INFLUENCE

Some personal emergencies got in the way of this week's session, so we have a 2G1P classic for you about the worldwide scavenger hunt that is Geocaching! -Original Show Notes from September 27, 2021- There are little treasures hidden all over your neighborhood, and throughout the world. You just need a GPS app (and some sleuthing skills) to find them. That's the fun of geocaching, a global phenome...

Lindsey was on TV (that's short for Tele-Vision, a box in your house that displays moving pictures) and Alli's new stage show is a raging success! The girls discuss the pros and cons of polyamory, Alex Jones having to pay a BILLION dollars for being an asshole, and Alli uses the show to workshop standup material without even paying us. Crime! Sign up for Alli's show: https://www.loveisntblind.co/...

Midjourney, Dall-E, Google Deep Dream, and more technologies have rapidly emerged in recent years. What were once fringe novelties have become sophisticated networks capable of turning any phrase into museum-worthy art, in seconds. Large communities of curious creators are flocking to them, as the once-elusive power of drawing or painting can now be commanded from your computer keyboard. But what...

Etsy — the online marketplace for bespoke, handmade goods — has a labor problem. Despite robust profits during the pandemic, the platform has made recent changes that are angering its seller community. Most complaints revolve around increased fees, forced advertising programs, middleware payment systems (with additional fees), and the algorithmic prioritization of cheap, mass-produced goods — argu...

We have two amazing episodes coming up, but they're not ready yet! In the meantime, enjoy this encore episode with our favorite comments troll/Internet performance artist Ken M! -Original Show Notes // April 26, 2021 - Dumb comments at the bottom of news articles and Facebook posts are a dime a dozen. But for the last 10 years, Ken M has turned misinformed Internet commentary into a masterful come...

Looking at a painting or sculpture on the Internet doesn't inspire the same awe as seeing the real thing in a museum. But standing INSIDE a painting in virtual reality is a mind-blowing experience you can enjoy from home, and socially with others online. Alli and Lindsey talk with Robin Stethem, the founder and CEO of The Museum of Other Realities, a VR space that contains a rotating collection of...

In keeping with our recent coverage of VR communities, we're sharing this encore episode about deaf users of VRchat and the volunteer translators making a big impact in social VR. Enjoy! -- Original Show Notes // February 3, 2020 -- Deaf users of immersive social platforms like VRchat can face a tough time communicating. Unlike other social media, VR spaces rely on verbal and physical communicatio...

Alli's on her way to Burning Man and Lindsey is enroute to the East Coast, so we catch up on life, world events, learn about Alli's guided tour of VR Kmart! Get tickets for Alli's show in LA, "Love Isn't Blind": https://www.loveisntblind.co/ And get tickets for Lindsey's show in NYC, "Letters to the Boys I've Never Kissed" https://www.frigid.nyc/event/6897:209/ Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www...

VR is used to create immersive video games, fantastical social worlds, and surreal art. Or you can make a Kmart from 1992. An enterprising community of VRChat players have built just that, and manage it every day, complete with employees, managers, cash registers, and products on the shelves, like Surge soda and Super Nintendo. It's one part role-play, one part time machine — a way to virtually vi...

When filmmaker Jonathan Stack started to burn out on making documentaries about prisons and drug addiction, he decided to turn his attention toward building a positive movement. He noted that misconceptions about family planning are rampant, especially in developing countries and of course, on the Internet. So he co-founded World Vasectomy Day, a global movement for public health and destigmatizin...

Online grifters who peddle misinformation for influence and profit are a tale as old as the Web itself. But the more recent phenomenon of credentialed medical doctors decrying Covid a hoax and spreading anti-vax rhetoric has more serious ramifications. So who holds doctors (and other medical professionals) accountable when they spread misinformation online? The medical boards that license them sho...

Ever buy breadmaking ingredients, crochet hooks, or a papier-mâché kit, only to spend a bunch of money and then get bored with your new hobby? You're not alone, especially during the pandemic. And those with neurodiversity, especially ADHD, can become hyper fixated on something, only to completely abandon it later. The ADHD Hobby Swap Facebook group is a place where best intentions can be re-sold...

When the Web was created, it was open, inter-operable, and structured for everyone to participate. Today, most people consume online content through 5 mega-corps that make billions from our data and warp our social discourse. This has had profound effects on privacy and security. But how did we get here? And can we ever get back? Alli and Lindsey talk with Cindy Cohn, the executive director of the...

We are afk this week, but re-sharing an amazing episode about the virtual cemetery in the space MMO EVE Online, which started as a memorial to dead characters and quickly became a shrine to IRL friends, family, pets, and lost loved ones who have died. -- Original Show Notes, Episode 143 | August 17, 2020 -- Alli and Jen speak with Jason Marshall, a veteran player of the MMO 'EVE Online' about the...

Mushrooms, psychedelics, micro-dosing and more have recently come into fashion, but online communities and scientists have been studying their effects on mental health for decades. The social stigma on mind-altering substances still prevents many people from safely exploring them. That's where Plant Parenthood comes in. It's an online community that connects and educates parents on how psychedelic...

The 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from abridging free speech and the press. And Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act prevents common carriers (like telephone companies) from being held liable for the speech of their users. But social media isn't quite either of those things, especially when a small handful of tech companies make huge profits by amplifying...

You might assume that men drinking breastmilk is yet another kink — and it can be. But Mikalah says it's often a comfort and a lifestyle for many in the community. She would know, as she's a professional lactation consultant who also found a partner who breastfeeds from her regularly. Alli and Lindsey speak with her about the extraordinary misconceptions about breastfeeding, how anyone at ANY age...

We're off this week, but sharing another one of our favorite episodes about turning fandom into something amazing on the Internet. -Original Show Notes // December 6, 2021 - The only thing bigger than "Bachelor Nation" is "Bachelor Instagram." That's usually where the contestants, stars, villains, and conversations around the Bachelor and Bachelorette franchises go during each season. But educator...

Fandom is the essential glue that holds most online communities together. But Kaitlyn Tiffany says the One Direction fandom ⁠— particularly fangirls ⁠— have a lot to do with with how modern social media culture is structured today. The author and journalist returns for her second appearance on 2G1P to discuss how the Internet fervor around 1D has influenced everything from commerce to politics to...

TikTok might seem like a bastion of youth, fun dance moves, and fun challenges. But like most social media, it's rampant with misinformation and weaponized disinformation, especially about the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist and professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, joined TikTok for the same reasons we all did: We were bored during the lockdowns. What she f...

If you need a break from the world crumbling around us, this episode is for you. Alli and Lindsey try as HARD AS THEY CAN to only talk about good things, and they almost manage to do it! UFOs are getting a rebrand, hummingbirds are dope, Katy Perry concerts are fun, Zac Efron continues to be attractive, and Ukrainians made an original song about U.S. missiles. Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www....

We have another one of our favorite classic episodes for you this week, so kick back, relax, and enjoy this wholly unnecessary diversion. --Original Show Notes: September 28, 2020-- Matty Benedetto is a product designer by training, but his sense of humor led him to a life of hilarious content creation instead. Benedetto builds Unnecessary Inventions, ingenious products that solve urgent problems...

The Bible can be pretty dense and outdated by today's storytelling standards. But what if you could hear the story of Lot, or Judah, or Abraham, expertly recounted by a cool dude at the barstool next to you, with all the hot goss about incest, murder, and rape? What started as award-winning Reddit comments on politics articles has morphed into The Woke Bible, an entire subreddit devoted to getting...

Autistic children love Minecraft as much as anyone, but they're often bullied by other kids on multiplayer servers. When software developer and dad Stuart Duncan learned of this, he set out to create a private, safe Minecraft server exclusively for autistic kids and their families. The moment he shared it, he got 300 emails from parents who desperately wanted in, Today, Autcraft has a community of...

Lindsey is on vacation this week, so Alli and Matt check the newspaper to see if there's anything going on in the good ol' USA this past week (Spoiler alert: There was!). We also discuss the philosophical pros and cons of a more "decentralized" Web, and Alli pooped in a hole somewhere in Utah (good luck, Geocachers!). Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1P Join the 2G1P Discord comm...