INFLUENCE

When Oobah Butler was hard-up for cash, he found a gig writing fake reviews for London restaurants he'd never been to. He fell into an abyss of forgeries on TripAdvisor that gave him an idea. What if he invented a fake restaurant, powered by more fake reviews, to fool everyone? The performance art stunt took on a life of its own, and compelled him to have a fake grand opening of "The Shed," London...

Ghost stories around the campfire are as old as humanity itself, but spooky tales became memes unto themselves as the Web matured. Creepypasta (a derivative of "copypasta" which is derivative of "copy/paste") is the catch-all term and dominant wiki for the spooky stories that circulate and mutate on the Internet. Alli and Jen talk to Andrew Movitz (aka ClericOfMadness), the founder of the Creepypa...

When Bryan Denny, a retired 26-year U.S. army veteran, started getting marriage proposals from strangers on Facebook, he knew something was up. Thousands of scammers were using stolen pictures of him in uniform to trick well-meaning Facebook users into sending money, iPhones, and gift cards overseas to a military hero with an honest face. Kathy Waters' family friend was among the victims. Denny an...

Sex dolls have been around since at least the 17th century, but advances in AI and robotics are bringing them ever closer to meaningful companionship. Alli and Jen speak with Susan Pirzchalski, the chief robotics engineer of Realbotix, who is working to make the popular Real Doll sex toys come to life with sophisticated personalities. This week's episode is supported by Penguin Random House Audio,...

If you leave a toddler alone with an iPad long enough, YouTube's algorithms will guide her down a deep, dark rabbit hole of strange, low-quality, and often disturbing videos manufactured for kid consumption. These channels use recognizable characters (Mickey Mouse, Paw Patrol) to draw kids into horrifying click-bait narratives they can't resist. Who is making these videos, and what is YouTube doin...

If you've ever sought a soundtrack for your home movies that wouldn't get removed by YouTube, chances are you've come across Kevin MacLeod's music. He's composed thousands of original tracks, in every imaginable genre, that he gives away under a Creative Commons license, on a variety of platforms, absolutely free. His music has been used in commercials, films, video games, and an uncountable numbe...

Way back in 2007 Tay Zonday uploaded the original song "Chocolate Rain" to YouTube, and nothing happened. Then Digg and 4chan found it. And then Zonday was on CNN and Jimmy Kimmel trying to explain his music on national television. His meteoric rise led to a 10-year journey of identity confusion, and eventually self-actualization. Alli and Jen have a long, deep talk with Tay about coping with vira...

Robots have a long way to go before they replace artists and writers...but they're getting closer. A collective known as Botnik is using algorithms, predictive text, and machine learning to challenge our traditional notions of art, and create some hilarious TV Guide show synopses in the process. Alli and Jen speak with Jamie Brew, the creator of Botnik, about his ambitions to build new creativity...

Rule 34 is alive and well on the Internet, but the enterprising sex toy company Bad Dragon has taken it even further with their epic dildo designs that imagine what kind of heat our favorite high fantasy creatures might be packing: dragons, aliens, elves, and even a demogorgon. Turns out there's a huge market for fulfilling sexual fantasies, Tolkien-style. Alli and Jen speak with Derek "Tsukaza" Y...

Kids today have it easy, with their "swiping right" and their "J-dates." Back in the early '90s, you could barely send a profile pic to your crush. Gary Kremen wanted to change that. He co-founded Match.com, disrupted the personal ads industry, and forever changed how humans fall in love. Alli and Jen ask Kremen about the tumultuous early startup days, the data behind lasting relationships, and wh...

Porn is typically made by men for men, but women have needs, too -- and traditional porn doesn't always meet them. Alli and Jen talk with Michelle Shnaidman, founder of Bellesa.co, which creates porn videos, erotic fiction, erotic audio, and sex toys with a focus on female empowerment. Shnaidman also addresses the site's rocky beginnings and the common misconceptions about the porn industry. Learn...

Move over, food porn. Competitive eating is about slamming as many calories as possible, and there's a massive YouTube community around it. Erik the Electric's food challenge videos have been viewed 80 million times. Alli and Jen talk to him about approaching this extreme lifestyle in a healthy way, and his personal battle with anorexia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Most people think of emoji as trivial text message pictures. But creating them is a complex process debated by a consortium of tech giants. And as emoji become more widespread, so too does their cultural and linguistic importance. Alli and Jen talk to Jennifer 8. Lee about her campaign for multi-racial emoji, and whether emoji might evolve into a true language with grammar and identity. Learn more...

Thousands of "Preppers" are amassing food, water, tools, batteries, and other essentials in their basements and bunkers. But for what? Alli and Jen speak with Todd Reynolds, AKA The Dynamic Prepper, about survivalist culture, YouTube, knives, aliens, and why a "Go Bag" is a smart idea, whether you think the apocalypse is coming or not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For countless historical and social reasons, most of the people editing Wikipedia are white men. This has led to broad bias across the world's de facto repository of online knowledge. But a loose affiliation of women are making up the ground by writing and editing the biographies of historically significant women and minorities who might otherwise be overlooked by academic or popular culture. Alli...

Most social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have firm restrictions on nudity. Twitter is much more lax, making it a digital haven for the nudist community. Taylor Lorenz, a journalist for the Atlantic, breaks down the difference between sexual and non-sexual nudity, and the double standards many tech companies have when it comes to the human body. Learn more about your ad choices....

The multiplayer RPG "Ultima Online" came on the scene in 1997, and it remains a thriving, persistent world to this day, two decades later. Those who prefer the "classic" version host private servers (shards) where longtime players congregate. Alli and Jen speak with Alyssa Schnugg, a grandmother in real life, and a veteran guildmaster in "Ulima Online Forever." Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

Airbnb has completely revolutionized tourism, but the legal and regulatory battles around whom you can rent your room to rage on. Alli and Jen speak with Evelyn Badia, an Airbnb "Superhost" who makes her living by renting her home to strangers -- often while she's still in it. She shares what makes a great host, and how the rise of Trump changed New York tourism. Learn more about your ad choices....

The reboot of "My Little Pony" has reached fans far beyond the "little girls" demographic. Thousands of adult men self-identify as Bronies: Dudes who love the stories, characters and themes of the whimsical cartoon. Alli and Jen speak with Charlie Worthley, a Brony convention organizer, about this far-reaching community built on acceptance and gender empowerment. Learn more about your ad choices....

There are Facebook groups for everything -- even jumping spiders. Alli and Jen talk with bug enthusiast and writer Melissa McEwan about the passionate communities that form around insects, insect rights, and cute/terrifying pics of creepy crawlies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people love the Earth. But some people really LOVE the Earth. You know, in *that* way. Alli and Jen speak with Jennifer Reed, a PhD studying the rise of ecosexuality -- from performance art to sex with trees, and everything in between. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erotic author and online sensation Chuck Tingle joins us for a candid conversation about his inspiration for "Pounded In the Butt by My Own Butt" and "Space Raptor Butt Invasion," the idiocy of the Alt-Right, and how the internet transformed his passion for "bud on bud kissing" into a sprawling Tingleverse: Hugo Award-nominated science fiction, a celebrity-powered podcast, and perhaps a feature fi...

Even while you're sleeping, your social media persona is engaging with the world. This "always on" mentality is shaping the psychology of a generation. Alli and Jen talk to Dr. Leora Trub, a psychology professor at Pace University, who has authored numerous studies about the power our phones have on mental wellness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Small collectives of Star Wars fans all over the world follow the spiritual path of the Jedi. But this isn't about fandom or cosplay. They live, train, and work by the Jedi Code. And while this philosophy is rooted in modern science fantasy, the tenets are not much different from the core of Buddhism or Christianity. Alli and Jen speak with the organizer of California Jedi, Katie Mock. Learn more...

Matt cancels this week's guest and challenges Alli and Jen to the ultimate fan-requested trivia showdown. The stakes could not be higher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices