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.
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Raiding the fridge with Condiment Claire
This week on Endless Thread, we're raiding our refrigerators and rating our favorite condiments with TikTok creator and author "Condiment Claire" Dinhut. We learn about the surprising history of some of our favorite flavor-enhancers, and Claire shares her secrets for using up the last bits of sauce in a jar and how she keeps her online presence appetizing.
Show notes:
The Condiment Book (Flatiron Books)
Credits: This episode was written and produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus. It was hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.
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War and Pizza
In the hours leading up to Israel commencing its June missile strikes on Iran, X users were posting about pizza. Specifically, how pizza places around the United States Pentagon were experiencing an unusual spike in business.
The Pentagon Pizza Index refers to a theory that dates back to the Cold War, suggesting that increased pizza orders around the Pentagon could be a harbinger of imminent military action by the U.S. or its close allies.
In this special episode of Endless Thread, Ben and Amory dig into the Pizza Index, its history and make some calls to Pentagon-area pizza places for a hot slice of reality pie.
Show notes:
Pentagon Pizza Report (X)
Happening Right Now: Dominos Nearest the Pentagon is "Busier than usual"(Reddit)
Pentagon Pizza Monitor Appeared To Predict Israel Attack (Newsweek)
What is the Pentagon Pizza theory eating away at the internet? (Euro News)
Pentagon Pizza Index: The theory that surging pizza orders signal global crises (Fast Company)
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Pics or this episode didn't happen
A picture's worth a thousand words, or in this case, a podcast episode.
This week Ben and Amory bring two very different stories from Reddit about pictures on the internet. First – what legal rights do we have over our photos after posting them on Instagram? Then, Ben indoctrinates Amory to The Game.
Show notes:
Unauthorized use of my photo being displayed in every corporate store in US. Where to start? (Reddit)
Let's confuse the younger generation (Reddit)
This content was originally created for audio. An auto-generated transcript is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Heads up that some elements (i.e. music, sound effects, tone) are harder to translate to text.
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When the government wants your socials
Jeffrey Ngo is from Hong Kong. He used to talk about politics all of the time with his friends in group chats and on social media, from casually sending memes, to planning protests.
What happens to online speech when you're unsure how much the government is monitoring your speech, and what the repurcussions will be if they don't like it?
Show notes:
PROFILE: For Jeffrey Ngo, The Fight For Hong Kong is Far From Over
(The Hoya)
Social Media and the Hong Kong Protests (The New Yorker)
Hong Kong protesters join hands in 30-mile human chain (The Guardian)
Hong Kong national security law: What is it and is it worrying? (BBC)
Credits: This episode was produced by Grace Tatter. It was co-hosted by Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski.
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.
Colombia