

INFLUENCE
Matt Silverman
What does it really take to make a living (and an impact) on the Internet today?Join Matt Silverman (who has been covering online culture for 15+ years) in conversation with YouTubers, musicians, podcasters, streamers, journalists, TikTokers and more about turning creativity into a job, building community on ever-changing platforms, and their complex relationships with huge online audiences.INFLUENCE is the relaunch of 2 GIRLS 1 PODCAST, a weekly comedy/interview show about fascinating online communities, which ran for 7 years and nearly 300 episodes.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 15, 2022 • 1h 10min
224 No License for Disinformation
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

Aug 8, 2022 • 58min
223 ADHD Hobby Swap
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

Aug 1, 2022 • 1h 8min
222 The Electronic Frontier Foundation
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

Jul 25, 2022 • 1h 10min
The Space Cemetery in 'EVE Online' [Encore]
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 game's 15-year-old player-run space graveyard.The Molea cemetery has been operating since 2004, and not only contains the frozen corpses of killed space pilots, but graves that mark the deaths of lost loved ones in real life — friends, family members, pets, and other players.In June of this year, the developers of 'EVE' formally recognized this player accomplishment by adding a massive, permanent memorial to the system. Marshall explains how the cemetery got started, why players care so much about transporting their clone corpses to virtual graves, how the team fended off attacks from the notorious Goonswarm Alliance, and the first time a player requested a grave for a real person. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 18, 2022 • 1h 4min
221 Plant Parenthood: How Psychedelics Can Help Parents Cope
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 psychedelics can reduce the stress of raising kids, and tap into the playful and creative mindsets that make families joyful.Alli and Lindsey talk with Rebecca Kronman and Andrew Rose from Plant Parenthood, who explain the intersection of family and psychedelics, and how this community allows people to talk about things they can't address with IRL friends and family.Check out Plant Parenthood: https://www.plantph.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

Jul 11, 2022 • 1h 9min
220 What Is and Is Not "Free Speech" on the Internet?
The podcast explores the complexities of regulating online speech, including the challenges of misinformation and the role of social media. It discusses Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and its implications for content moderation. The hosts express optimism in finding solutions and draw parallels to the history of radio. They also encourage listeners to engage in the conversation and connect with the podcast community.

Jul 4, 2022 • 1h 5min
219 Adult Breastfeeding & Nursing Relationships
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 can induce breastmilk (including men!), the barriers to selling milk online, and the medical reasons why she found herself to be a leading voice in the ABF community.For more info, check out Mikalah's podcast "Lactation Station": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lactation-station/id1485681584Support 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

Jun 27, 2022 • 1h 18min
Making Spreadsheets Fun With @BachelorData [ENCORE]
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 Suzana Somers had a fresh idea. When she had to start learning Excel for her job, she got bored crunching pivot tables, so she inserted data from The Bachelor instead: How much screen time did each contestant get? Age ranges? Race and ethnic backgrounds? Roses awarded? Instagram followers? The results, which she visualized on Instagram, have been intriguing thousands of fans ever since. @BachelorData has become a big voice in the reality show conversation, and Suzana has turned it into an educational resource for those who want to improve their spreadsheets skills in a non-boring way.Alli and Lindsey chat with Suzana about the origin of the account, the online Bachelor community, and the fascinating conclusions she's drawn from analyzing the franchise over many seasons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 20, 2022 • 1h 3min
218 How One Direction Fandom Shaped the Social Web
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 activism online. Her new book, "Everything I Need I Get from You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It," digs into the obsessive fan culture that could only be fully realized through the power of the Internet.Check out her book: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Need-Get-You-Fangirls/dp/0374539189Support 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

Jun 13, 2022 • 1h 17min
217 Doctors of TikTok Fighting Medical Disinformation
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 found on the platform was so horrifying, she had to step up and fight it.Alli and Lindsey talk with Dr. Kat about her rise to social media fame as a newly minted science communicator. Her TikTok videos debunk persistent myths about the pandemic, explain how viruses and vaccines work, and call out other medical professionals who insist on spreading dangerous content. She maps why human bias, poor educational standards, and algorithms that only serve sensationalism created a perfect storm of misinformation on TikTok, and what scientists (and regular people) are doing to fight back.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