we're taking a tangent -- my dad, Mike Loftus, passed away two weeks ago, and this episode is twenty minutes about that. I've needed some extra time to get our upcoming episodes together, but I've wanted to share more about him and the last two weeks. I really miss him. We'll be back to regular episodes next week.
As promised, the links:
Obituary: https://www.waittfuneralhome.com/obituary/MichaelP-Loftus
Patriot Ledger writer Eric McHugh wrote this really comprehensive, thoughtful piece about him: https://www.patriotledger.com/story/sports/2024/07/24/family-hockey-were-ledger-bruins-writer-mike-loftus-twin-passions/74518399007/
My dad's good friend Mick Colageo, another hockey writer, remembers him here: https://bostonhockeynow.com/2024/07/21/colageo-boston-bruins-reporter-mike-loftus-a-pros-pro/
And the podcast I pulled a clip from is from Pucks with Haggs with Joe Haggerty, featuring Mick and fellow hockey writer Steve Conroy from The Boston Herald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HimCsyfw3Hk&t=590s
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This week, Jamie solves an age-old internet mystery -- whatever happened to Naomi H, the Twitter furry who lost an internship after telling off a man she didn't realize was on the National Space Council to "suck my dick and balls?" After half a decade, Jamie speaks exclusively with Naomi H to get to the bottom of it, and talk about how the internet has shaped Naomi H's life for better and for worse.
Follow Naomi H: https://x.com/NaomiH_Origins
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In 2017, HQ Trivia was the app to rule them all, nearly the heir apparent to Jeopardy! Millions of people would stop what they were doing every day to answer trivia for absurdly small cash prizes, most often from "Quiz Daddy" Scott Rogowsky. Less than a year and a half later, it was over -- but not before a broadcast with The Rock, a weirdly specific salad-based threat from a founder, and a tragic death took place.
So... what happened? Jamie takes the bus to Scott Rogowsky's storage unit in Marina Del Rey to find out. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity!)
Shop at Quiz Daddy's here: https://quizdaddys.com/
Follow Scott Rogowsky: https://www.instagram.com/scottrogowsky/
https://twitter.com/ScottRogowsky
Boom/Bust podcast: https://www.theringer.com/boom-bust-podcast
Jamie's cursed leeches video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ZZbBZW2es&t=453s
Follow Sarah Prebis for her HQ TikTokumentary & more: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahpribis
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This week, a bonus interview from our 65-foot-hot-dog episode — 404 Media’s Jason Koebler talks to Jamie about how we need to remind people that writers aren’t robots. Then, Jamie reminds you she is not a robot.
Listen to the 404 Media Podcast here: https://www.404media.co/the-404-media-podcast/
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What happens when public artwork becomes the main character? For the last two months, a culture war has raged around a gigantic sculpture of a hot dog in Times Square... and playing right into the artists' hands. Jamie goes to New York to talk about the secret agenda of the hot dog with creators Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw.
Then, a talk with Carol Adams, the author of 'The Sexual Politics of Meat,' about why the hot dog is still a subversive symbol, why I needed to go vegan a decade ago, and how harassment has evolved from right wing radio into the internet era.
(did you seriously think Jamie wasn't going to find an excuse to do a hot dog episode? gzet a grip)
follow Jen and Paul: https://www.catronandoutlaw.com/
follow Carol Adams: https://caroljadams.com/
buy Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs: https://bookshop.org/p/books/raw-dog-the-many-histories-of-hot-dogs-jamie-loftus/18785131?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwp4m0BhBAEiwAsdc4aOntkU4kENdIs91XZ-UKCNSxQ8nvIO1kakfzoI7ugVgqAWA1ABNkQBoCTtoQAvD_BwE
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Legit question for rural Americans - How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play? This week, Jamie finds out from the 30-50 hogs asker himself -- Willie McNabb. Plus, we catch up with Professor John Tomacek about the VERY REAL issue of feral hogs, and Karl Kasarda of inRangeTV about how 30-50 feral hogs tied into a larger conversation about American gun laws.
Follow Dion Green and the Fudge Foundation here: https://fudgefoundation.org/Follow Willie McNabb: https://x.com/WillieMcNabb
Follow John Tomacek: https://rwfm.tamu.edu/people/tomecek-john/
Follow inRangeTV: https://www.youtube.com/@InrangeTv
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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In the summer of 2021, hundreds of Black TikTokers went on strike and demanded proper credit and compensation for dances they made famous. Why? Because, the most famous TikTokers of the pandemic, white teens Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae, had become extremely famous off of Black choreographers Jalaiah Harmon, Keara Wilson, and others' work -- a continuation of age-old appropriation and theft. Jamie talks with Savage dance creator Keara Wilson, commentator Amanda Bennett, and algorithmic scientist Meredith Broussard to take a closer look at the impact of this moment, and how social media is designed to amplify racism.
Follow Keara Wilson here: https://www.tiktok.com/@keke.janajah?lang=enFollow Amanda Bennett here: https://defineandempower.com/our-team
Buy Meredith's book here: https://meredithbroussard.com/books/
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In November 2022, one Philadelphia man took it upon himself to eat a rotisserie chicken every day for forty days. Why? Jamie flew across the country, went to his house, and interrogated him.
Follow Alex here: https://x.com/AlexiconTom
Get Raw Dog here while you're at it: https://bookshop.org/p/books/raw-dog-the-many-histories-of-hot-dogs-jamie-loftus/18785131?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwyJqzBhBaEiwAWDRJVD9r1z2NOcI0CT3yvq3h68RY6tW9BdoKm7dkRjMrcr7rLlCOYNwtsRoCks8QAvD_BwE
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If a tree falls in the garden where a woman enjoys drinking coffee with her husband and no one’s there to hear it, should the Internet harass her anyway? In 2022, Daisey sent one innocuous tweet that launched a thousand takes.
Follow Taylor Lorenz: @TaylorLorenz on all platforms
Follow Julia Claire: @ohJuliatweets / @juliaclairegrams
Follow Bridget Todd: @BridgetMarie on twt / @bridgetmarieinc on instaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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In the summer of 2023, a Boston cop humiliated himself by tumbling down a public slide in the most embarrassing way possible. This week, Jamie tries to find his pig ass, and admits her background as a Terminally Boston Woman.
Interviews with Molly Conger and Jeff Raymond.
Follow Molly:
https://x.com/socialistdogmomFollow Jeff:
https://www.masstransparency.org/author/jraymond/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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In 2015, the world was gripped by one question: is this dress black and blue, or white and gold? No, no, I refuse to argue with you about it — but the story of The Dress is the dying breath of a pre-algorithm driven social media, the peak of Buzzfeed, and contains some dark truths about the internet.
Featuring interviews with Taylor Lorenz (@taylorlorenz), author of Extremely Online and Max Fisher (@maxfisher22), author of The Chaos Machine.
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This week, it's Kelly and Antoine Dodson's sixteenth minute — Jamie interviews Professor Gabriel Peoples, author of 'The Forgotten Kelly Dodson: Viral Performance and the Interplay of Excess and Erasure' about what happens when someone is erased from their own story.
https://gender.indiana.edu/about/faculty/peoples-gabriel.html
Read "The Forgotten Kelly Dodson": The Forgotten Kelly Dodson
Follow Antoine Dodson here: https://www.tiktok.com/@antoinedodson34
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