There Are No Girls on the Internet

WANT TO LISTEN TO AD-FREE BONUS CONTENT AND SUPPORT THE SHOW? CHECK US OUT ON PATREON AT PATREON.COM/TANGOTI Laid-off Twitter Africa team ‘ghosted’ without severance or benefits: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/17/tech/ghana-twitter-layoffs-severance-intl-hnk/index.html  Meta rejected scores of women’s health ads. Democrats want answers: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/17/meta-rejected-dozens-womens-health-ads-democrats-want-answers/ Threads Usage Drops By Half From Initial Surge: https://www.similarweb.com/blog/insights/social-media-news/threads-week/ Harriet Tubman research material: https://archives.nypl.org/scm/20868  Would you visit this phone free island? https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/finland-phone-mobile-free-island-b2361499.html EA Sports FC 24 Fully Revealed: Release Date, Ultimate Team, and More: https://www.ign.com/articles/ea-sports-fc-24-fully-revealed-release-date-ultimate-team-and-more  Personal debts said to scuttle nomination of Biden’s acting cyber director, an unusual level of scrutiny: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/15/kemba-walden-nomination-cyber-director/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The disgraced CEO of Theranos, the scam blood testing company, built her career with savvy press moves. Now she’s headed to prison, but not before doing a flashy New York Times Magazine profile on the way in. Bridget talks with legendary media OG Lea Goldman, deputy editorial director of G/O Media and founder of the social first media newsletter Hazmat Hotel about what it means, what it tells us about women’s media, celebrity profiles, and why it matters.    FOLLOW HAZMAT HOTEL! I ALWAYS LEARN SOMETHING FROM LEAH’S MEDIA MUSINGS:  https://www.instagram.com/leajgoldman/   Liz Holmes Wants You to Forget About Elizabeth: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/business/elizabeth-holmes-theranos-interview.html   The New York Times’ Elizabeth Holmes Profile Is Causing Drama in the Newsroom: “What the Hell Happened Here?”: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/05/elizabeth-holmes-new-york-times She’s left the Firm behind. Harry’s found a polo team in Santa Barbara. The kids are doing great. Now she’s ready for her next act: https://www.thecut.com/article/meghan-markle-profile-interview.html   .Donahue Show Gay Marriage 1991 https://youtu.be/cfXwwzg_Ntc   Want to support the show? Get ad free content on our Patreon: Patreon.com/Tangoti   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Birthday There Are No Girls on the Internet! The podcast turned 3 years old this week! We are officially a toddler! Thanks to everyone who made this possible by listening! Twitter promises payouts for ad share...but will they pay up? https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/13/twitter-creators-payments-right-wing/ The FTC is reminding Open AI that laws are a thing! https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/13/ftc-openai-chatgpt-sam-altman-lina-khan/ Did Google steal everything you ever searched online? Yes they did: https://gizmodo.com/google-bard-ai-stole-data-class-action-suit-says-1850631307  Sarah Silverman is suing Open AI for stealing her book: https://apnews.com/article/sarah-silverman-suing-chatgpt-openai-ai-8927025139a8151e26053249d1aeec20 Voice over actors are pissed their voices are being cloned in AI porn:  https://www.gamesradar.com/voice-actors-call-out-ai-as-imitations-spread-in-erotic-skyrim-mods-i-do-not-give-consent/ Buffalo shooting victims sue social media companies and demand change: https://gizmodo.com/google-reddit-facebook-instagram-sued-buffalo-massacre-1850635671 Don’t live stream yourself performing surgery! https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/12/us/dr-roxy-tiktok-operations-livestream.html Your next smartphone will have a removable battery! https://mashable.com/article/replaceable-batteries-smartphones-iphones-2027 Bridget has a bone to pick with Jeff Lewis, formerly of Bravo.  Listen on Patreon: Patreon.com/tangotiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget has a deeply fascinating and important conversation with the brilliant Vitus Spehar from Under The Desk News about “the news.” TikTok and social media have changed who gets to tell the news, for good and for bad. On the positive side, engaging creators are making important issues resonate with their communities more deeply than Walter Cronkite ever could have dreamed. On the negative side, social media algorithms reward outrage and encourage disinformation that entrenches polarization. It’s complicated! Fortunately we have people like V who can succinctly tell us, and legislators, what we need to know. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonah Hill’s ex released some pretty controlling texts from the actor policing her Instagram posts. Keke Palmer’s boyfriend publicly shamed her concert outfit on Twitter. It’s clear we need to talk about the role social media plays in controlling relationships. We get into it all on Patreon and here’s a preview.    For the full ad free episode, check our our Patreon: Patreon.com/tangotiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So much happened with Twitter. It broke, or maybe they broke it. Then they broke it more, possibly trying to fix it. It's still broken and the vibes are off. Meta launched its new Threads app into the social hole abdicated by Twitter, and 30 million people said "ok" even though Meta is a demonstrably terrible brand that chooses profit over people over and over and over again. We'll probably check it out.  The ever increasing availability of digital surveillance tools is threatening privacy in France (the police want to turn on your phone's camera), Virginia (adults need to register with a government website to view porn), and Sacramento (the Sheriff illegally shares license plate data with police in states that have criminalized abortion). Meanwhile in England, a newspaper was forced to publish a front-page apology for a sexist (but not racist!!!) article about Meghan Markle (it was racist).   Threads' privacy policy: https://help.instagram.com/515230437301944  French law: https://gazettengr.com/france-passes-bill-to-allow-police-remotely-activate-phone-camea-microphone-spy-on-people/  Sacramento Sheriff: https://news.yahoo.com/sacramento-sheriff-sharing-license-plate-133000119.html  Virginia is for lovers (not filthy perverts): https://www.wired.com/story/porn-age-checks-id-laws/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fast fashion retailer Shein’s brand trip didn’t quite go as they planned. They sent a group of influencers to China to tour their facility after a bunch of bad press, but now those influencers are facing backlash themselves, and renouncing their partnership with Shein. The whole thing raises questions about the ethics and harm of fast fashion, as well as the influencers who shill for it.   Aja Barber wrote the book on consumption. She explains why it’s about more than just Shein.   Aja is the most stylish person I know! Follow her on Patreon for sustainable style insights: https://www.patreon.com/AjaBarber   Check out Aja’s book Consumed: https://www.ajabarber.com/book   Wanna support the There Are No Girls On The Internet? Check us out on Patreon at Patreon.com/tangoti See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SCOTUS’ affirmative action ruling leaves us mad as hell; Dylan Mulvaney, the trans influencer targeted for extremist hate in the wake of a Bud Light brand partnership, returns to social media;  Canva’s AI text to image tool labels Bantu knots “unsafe;” A new lawsuits says Open AI’s ChatGPT is taking all of our data; Google and Facebook threaten to go dark on Canadian news. Facebook’s bans news in Australia is silencing activists: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/disinformed-facebooks-bans-news-in-australia-is-silencing/id1520715907?i=1000510047480 Google says it will start blocking Canadian news stories in response to new: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/29/1185087587/google-says-it-will-start-blocking-canadian-news-stories-in-response-to-new-law We had a little bit more to say in this episode, so to hear the rest of the newscast, subscribe to our Patreon: Patreon.com/tangotiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s no denying that dating apps, social media, and smartphones have changed the way platonic, romantic, and sexual relationships play out in all of our lives. But it’s more than just that! Making meaningful friend relationships can be tough because of *everything* we’re all dealing with.   Comedian and author Lane Moore explores how we all make friendships now and her new book You Will Find Your People.    CHECK OUT LANE’S NEW BOOK: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/you-will-find-your-people_9781419762567/   Wanna support the show and get AD FREE bonus content? Patreon.com/tangoti See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a heavy musk of Elon in this episode. He tries to redefine the word ‘cis’ to be a slur and says it will be considered harassment on his janky platform that encourages deadnaming; he inspires the CEO of Reddit to follow his lead and alienate his own users by charging for API access; and he challenges Mark Zuckerburg to an ill-advised cage match that seems like it might actually happen. RFK Jr. went on Joe Rogan’s podcast to rehash some tired old medical misinformation from 2020, then Rogan’s listeners got big mad when an actual scientist wasn’t interested in debating their nonsense. But it’s not all gloom and doom! In happier news, the two Georgia poll workers whose lives were upended by Trump and Giuliani’s baseless lies about them were finally officially exonerated. Illinois gets behind the librarians to ban book bans, and the Recording Academy takes a stand by insisting that only humans can win Grammys - not AI.  Did you follow the Oceangate tragedy? Listen to an ad free bonus episode breaking down online discourse,  conspiracy theories and right wing grievance mongering around Oceangate: https://www.patreon.com/posts/oceangate-85029090 Listen to Bridget’s episode about Ruby and Shay Freeman on Internet Hate Machine: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-one-why-trump-targeted-two-black-election-workers/id1648497305?i=1000590820764  Erin Reed’s piece on the history of the word cis https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/cisgender-is-no-more-a-slur-than Anna Merlan’s Vice piece on RFK on Rogan: https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7zz9z/spotify-rogan-rfk-vaccine-misinformation-policySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.