Presenting: Panic World - The Disturbing World of Cute Cat AI with Panic World

This week we're cooking up a couple stories in the lab so while you wait, please check out Panic World, a fantastic podcast hosted by friend of the show Ryan Broderick.

-----

Why are cats so popular on the internet? It started with cat memes like I Can Haz Cheezburger and Keyboard Cat, then we became enamored with cat celebrities like Lil Bub, Grumpy Cat, and Princess Monstertruck. And now, we’re witnessing the next evolution in cat internet content: “cute cat AI.”

Our guest and host of American Hysteria, Chelsey Weber-Smith, calls it a “Kitty Horror Picture Show.” Chelsey joins Ryan and Grant to tell us about the explosion of really weird AI-generated cat videos depicting cat families that’s all over TikTok and YouTube right now — much like Elsagate once did in 2014. Then, Ryan takes us back even further, to cover an older cat-based moral panic: Bonsai Kittens. Together, we look at how though technology has changed, we’ve pretty much always wanted to show each other freaky stuff on the internet — whether real or fake.

Our guest Chelsey Weber-Smith hosts American Hysteria, a show that explores the fantastical thinking and irrational fears of Americans. Check it out here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

LINKS

Garbage Day Newsletter

Panic World

American Hysteria

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(56)

A Button is a Promise

This week, we answer a question we have gotten quite a few times since the show began: Why does every microwave have a "Popcorn" button, but nearly every popcorn manufacturer warns you not to use it? ...

8 Loka 36min

Hyperfixed Live in Brooklyn: The Dog Story

A segment from our recent live show in Brooklyn! We investigate one man's obsession with an incredibly charismatic performer. Please consider becoming a Hyperfixed premium member - you will get bonus ...

24 Syys 25min

PREMIUM UNLOCKED: Cramping My Style

This week, we're unlocking an episode from our premium feed: an interview with Kate Downey, Host and Creator of the CRAMPED podcast.Get tickets for the Hyperfixed live show!If you like this episode an...

10 Syys 24min

Captive Audience

Alice was browsing the stock audio in Adobe premiere, when she found dozens of audio marked "prison." Were they actually recorded in prison? By actual prisoners? And if so, was it voluntary? We invest...

27 Elo 29min

ReTell All

In 2022, Amber’s favorite podcast came to an abrupt and shocking end, and now, its archive of episodes has started disappearing from the internet. So she’s come to the Hyperfixed team to find out how ...

13 Elo 30min

The Master of Mazes vs The Big Green Monster

Three years ago, Becca was seeing double. Her hometown's hedge maze had an uncanny resemblance to a famous maze in England, but no one seemed to realize it except her. So Becca wants to know if the ma...

30 Heinä 30min

A Story About a Mouse That’s Actually About Everything

Earlier this year, David's mouse suddenly stopped working, which wouldn't be that weird, were it not for the fact that people across the world were reporting the same issue with the same mouse. What h...

2 Heinä 30min