Don't Feed the Neighbors' Kids

Don't Feed the Neighbors' Kids

One surefire way to go viral on Threads—the Meta-owned Instagram-spinoff social network with more than 200 million users—is to ask a ridiculous question that enrages your followers so much, they just have to chime in to answer you, mock you, or berate you. When it first launched last summer, Threads was seen as a blatant Twitter clone. At the time, that was an appealing attribute, as users fleeing the platform now known as X were looking for a new place to gather. Threads turned out to be a safe haven from the trolling and engagement bait on X, Reddit, and Facebook, but only for a while. Threads, like any for-profit social media site, was not able to keep those jokers and bad actors at bay. In its effort to boost engagement on the platform, Threads began prioritizing posts with the most replies and comments—which also happen to be the posts that stirred up the most drama and pissed everyone off.
This week on Gadget Lab, we chat with Business Insider senior correspondent Katie Notopoulos about her personal experiment with rage bait immersion on Threads. We also ask whether social media sites are making the right decision by catering to their most furious users.


Show Notes:
Read Katie’s story about ragebait on Threads. Read Lauren’s story about the new app SocialAI, where the only human is you, and everyone else is a bot.


Recommendations:
Katie recommends the reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu. Mike recommends the HBO show Industry. Lauren recommends the Apple TV+ show Slow Horses.


Katie Notopolous can be found on Threads @katienotopoulos. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight@heads.social. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

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How Americans Are Surveilled During Protests

How Americans Are Surveilled During Protests

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Will Meta Really Have to Sell Instagram and WhatsApp?

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What The Actual Tariff

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It’s been total chaos since President Trump announced tariffs last week. Despite the endless reporting on this story, none of it really makes any sense yet. So today, we attempt to make sense of how the tariffs could revamp the entire tech industry and what you can do to deal with this new normal. You can follow our hosts on Bluesky— Michael Calore is @snackfight, Lauren Goode is @laurengoode, and Katie Drummond is @katie-drummond. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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Why the Market Is Going Crazy This Week

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Is Silicon Valley Actually Libertarian? (Re-Run)

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Good Quests, Christianity & Caviar Bumps

Good Quests, Christianity & Caviar Bumps

The mission of Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurs has long been to change the world. But, how do you know whether a pursuit is good or bad? ACTS17 collective, a Christian faith based group of tech entrepreneurs, says a strong relationship with God is the answer. Today on the show, we talk about the people promoting a faith-based approach to tech, we learn what a  “good quest” is,  and we ask, what impact religion will have on the type of ventures the valley pursues in the future? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

27 Maalis 28min

Who's Elon Musk’s Biggest Fan? His Mom

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She sits in on his business meetings, defends him on X, and travels to give talks about how she raised him, the richest man in the world — but who is Elon Musk’s mother? Today on the show, we learn all about the model, influencer and author, Maye Musk, while dissecting her most recent travels to China and her possible influence on foreign politics. Write to us at uncannyvalley@wired.com.You can follow Michael Calore on BlueSky at @snackfight, Lauren Goode on BlueSky at @laurengoode,  and Zoë Schiffer on Bluesky @zoeschiffer. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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DOGE is Doing the Opposite of Government Auditing

DOGE is Doing the Opposite of Government Auditing

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