Of Shootings And Shitposts (With Morgan Sung)

7 snips

Sep 19, 2025

Morgan Sung, a producer and host at KQED’s Close All Tabs, dives into the darker side of internet culture. She discusses the disturbing trend of treating real-life shootings as memes, linking them to nihilism prevalent among today's youth. The conversation shifts to the media's struggles with covering this generational shift and the decline of internet-savvy reporters in legacy media. Meanwhile, they touch on how independent media may bridge the gap left behind. Plus, they explore the gaming community's reactions to the hype surrounding Silksong!

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INSIGHT

Memes Point To Nihilism, Not Clear Ideology

Many online references found in the shooting pointed to nihilistic shitposting rather than coherent political motive.
Morgan Sung argues memes often indicate incoherent online identity more than clear ideology.

INSIGHT

Younger Internet Politics Defy Left‑Right Labels

Younger internet users often hold incoherent political views because neither major party addresses their nihilism.
That gap produces online identities that don't fit a simple left-right framework.

ADVICE

Translate Memes Carefully For Normie Audiences

Translate niche meme context slowly for mainstream audiences instead of over‑claiming political meaning.
Explain that many memes are nonpolitical shitposts to avoid misleading narratives.

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On this week’s episode, Nathan and Chris are joined by Morgan Sung of KQED’s Close All Tabs podcast to discuss shootings as shitposts and media censorship following the death of Charlie Kirk. While we still don’t know the killer’s precise motive, bullet engravings that reference video game memes and largely nonpolitical Discord activity seem to suggest that he was just a guy, possessed with the incoherent politics and general nihilism characteristic of extremely online young people in these times. What does it say that someone like him could still be pushed to this level of violence? How, if at all, can mainstream media – which has shed most of its best internet-focused reporters over the years – accurately convey an online world that’s increasingly bleeding over into real life to aging normie audiences? And with the government moving quickly to crack down on free speech using Charlie Kirk as a cudgel, can independent media take up the torch where mainstream corporate media will inevitably falter? Then we talk about Silksong!

Credits

- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, & special guest Morgan Sung

- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude

- Subscribe to Aftermath!

About The Show

Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

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