INFLUENCE

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 — arguably the antithesis of Etsy's "mom and pop" roots.Kristi Cassidy, a longtime Etsy seller, voiced her concern on Reddit, and many agreed. Now, a variety of shops have gone on strike in an effort to raise awareness of the squeeze. This reignites the age-old Internet question of who has more power: The platforms that create the ecosystem, or the individuals who create all the stuff on the platform?Alli and Lindsey talk with Kristi about this budding freelance labor movement, and its implications for other Internet gig workers.Get more info about the Indie Sellers Guild: https://indiesellersguild.org/Check out Kristi's steampunk clothing designs! https://auralynne.com/Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1pJoin the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 comedic art. His brand of earnest, oblivious comment trolling (and the angry reactions of people who think it's real) earned him hundreds of thousands of fans, who screenshot his comment threads across the Web and laugh hysterically on Reddit and Tumblr.While Ken M has become the stuff of Internet legend, the real man behind the troll accounts — Ken McCarthy — is a friendly guy whose day job is writing for Comedy Central. Alli and Jen chat with McCarthy about his creative process, why his brand of humor is still so relatable after a decade, Ken M imposters, and what happens when troll comments go too far.Follow Ken M on Twitter: https://twitter.com/horseysurpriseEnjoy the Ken M subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/KenM/Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1pJoin the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robin Stethem, Founder and CEO of The Museum of Other Realities, discusses the mind-blowing experience of standing inside a painting in virtual reality. They explore the concept of the Museum of Other Realities and its role in connecting individuals. They also discuss virtual reality interactions, nonverbal communication, compatibility issues with VR headsets, and interacting with art through digital technology. The speakers delve into personal habits and invite listeners to share their museum visits.

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 communication rather than text. And sign language with current-gen VR controllers is limiting and clunky at best.But groups of volunteer interpreters inside VR worlds are hard at work making sure these spaces are more welcoming and accessible for deaf users. The result is an empowering community of "Helping Hands."This week, Alli and Jen speak with Quentin, a 19-year-old volunteer translator and VR enthusiast, who is bridging the communications gap between deaf and hearing people in VRchat. Quentin (a hearing person) shares how and why he learned American Sign Language, the tech limitations of signing in VR, and how sign language is evolving in VR to accommodate differences between headsets and motion tracking.A transcript of this episode was provided by @Zazzy_chan! You can read it here: http://bit.ly/2UJ1Qcz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.patreon.com/2G1PJoin the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1pJoin the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 visit what '90s American big box stores were like. And people from all over the virtual world are flocking to it.Carbon Blossom, the communications manager for this virtual store, explains its origins, global appeal, and take Alli and Lindsey on a whirlwind tour through the history of retail.Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1pJoin the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 destigmatizing family planning. And when he began interviewing men all over the world about why they had gotten their vasectomies, the overwhelming answer was: "Love."Jonathan shares how the organization got started, and the online community of activists and doctors working to evolve the narrative around vasectomies.Visit World Vasectomy Day: https://wvd.org/Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1pJoin the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 should be investigating, but shocker: They're not.That's where Dr. Nick Sawyer comes in. By day, he's an ER doctor, but in his limited spare time, he's the executive director of "No License for Disinformation," a non-profit coalition of doctors who created a way to report and de-license bad actors. Dr. Nick explains the difference between disinfo grift and the alarmingly coordinated political efforts to discredit science and damage public health. He also discusses the early momentum of this online medical community, and why it can be hard for them to organize (even on the Internet) amid backlash from corporate medical institutions.Learn more (and support the cause) here: https://www.nolicensefordisinformation.org/Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1pJoin the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 to like-minded hobbyists. It saves people money, reduces waste, and helps folks discover new projects they never dreamed of. Alli and Lindsey talk with the group's creator, Sarah Henley, about its explosion in popularity over the last few years.Check out the Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/446133216790646Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1pJoin the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Electronic Frontier Foundation. Since 1990, the non-profit EFF has been working to protect the civil liberties of Internet users. This ranges from government surveillance to corporate abuse of privacy. As a civil rights attorney, Cindy has fought and won numerous legal battles that protect online speech, privacy, and access.She discusses the origins of the EFF, why law enforcement didn't understand the Internet at first, and the battles ahead regarding decentralization, tech anti-trust, and even abortion access.Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1pJoin the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/Email us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices