Media Mothership

Who actually creates culture. Is it authors? Fans? AI? Governments? Or sometimes complete accidents? Whether it's Star Wars fan fiction becoming a Hollywood film, governments subsidising AI translation, or gamers discovering their favourite Batman moment was actually a bug, today's stories all circle around one question: where does meaning actually come from? This episode was recorded live at Edge...

Digital spaces are no longer separate from society. Games, fandoms, memes, wikis, and AI systems have become places where governments govern, citizens socialise, stories are told, and institutions make decisions. For more information on this episode visit Media Mothership Media Mothership: https://mediamothership.au/  Edge Radio page: https://www.edgeradio.org.au/shows/media-mothership/ ...

Bots now outnumber humans online, AI is changing how we write, and major corporations continue to expand their grip on beloved cultural properties. This episode was recorded live at Edge Radio 99.3FM studios in Hobart Tasmania, and first aired on 18 June 2026. More information: Media Mothership: https://mediamothership.au/  Edge Radio page: https://www.edgeradio.org.au/shows/media-mothership/...

We discuss the surprise success of Backrooms and what it means when a YouTube creator and a creepypasta can outperform major Hollywood franchises. We also examine Studio Ghibli's controversial restrictions on photography at Ghibli Park, and look at a recent experiment where AI models were placed in charge of a simulated society—with dramatically different results. Episode 153 was recorded li...

Exploring some of the internet's most interesting recent stories: the pope quoting Gandalf while warning about AI, Red Dead Redemption 2's rise through the all-time sales charts, prediction markets turning into spoiler machines, and whether modern media increasingly requires homework to fully participate. Episode 152 was recorded live at Edge Radio 99.3FM studios in Hobart Tasmania, and first aire...

AI disruption, disappearing videogames, Doom’s cultural canonisation, Cybertrucks as cinematic villains, Gundam’s expanding empire, and the strange blurring of reality and simulation. This episode was recorded live at Edge Radio 99.3FM studios in Hobart Tasmania, and first aired on 21 May 2026. More information: Media Mothership Edge Radio Video episodes Support the show: https://www.m...

We reflect on last week’s LitRPG roundtable and the audience discussion it sparked, before exploring a collection of news stories about how modern media is changing. From Robert Kirkman discussing manga’s influence on comics, to games built around Steam backlog anxiety, to AAA creators drawing inspiration from fanfiction and stylised design, we examine how internet culture, audience be...

A roundtable discussion with LitRPG authors Shirtaloon, RinoZ, Haylock, Hannibal Forge, and Tevagah on the rise of progression fantasy, Royal Road, independent publishing, audience-building, and how internet-native storytelling is reshaping modern fiction. This episode was recorded live at Edge Radio 99.3FM studios in Hobart Tasmania, and first aired on 7 May 2026. Listen live to “Media Moth...

A pop culture round-up on games, AI, and adaptation, all asking the same question: how does media make the unreal feel real? Plus a deep dive into Superman (1978) and how it helped invent the modern blockbuster. For more info on Media Mothership go to https://mediamothership.au/ and https://www.edgeradio.org.au/. Support the show: https://www.mediamothership.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

From expanding cinematic universes to hostile fan cultures and AI-generated storytelling, this episode examines who actually shapes meaning in contemporary media. We trace the tension between corporate control, audience participation, and algorithmic systems, and ask whether storytelling is becoming more open, or more tightly managed. For more info on Media Mothership go to https://mediamothership...

Superman gets a global “anniversary,” gamers are being recruited into real-world systems, and video games keep chasing a version of realism that doesn’t quite exist. This week, Media Mothership drifts through fandom rituals, game design oddities, and the strange ways fictional worlds start to feel real. Explore the craft behind Battlefield’s sound design, why pausing a game...

From research on “cognitive surrender” in AI use to failures with AI-written criticism, the discussion considers whether thinking itself is being outsourced. A jump-scare warning app raises questions about pre-empting emotional experience, while Stephen King’s comparison of Donald Trump to The Dead Zone highlights how fiction frames political reality. For more info on Media Mothe...

April Fools in gaming, Nintendo’s expanding media world, and why Democracy Manifest remains an enduring viral moment. This episode was recorded live at Edge Radio 99.3FM studios in Hobart Tasmania, and first aired on 2nd April 2026. For more info on Media Mothership go to https://mediamothership.au/ and https://www.edgeradio.org.au/ . Links: Thousands of Chinese social media users change pro...

We’re joined by Dr Emerald King and PhD candidate Ashley Reminga from the University of Tasmania to explore the world of cosplay. We cover the upcoming events including the cosplay competition at the video game event, Level Up Tasmania, and then some of the bigger questions around how cosplay functions as performance, identity, play and fan expression. And we tackle the biggest question: why...

Newly discovered Doctor Who episodes reveal how fragile, accidental, and improvised early television really was. In this episode, we dig into the first 1963 Dalek story alongside its DVD commentary track, where producers and directors reflect on how the show was actually made. This episode was recorded live at Edge Radio 99.3FM studios in Hobart Tasmania, and first aired on 19 March 2026. For more...

Debates over the satire of Tropic Thunder to politicians sharing videogame footage from War Thunder as real combat, the boundaries between entertainment, politics and propaganda are increasingly blurred. We also examine claims that videogames are losing the “war for attention”, the global rise of K-pop and Asian cultural influence. This episode was recorded live at Edge Radio 99.3FM st...

A round-up of unusual pop culture stories over the last few weeks: fandom chaos, strange marketing from fictional corporations, lost gaming history, and the weird ways technology keeps surprising us. This episode was recorded live at Edge Radio 99.3FM studio in Hobart Tasmania, and first aired on 5 March 2026. For more info on Media Mothership go to https://mediamothership.au/ and https://www.edge...

Artist and HAM magazine editor Alex Poljansek joins the show to discuss independent publishing, comics and manga, and how local art scenes generate cultural influence ahead of his upcoming arts residency position in France. Links https://www.instagram.com/ham_magazine/ https://ham-magazine.bigcartel.com/ https://www.instagram.com/rockstar_mode/ https://www.instagram.com/hold.ye.horses/ This episod...

The rise of “cozy” in gaming and storytelling, and why so many players are gravitating toward low-stress, comfort-driven experiences. And an unexpected phenomenon: gamers engaging in photojournalism inside games. This episode was recorded at Hobart’s Edge Radio 99.3FM studios, and first aired on 19 Feb 2026. For more info on Media Mothership go to https://mediamothership.au/&nbsp...

Prime Video’s AI-generated anime dubbing experiment and the backlash that followed. What happens when automation enters creative spaces built on performance and emotion? A conversation about authenticity, labour, fandom, and the limits of AI in media. Episode 137 was recorded at Hobart’s Edge Radio 99.3FM studios, and first aired on 14 Feb, 2026. For more info on Media Mothership go to...

Debunking movie myths, poking corporate platform behaviour, questioning our gaming habits, and asking what AI is doing to art and work. And Tasmania in the movies. This episode was recorded at Hobart’s Edge Radio 99.3FM studios, and first aired on 5th Feb 2026. For more info on Media Mothership go to https://mediamothership.au/  Recorded live each week from Edge Radio studios in Hobart,...

The latest WWE headlines and lead up to the Royal Rumble. From current storylines and booking debates to bold predictions and potential surprises, we break down what’s working, what’s controversial, and what could shake up the road to WrestleMania. Plus, we unpack key wrestling jargon, discuss the unique location of the 2026 Royal Rumble, and debate which superstars have the most to ga...

Angus returns for a conversation with Craig and Taylor about how we could learn to ask better questions of pop culture. We explore the difference between watching and analysing, how to think critically through confusion, obsession or discomfort. Drawing on Angus’ ideas from Kierkegaard, we also discuss why debates about “separating the art from the artist” keep returning, and how...

Angus Metcalf talks about video essays, not just as online content, but as a way of thinking in public. We discuss the emotional and creative labour behind making long-form work for YouTube, the strange intimacy the form creates between maker and viewer, and why video essays provides a space for slow, reflective conversation in an otherwise fast media environment. Angus' TheOleRazzleDazzle https:/...

I’m joined by Angus Metcalf for a thoughtful conversation about Twin Peaks and the idea of media as a re-enchanted, spiritual experience. Drawing on his recently completed Honours thesis from the University of Tasmania’s Media School, we explore questions of aura, sound, dream logic, and grief, and consider how Twin Peaks resists clarity, invites contemplation, and continues to haunt a...