The Content Mines

We thought we'd jump back on mic and talk through the weirdness of 2023, our first year since COVID that we didn't put out a podcast every week. Luke thinks 2023 feels weird because millennials are no longer relevant. Ryan thinks 2023 feels weird because the internet has reverted back to what it was like in 2010. Maybe both theories are correct! Or maybe it was some other third reason. Either way, we spend a lot of time arguing about TikTok. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

We're back with another outside episode. We sat on a park bench and talked about Threads, NPC streamers on TikTok, and AI. Ryan also got chased by a wasp and a dog came by to say hi. Then we went and watched some cricket. A perfect summer afternoon. We'll be back in a few months, probably. Bye bye! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

Ryan was in London so we did a little recording session out in a park last week. We wanted to talk about something other than Twitter and AI, but, let's be real. That's all we talked about. Also, perhaps most importantly, Luke finally watched all of Ted Lasso. And he's real pissed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

Well, all good things must come to an end. Also, this podcast. At least for a while. We're going on indefinite hiatus! So this will be our last episode for a while. Why is this happening? A combination of reasons, which we explain in excruciating detail in this episode. But the main thing is that we just don't want to be a show where we talk about whatever's happening on Twitter every day and it feels like that's what we've been turning into. Oh, we also talk about the new Avatar movie for a while. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

This week we're talking about ChatGPT, the text-based A.I. that everyone loves sharing screenshots of right now. We also go over the new viral hero of the UK, a man named Tom Skinner. And, finally, we cover the first drop of the #TwitterFiles, which is not really as exciting as Elon Musk seems to think it is? Oh, and, remember crypto? We've got some updates on the FTX collapse!SHOW NOTES:The YouTube comment about A.I. translationThe great Embedded piece about how boring text A.I. areTom Skinner's incredible Twitter accountThe FTX contagion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Andor is so good that it almost makes it impossible to watch other Star Wars properties. We waited until the season had wrapped to really dive in and, boy, was there a lot to cover. So many layers to unpack! Also, Andor finally answers to very important questions for the franchise: What would a droid do at a funeral and what do kitchens look like in the Star Wars universe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

This week, Luke admits that the US World Cup team is doing really well. Then we do a catch up on all the bad stuff that happened on Twitter this week. Though, we did record this before the Kanye West stuff, which means, there's likely been even more bad stuff that's happened since. We also took at a look at the podcasts that are performing the best on Spotify right now. And, finally, we take a tour through the weird Gen Z men's rights world of TikTok.Oh, also, we go over The Content Mines' Spotify Wrapped. We learned a lot about our own metrics! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week, we went through all the links in Facebook's new Widely Viewed Content Report. We also do a catchup on Musk Twitter drama and run through the complexities of World Cup viral content.And here's the Everton fans video, here's the Wall Street Journal article about Facebook's “Content Quality War Room,” and here's this quarter's Widely Viewed Content Report. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a fantastic and heartfelt tribute to Chadwick Boseman. It is also a bit messy and suffers from a lot of the same problems that other Phase 4 MCU movies are having. Also, its script doesn't make a ton of sense, but would have probably made a lot more sense if it had a real villain in it. Maybe even a certain Latverian despot?? Either way, we can all agree that Namor is absolutely cool as hell. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

We have three huge topics of equal importance to cover on this week's show. First, we catch you up on the latest with Musk Twitter — fired employees, weird confusing product decisions, bugs and glitches, and hallucinogenics, apparently. Then we run through the bizarre story of what happened with Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX. And, then, finally, but perhaps most importantly of all, we talk about why the UK treasury has a Discord now.Also, this episode has some extremely good new Producer Alan lore. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week Ryan and Luke sat down in their favorite pub in London and hashed out what is, perhaps, the greatest debate of our time: Whether or not paid verification on Twitter is good or bad. Luke thinks it's fine. Ryan thinks it's disgusting. All things considered, this stayed pretty civil. Also, literally right before we finished editing this episode Elon Musk seemingly ended the paid verified, at least temporarily. Which makes this whole conversation a bit more philosophical that practical, I suppose.Also, here's the Quora thread that Producer Alan found.And, finally, thanks to everyone who came out to Bad Posters Club in London last night! It was a blast!! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week Ryan and Luke are in Lisbon, Portugal, for (the) Web Summit! They learned all about the metaverse and the blockchain and artificial intelligence and the highkey art of crushing deals. We also talked, of course, about the Elon Musk-ification of Twitter. Weirdly, Luke wants to pay for Twitter Blue. Ryan thinks it's for class traitors, but also will probably end up paying for it.No bonus episode this week, but we'll see you at our live show in London next week and be back with a whole bunch of fun stuff next week. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week we kick things off with a look at Google's very bad earnings report and a bombshell Reuters report that revealed that Twitter seems to be hemorrhaging users. Then we take a dive into the exploitative and uncomfortable world of British “dangerous places” YouTubers. You know the ones. Those posh guys that go vlog in failed states and turn human misery into clickbait. And, finally, we take a long and comprehensive look at the rise of the TikTok stay-at-home girlfriend. Ryan says stay-at-home girlfriend content seems deeply isolating and lonely and sort of haunting to watch. While Luke just really wants to do nothing all day except drink juices and swim.SHOW NOTES“Alphabet just had its worst day since March 2020, when Covid shutdowns started in the U.S.”“Exclusive: Twitter is losing its most active users, internal documents show”Lord Miles Routledge Adventures Bald and BankruptYes TheoryKendel Kay's TikTok This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Soooo this week's big topic was about the currently-unraveling political situation in the UK. And while we were editing the episode British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned. But other than that, thanks to how weirdly slow-fast British politics moves, not much else we talked about this week has changed, so this should all still be pretty relevant! We also talked about the current trend of weird rich guys buying social networks and Ryan shares a theory he has about Netflix.Also, come to our live show in London next month! The amazing lineup includes:* Chris Stokel-Walker, tech journalist * Saima Ferdows, comedian and producer * Hanna Ines Flint, author of Strong Female Character * Charlotte Colombo, freelance writer and editor at The Daily Dot * Sophia Smith Galer, journalist, content creator, and author of Losing ItGet tickets here!SHOW NOTESA rundown of the Kanye West Parler stuffThe good Netflix threadPlatformer's Meta vs The Wire storyThe Wire's most recent statement on the whole thingThe bad right-wing Indian news site that does unfortunately make a good point about the whole Meta thingAnother good tweet about the Meta India stuffThe Liz Truss lettuce stream@supertanskiii, @RussInCheshire, and @archer_rs This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week we're checking back in on Twitch, the livestreaming platform that just can't quite seem to figure out how to fit in with the rest of the internet. We're going through the latest controversies from TwitchCon, including the cursed foam pit. But we're also, more broadly, talking about why Twitch remains a somewhat niche thing. There was this assumption years ago that Twitch would eventually replace ESPN somehow, but that moment never happened, leaving the platform in a bizarre gray area where it sits just off to the side of everything else. So where does it go from here?SHOW NOTES“We need to talk about Facebook PR guy Andy Stone”“Elon Musk's tweets about Ukraine, Taiwan and Kanye stoke worries about Twitter ownership”“Meta and news outlet's spar deepens India's trust deficit”Tweets from The Wire about the XCheck controversy“‘Fat Bear Week' Hit By Voter-Fraud Attempt”John Fetterman makes his own memes“TwitchCon had a foam pit exhibit. Two attendees say they got injured when they jumped in.”Hasan responding the Sam Hyde meme This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week we're talking about what was revealed by Elon Musk's texts about Twitter. It turns out Elon Musk is not the deep thinker a lot people think he is. It's not clear he understands how Twitter works or why people use it. And he definitely doesn't know what two-factor authentication is. Also, Luke gets really mad about a New York Times tweet about cooking breakfast but then tries to act like he's not actually mad.Also, come to our live show in London next month!SHOW NOTESA full transcript of all the text messagesCharlie Warzel's great Atlantic pieceMore on the Musk textsThe New York Times tweet that Luke got upset about This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week we're talking about the very dark times that appear to be fast approaching the world of digital advertising. That may sound kind of boring, but it's going to have ramifications all over the internet. What happens when the internet's largest platforms — which are basically just advertising companies — stop being able to effectively sell ads? Also, we spend a lot of time trying to reverse engineer MrBeast's formula for successfully psychologically torturing random people for ad revenue.Here's the MrBeast video we reference and here's the Walmart metaverse clip.Oh, and if you'd like to vote for us for a Lovie Award, you can do that here. Please help us realize our dream of wearing suits together at a fancy European cocktail reception.And, finally, we have a new producer and editor starting this week! His name's Alan and you'll hear him in this week's episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week we're looking forward at the US midterms and the upcoming Brazilian presidential election by looking back at how Meta's platforms played a role in both four years ago. It may feel like nothing's changed, but it also feels like we're in a completely new online world. So we're curious whether apps like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have the viral power to impact an election in 2022.And if you'd like to vote for us for a Lovie Award, you can do that here. Please help us realize our dream of wearing suits together at a fancy European cocktail reception. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

We're talking about the Queen of England's death this week. We're talking about the totally bizarre reactions the American media had and the even more bizarre reactions British society had. Also, yes, we also talk about Tumblr's reaction. Luke also breaks down the difference between the magic hats and the magic stones and what they mean. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

You've definitely seen these guys. They take what would normally be one very boring LinkedIn post, but turn it into an even duller Twitter thread. What's the deal? Is it a growth hack? (Yes, probably.) Is it because they crave attention? (For sure.) Is it evil? (Maybe.) But most importantly, what does it say about Twitter as a platform? Also, yes, we talk about the Harry Styles spit video. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

We’re talking about A.I. this week! It’s finally gotten good enough that we can actually talk about what a world of “A.I.-based content” might look like. We’re looking into real A.I., extremely fake A.I., and the ethics of making content with A.I. that is normally made by human creators. Is it unethical? Is it even worth worrying about considering we may have already missed a chance to even argue about it? Lot’s of questions this week. Also, speaking of A.I., we should build one that can remove all of the instances in this episode where Ryan says “interesting” or “fascinating,” am I right? Oh, and, sad update, the algorithmically-generated death metal YouTube channel doesn’t appear to be online anymore. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

We’re back from vacation and all fired up about content! This episode is a big catch-up. We’re talking about the John Fetterman campaign, Dark Brandon, British Four Loko, why millennials love to write serious news stories about fun memes, and, unfortunately, also Andrew Tate, the kickboxer and former Big Brother contestant who was just summarily deplatformed from the internet. We’re asking the question: Will it matter if his fans can still post content about him? If you’re looking for our previous episode about Tate, you can check it out here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

It’s the end of our summer minisodes! We’ll back to our normal nonsense the week of August 22th. Until then, enjoy our look back at foursquare. Turns out Luke was a Foursquare mayor guy and Ryan really loved using it to get slightly cheaper brunch. We also discovered that Foursquare stopped being fun in both New York and London for the exact same reason — hyper-obsessive weirdos started using it too much. (Cover art courtesy of the Midjourney AI.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Welcome to our third vacation episode. We’re talking about the best social media platform ever created, which is Vine, of course. It was like animated GIFs, but with sound. It changed everything. RIP in peace, Vine. Also this is the dog in the car Vine that Ryan was babbling about. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

We’re back with another vacation minisode. We’re talking about the dead platform to end all dead platforms. The one, the only Myspace. It’s responsible for more bad haircuts than another other website possibly. It also profoundly altered the way we think about the internet and in many ways set the stage for the TikTok takeover of the 20202s. Stay tuned to see which weird old dead website we’ll resurrect next! (Cover art courtesy of the Midjourney AI.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Remember Periscope? It was a quirky little livestreaming app that either was or wasn’t part of Twitter depending on the day? There were hearts. There were riots. People streamed their fridges. It was a simpler time. We’re on vacation for the next few weeks, but we’ll be releasing a little miniseries called Dead Platform Summer. The first one is all about Periscope. Stay tuned to see which weird old dead website we’ll resurrect next! (Cover art courtesy of the Midjourney AI.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

We’re on vacation! So this week we’re putting our usually paywalled episode out for free for everyone. Hope you enjoy! We’re talking about the frustrating mess that was Thor: Love And Thunder. We really really wanted to like this movie but boy was it hard to watch. Don’t worry we did try and make this a bit more interesting and talked about the current state of streaming content as a whole in case you don’t care about Marvel. But the episode does have a lot of Marvel talk lol.Also, keep an eye on this feed over the next month. We’ll have some fun surprises for you! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week TikTok is full of videos of Gen Z guys dressing up in suits to watch Minions: The Rise of Gru. The trend is called #Gentleminions. Is it irony? Is it nostalgia? Is it boredom? Why does Gen Z love doing stuff like this so much? And how does it connect to the Binley Mega Chippy and the Summer of Morbius? As you can see, we have a lot of questions. Press play and find out if we end up with any answers! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week we went deep into a network of news accounts on Twitter called BNN. It turned out to be an insanely confusing rabbit hole and we still have a lot of questions about exactly why the BNN accounts were created and what they’re actually meant to do. But, excitingly, right when we were about to finish this episode a big update happened! So listen to the end to get at least some closure about this very strange pocket of Twitter. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

We’re back with one more installment about NFT scammers and hijacked Twitter accounts. We learned a heck of a lot over the last week. We heard from all kinds of people who have lost access to their social media accounts this way and have a few more answers about what’s actually going on here. Also, Ryan has a tense email conversation with a source.SHOW NOTESThe crone videoThe @conspirator0 thread This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Full disclosure: We had a whole plan for this episode and then things went insanely off the rails when we discovered something kind of shocking? What it looks like has happened is that several South American E-sports players, a professional soccer player, and a Welsh arts correspondent are either all shilling random NFTs in the exact same way or all had their accounts taken over? We have a lot of questions and not a ton of answxers. But this episode is honestly an absolutely wild journey. Also, Luke talks about a really viral tweet he had.We have reached out to all parties mentioned in this episode for comment and haven’t heard anything back yet.SHOW NOTESJacob Silverman’s initial tweetEryl Crump’s Twitter accountEryl Crump’s official author pageMarcelo Sarvas’ Twitter account@TheChl0e’s Twitter accountTweet from the Black Dragons mentioning @TheChl0e@blk9_r6’s Twitter account This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week we finally got to play around with TikTok’s Creative Center. It’s a tool for marketers, but also has some really powerful tools for looking at what’s trending globally on the app. We spent some time this week playing around with it. What did we learn? Well, a couple weird things. TikTok users love Sundays, the top videos on the app are mostly ads, and TikTok is offering marketers a tool for replacing popular songs with royalty free stock music to use in their campaigns. That last one is pretty crazy if you ask us!SHOW NOTESHologram queenCrazy Frog Elon Musk tweetBrian Feldman’s Crazy Frog pieceThe TikTok ad dashboard This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week, we kick off the episode with a big long discussion about weird stuff European people do. The Brits are obsessed with a random restaurant near Coventry. The Swedes are feeding people who stay over for dinner. And the Finnish appear to have constructed an elaborate years-long joke about their love of buckets. But our main topic for the week is Instagram Reels. It’s Zuckerberg’s last chance at creating a genuinely exciting content ecosystem. After an hour of scrolling through it, we’re not sure it’s going to work. SHOW NOTESThe Binley Mega Chippy TikTokThe Finnish bucket thing“Nobody wants more crappy videos on Instagram. Too bad.”“Instagram is begging you to stop reposting TikToks to Reels” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

We’ve had a crazy week. But we’re back with a heap of upsetting updates from the world of crypto. And then we dive into our main topic of the week: What if the weirdos making memes and fancams and supercuts of the Depp v. Heard trial don’t disappear after the trial is over? What if the trial doesn’t end the way these very sad Disney adults want? What if it morphs into something like QAnon, where truthers endlessly rant and rave about this for years? What if this horrible thing just never goes away? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

It’s that time again! Facebook has new Widely Viewed Content Report and it’s just as weird and bizarre as the previous one. This time we’re talking about a Vietnamese content farm, relatable Netflix memes, and an impossibly viral Eminem video. This episode also features an exciting cameo!! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

WARNING: This episode does contain spoilers.This week, as a way to celebrate 100 episodes of The Content Mines, we’re sending out our bonus minisode to all our listeners for free. As long-time listeners of the show know, we love arguing about Marvel movies. So we decided to go see the new Doctor Strange and, boy, do we have lots of thoughts about it. TL;DR - Ryan really liked it at first and now isn’t so sure and Luke wasn’t so sure at first and now he really likes it. Typical.Thank you all for the support over the last 100 episodes. It’s a very cool milestone and we couldn’t have gotten there without you. And for those of you we may have lost in the switch from Patreon to Substack, think about subscribing! We send out a little minisode like this each week and you can check all those out by hitting the button below. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

It’s our 100th episode! That’s crazy! In that time we’ve gone through two names for the show, three versions of our theme song, and, just, so many stories about magicians on Facebook. This week is all about the big crypto crash of May 2022. We have to call it that because there’s a very good chance that there could be more this year. Or this one ends up spiraling so far out of control that the whole thing goes to zero. Let’s talk about what happens when the line stops going up! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week Ryan and Luke are recording from the same place! They’ve left their respective Zoom screens to sit in the same room. It’s a whole different vibe. This week’s big topic is Piers Morgan, the British tabloid journalist who tweets absolute garbage all day. He has a new show on a new channel and, according to Luke, the metrics they’re bragging about don’t make any sense. Weird, right? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week we’re talking about Netflix’s very bad week. The stock has plummeted. Employee morale has cratered. Layoffs have started. It seems like a real mess. We look into how years of relying on an algorithm led the company to start making real weird decisions that actually remind us a lot of another company… Facebook. Also, Luke talks about the greatest British art project of maybe all time.SHOW NOTES“The Netflix Bubble Is Finally Bursting”The Duke Smoochum Thread“Netflix’s Big Wake-Up Call: The Power Clash Behind the Crash” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Listen now | This week, Luke goes through the various petty beefs that he’s been following on the internet and attempts to explain why he doesn’t really care about them. Though, it kinda sounds like he cares about them. And Ryan spent some time watching Tucker Carlson’s weird — and kinda homoerotic — documentaries on the Fox Nation streaming platform. There was a surprising amount of stuff on there about aliens! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Listen now | This week caps off our final installment from the Miami Bitcoin convention. We also talk about Elon Musk trying to takeover Twitter. Hilariously, we recorded this on Tuesday of this week, before the news that he wanted to do a big takeover of the company. We were worried that this would be dated but the news on Thursday, but actually we think we kind of nailed it. So that's pretty cool! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Listen now | SHOW NOTES “The Tech Bros Take Miami” “Miami Is Hosting The World’s Biggest Crypto Party” “Miami Wants to Be the Hub for Bitcoin” “Crypto tax: ‘MiamiCoin’ has made the city $7 million so far, a potential game-changer for revenue collection” “Rio De Janeiro Is Giving People a 10% Discount to Pay Taxes in Bitcoin” This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Listen now | What does The Oscars Slap mean for content? What does it say about personal brands in 2k22? R buzzy viral topics still relevant?? Can u b alt and also online? Has the vibe shifted and, if so, how effed is it rn? We’re talking about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars and why it’s the end of the current era of the internet and why Grimes allegedly hacking and extorting Hipster Runoff may have been the end of the era before that! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Listen now | We’re going long on NFTs this week. Particularly the confusing and murky world of NFT copyright. Who owns an NFT? And what can you do with it? We’re exploring the Web3 concept of a “headless brand”. Turns out it’s really confusing and also kind of dumb! But also kind of interesting! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Listen now | This week we’re going deep on a term Luke coined a few episodes ago: “structural dissonance”. It’s that feeling you get seeing images of the invasion of Ukraine in the same content feed as memes, viral animals, lifestyle influencers, or video game playthroughs. It defines the internet, but it also defines kind of our entire current existence. It’s confusing and weird and is breaking our brains and making it harder to understand actual reality. As you can tell, this week’s episode is very light. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Listen now | We went deep into the weird and uncanny world of Facebook again. We promise we’re moving one after this lol. But we couldn’t ignore Facebook’s massive transparency report. We discovered some absolutely wild stuff. Most importantly, bingo livestreams are a thing and, damn, they are popular. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

Listen now This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.thecontentmines.com/subscribe

This week, we're talking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Obviously, this is a fast-moving situation. We recorded this mid-day on Thursday, February 24, 2022. We're looking at the torrent of content around the invasion and trying to wrap our heads around whether or not, when the boots hit the ground, if memes or online content matters at all. SHOW NOTES https://twitter.com/rizviuzair/status/1496761944006668292?s=21 https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1496876397595353094 https://twitter.com/paradoomer/status/1496855640718950410 https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1496767831182041089 https://twitter.com/scholars_stage/status/1496134760074301442?s=21 https://scholars-stage.org/about-the-author/ https://www.garbageday.email/p/zoombombing-the-italian-senate?utm_source=url https://www.garbageday.email/p/the-attention-economy-is-a-war-zone?utm_source=url https://twitter.com/IAMannalynnemcc/status/1496877541772062727 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV0YFqUWcjo https://twitter.com/PatrickCoffee/status/1496846157473067016 https://twitter.com/barstoolWSD/status/1496872249600581635 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/biden-presented-options-massive-cyberattacks-russia-rcna17558

This week we are, once again, talking about another real bad week for Facebook, a company that appears to be having more bad weeks at a higher frequency than ever before. We also peer into the metaverse which is even dumber than we ever could have imagined. Is being a "metamate" the future? SHOW NOTES https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/14/22932824/hmrc-nft-seizure-fraud-investigation https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-backrooms https://twitter.com/kentbye/status/1493092806222516224 https://uploadvr.com/foo-fighters-quest-vr-livestream-issues/ https://www.theinformation.com/articles/why-static-video-memes-are-all-over-instagram https://getchapter.app/@broderick/memes

Netflix is the biggest streamer in the whole world. They are, effectively, the streaming entertainment standard. So why are they launching a news site and poaching journalists from places like Condé Nast? In 2022, why would you want to run a digital media website? We speculate wildly about why that might be!

This week we're journeying into the dark heart of American masculinity... again. We're talking about Joe Rogan. Why do people like him? Should Spotify keep disturbing his show? Does it even matter? Should we smoke DMT and meet the techno elves that run our Earth simulation? These are all questions we may or may not address this week! SHOW NOTES: https://twitter.com/KateMerrill/status/1487406724076253188 https://twitter.com/k8tmac/status/1487537430240677889