Panic World

In 2010, Hasbro launched a new generation of My Little Pony toys, and debuted a nice little television show to accompany it. It was called My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and over a million people tuned into its premiere. Although perhaps not the kind of people Hasbro big wigs expected. No, instead, the “Brony” was born — guys who might have seemed kind of innocent in the beginning (although even that is debatable), but Bronies grew into an unstoppable force of fully grown men looking “respectfully” at a bunch of cute, big-eyed, flamboyantly colored, personified horses that were designed for kids. PJ Vogt joins us once again, despite knowing what he signed up for, to learn more about this subculture built around elaborate lore, conventions, tasteful art, “clopping,” tulpas, a certain interesting project involving a jar — and how Bronies have impacted broader internet culture. Our guest PJ Vogt hosts the podcast Search Engine. Check it out on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Want even…

Have you ever been gang stalked? Or gang stalked someone? Hopefully not. But if you don’t even know what that is, today we’re talking about a weird little thing called “gang stalking.” That’s when TIs (“targeted individuals”) believe they’re being followed by… someone. Or a group of unknown people who seek to ruin the TI’s life through constant surveillance and harassment. Who are the people who think they’re being gang stalked, and why? Carson Pace of the Callous Daoboys joins us to talk about his fascination with the gang stalking community and its history. We’re going way back to 1995, with its origins on the “Mind Control Forum,” to “Gang Stalking World,” and up till today’s modern incarnations like r/gangstalking — and obviously its connections to QAnon, Pizzagate, and Epstein. Our guest and TI, Carson Pace, can be found on X, the everything app @Carsondaoboys or on Instagram @carsonfromdaoboys. You can also find Callous Daoboys everywhere you listen to banging music — or if you’re in Europe, they’re…

Why are food videos so popular online? And why are the most viral ones also the grossest? Today we’re looking back at the history of food videos, from Food Wishes to the hands-only top-down video style pioneered by Tasty to making cereal in a toilet bowl pioneered by TikTok. Petey USA, a creator and musician who’s had a lot of really weird bad stuff to eat while on tour, joins us to about food video culture online — and why we don’t care if it’s good, bad, or absolutely horrifying — we’re gonna gobble that slop right up. Our guest is musician Petey USA, whose work you can find at https://www.peteyswebsite.com/, anywhere you listen to music, or check out his TikTok @peteyusa. You can also catch him live Nov 27 + 28 @ The Empty Bottle in Chicago and December 18 at The Independent in San Francisco.He released oooo, a new 8-song project, back in August. Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonuses & exclusives, and access to our members-only Discord? Sign up for a membership for just $6.66…

Sit down and take a seat with Ryan & Grant. They discuss the recent release of Primetime as a follow-up to this week’s episode. Want to hear the rest of this conversation? Or ad-free episodes, bonuses & exclusives, and access to our members-only Discord? Sign up for a membership for 6.66 bucks a month at https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To Catch A Predator launched in 2004 and was immediately a massive hit, but despite its long-lasting cultural impact — highlighted by last week’s release of Primetime — it only ran for one season and twenty episodes. The show ended after an assistant District Attorney in Texas died by suicide. Is it ethically worse? Is this justice? Why does it feel so gross? Today we’re joined by Free Country USA to look at the legacy of the show and the trend of content creators trying to bust predators on their own. Follow Free Country USA @freecountryusa on YouTube, Instagram, and everywhere else you listen and watch pods. Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonuses & exclusives, and access to our members-only Discord? Sign up for a membership for just five bucks a month at https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who created the strongman hellscape that we’re currently living in? Today, we’re talking about the original looksmaxxer, Zyzz. He got his start online in 2006 with a popular World of Warcraft streaming account, whose earnings he used to join a gym, because he’d “always been obsessed with bodybuilding.” By 2010, he had amassed a huge following among outrageously jacked guys online. He finally figured out how to make money off this — by hawking supplements and other products — but then he passed away in 2011. However, by then he had laid the blueprint that the chads of the future would all follow. What happens next, is the world we live in now. Noah K of Crimes New Roman joins us to talk about the chads of the past, like Bloat Lord, Derb, and FPS Russia, and how these leading musclemen resulted in the big boys of the present, like Androgenic, Clavicular, and Zeta — and how they’ve managed to create a hell world of body dysmorphia for the nation’s young men. Our guest Noah K can be found on YouTube…

A little over a year ago, we had a big announcement — that we were adding video to the podcast with our partner Courier. Just as we go into the third year of exploring how the internet warps our minds, our culture, and eventually reality, we’ve got some more big news for you, which we’re really excited about. Speaking of, want to support the new Panic World… world? And get ad-free episodes, bonuses & exclusives, and some new wacky stuff we’re gonna be experimenting with? Sign up for a membership at https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy (?) Kirkiversary. One year ago today, Charlie Kirk was killed by someone the right-wing wasn’t able to effectively use for fearmongering. Ryan & Grant look back at what Kirk’s legacy is now — the martyr he wasn’t able to become, and the guy who’s instead trapped in memes and shitposts forever. Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonuses & exclusives, and access to our members-only Discord? Sign up for a membership for just five bucks a month at https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will we ever get another new platform to communicate with on the internet? Today, we’re talking about the various eras of social media platforms — from Myspace to Facebook, Twitter to Instagram, and Vine to TikTok — and their biggest moments in culture, like Fred, Shit My Dad Says, Wendy’s Twitter, and Kombucha Girl. Some have stood the test of time so far, but mostly, we’re all beholden to platforms that have so much power and money now that they can control where we post and how we do it. Musician Connor Musarra joins us to help Ryan define when a social media platform’s dominance begins, when it wanes, and when we might just get something new. Our guest Connor Musarra is a musician and self-described “nonstop poster” whose work you can find everywhere @connormusarra. Want to hear the rest of our conversation? And more Panic World content, like ad-free episodes, bonuses & exclusives, and access to our members-only Discord? Sign up for a membership for just five bucks a month at…

Where did prediction markets come from, and why are they more popular than ever? Charlie Warzel joins the pod once again to discuss the proliferation of these strange companies like Kalshi and Polymarket that allow you to bet on nearly anything — monetizing the good, and mostly bad things. We go into the early 2000s background of these platforms, led by Robin Hanson, an economist and self-described “Jungian ENTP” who originally got involved with prediction markets through his “Policy Analysis Market” as a means to anticipate political instability and terrorist attacks; how they are used now; and whether we’re headed into Hanson’s desired “futarchy.” Our guest Charlie Warzel writes the Galaxy Brain newsletter and podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter here and check out the podcast here or wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does culture feel so much less... human than it used to? Wyatt Cenac joins Ryan to discuss the “crisis of taste” — or how, in the past 10-15 years, tech companies have flipped media on its head. People used to spend more time making things and shaping culture, and then tech responded to that culture. Now tech is using AI to try to manufacture culture so you don’t need to develop your own taste because our tech overlords will tell you what taste to have. Ryan & Wyatt reflect on why nostalgia is more popular than ever right now, and how we can even get comfort from simply watching commercials from the ‘80s and ‘90s, because craft, human talent and ambition drove cultural tastes — rather than today where everything is a brand just trying to get a direct sale or to scrape your data and then sell that to be used in some algorithm. Our guest Wyatt Cenac is a comedian and actor. You can find his work and subscribe to his mailing list on a good old-fashioned website: https://www.wyattcenac.com/. Want even more…

Why did the Democrats lose so badly in 2024? Rob Flaherty joins us to dissect the "DNC autopsy" — the formerly internal report about what went wrong in 2024 — about which he gave his own thoughts on The Bulwark in May. Rob was the deputy campaign manager for Kamala Harris and also formerly a digital strategist for Joe Biden. Rob distills his analysis of what happened in 2024, and then Ryan & Grant present Panic World’s own version of the DNC autopsy and get Rob’s response, as well as additional details from what he saw behind-the-scenes. How much did Harris only having 107 days matter? Or the administration’s stances on Palestine and Israel? How about Democratic Party’s general branding problems?Check out Rob's DNC autopsy on The Bulwark. You can also find him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Rob_Flaherty — and you can follow his podcast Nobody Knows Anything here or wherever you listen.Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonuses & exclusives, and access to our…

Did you catch Peter Thiel's Enhanced Games in Las Vegas on May 24th? You know, the libertarian-minded, steroid-fueled, biohacked Olympics. No? Still nothing? After recruiting mostly ex-Olympic athletes from track & field, swimming, and weightlifting, parent company Enhanced trained them for months in Abu Dhabi — while also loading them up on a cocktail of drugs to see how many world records they could break. Reporter, producer, wrestling coach, and also Grant’s trainer Sam Eagan talks with Grant about the intended goal of the games (read: transhumanism is involved), and their deep connections to the right-wing and perhaps a little toxic masculinity, plus a recap of how the attempted record-breaking went. Our guest Sam Eagan covers the intersection of masculinity and politics. You can follow his work here, and also check out his podcast SuperHuman — which goes into even more detail about the Enhanced Games — here and wherever you listen to podcasts.This episode is an unlocked preview from our Patreon. To hear…

Venerable satirical Chicago-based outfit The Onion is truly on a mission to save democracy — and it starts by relaunching FKA Alex Jones’s InfoWars, which The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron LLC, acquired via bankruptcy auction. CEO Ben Collins joins us to discuss the business’s past and future; chumboxes vs. subscriptions; why they still put out physical newspapers; “Google Zero”; the editorial process (and humans vs. AI); of course, their plans for InfoWars, and more.Our guest Ben Collins is the CEO of Global Tetrahedron. He goes by “Tim Onion” on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social. You can also find The Onion at https://theonion.com/, and starting on July 2nd, the new InfoWars @RealInfoWars. Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus & exclusive episodes, and access to our exclusive Discord? Sign up for a membership for just five bucks a month at https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. For Apple Podcast users, you can also find all of our bonus content…

This past weekend, Ryan & Grant went down to see what the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the White House lawn was all about. What they found was $30 margaritas, $120 graphic tees, one (1) mechanical bull, and a whole lot of people who just wanted to watch some dudes beat each other up — and didn’t even know it was supposed to be Trump’s big birthday bash. Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus & exclusive episodes, and access to our exclusive Discord? Sign up for a membership for just five bucks a month at https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. For Apple Podcast users, you can also find all of our bonus content — plus other great COURIER shows — with a subscription to COURIER+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re talking about the D4vd murder case, one of the darkest stories in pop culture at the moment. D4vd — or David Burke — got his start as one of the original Fortnite streamers, who then built a big Discord community around himself, including an alter-ego, "IT4MI," and ultimately his work as a musician blending styles like bedroom pop and indie rock. But in April 2026 he was charged with allegedly murdering one of his fans, 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Jennifer Swann joins us again, to discuss the allegations and everything leading up to them.Our guest Jennifer Swann is a journalist and producer. She has a newsletter, Self Storage, which you can find at https://jennswann.substack.com/ and produces the investigative true crime podcast My Friend Daisy, which you can find anywhere you listen to podcasts. Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free and extended episodes, bonuses, and access to our exclusive Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld.And if you…

What would the internet look like if major tech companies like Meta and Google were no longer usable? With Google more deeply integrating AI into Search and changing how it’s worked for the first time in 25 years, many fear “Google Zero,” where websites simply don’t receive any traffic from search anymore. But Google isn’t the only one. With so many companies going all-in on AI, replacing employees with AI and reorienting their products to cater toward AI use, Ryan presents his “Internet Zero” theory — what happens when companies that are pillars of the internet as we know it shift their core products wholly around AI? With the major players all taking part in this massive, speculative bubble, it’s bound to burst — just like we saw in the early-00s dot-com crash. This episode is a preview from our Patreon. Listen to the full version at https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld — for just five bucks a month, you get exclusive content like this, extended and bonus episodes, Discord community access, and more. For…

Why is everything online just clips now? We’ve reached a point with digital video that’s made it impossible even for a normal, non-sicko to ignore: we’re awash in slop (whether AI-created or not). Ryan works through his thinking with Grant about how everything on the internet became video: how the people who were first to figure that out made enough money that they’re now able to take on legacy media and big Hollywood players, but it doesn’t really seem like anyone knows what to do with that power, other than pump out garbage. And if short-form video as a format is fundamentally broken, if the internet is just TV now, and everyone hates it — who is this content actually for? Who is winning in the age of clipping, or are we all losing? This episode is an unlocked bonus from our Patreon. We’ll be sharing part two later today at https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld — for just five bucks a month, you get exclusive content like this, extended and bonus episodes, Discord community access, and more. Join us so you…

We’re taking a breather to let Grant out of his cage and get some fresh air, but we didn’t want to leave you without something to panic about. So this week we’ve got an episode from friend of the show and previous guest, Alex Goldman, the host of Hyperfixed. It’s about Markus. When his good friend died suddenly, he went online to get more information. What he found was several AI-written obituaries on dodgy looking websites with a litany of factual inaccuracies. Who is making these, and why? And is there anything that can be done to stop them? We think you’ll dig it. If you do, you can find all of Hyperfixed’s episodes at https://www.hyperfixedpod.com/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. Panic World will be back with something special for you on Friday. In the meantime, take it away, Hyperfixed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re talking about billionaire Peter Thiel and his many fascinating, varied interests. You might know him for secretly funding Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit that destroyed Gawker, but did you know that he is also pretty interested in New York’s comedy scene, its hipsters, and something about a biohacked Olympics? What is going on here? Claire Parker joins us to delve into the concept of “Thiel Bucks,” or the money he allegedly gives to willingly reactionary influencers and media figures.Our guest is comedian Claire Parker. You can find her on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube at @clairethescare, and check out her podcast Good Noticings wherever you listen and watch them. Her debut comedy special “Clare Parker’s 32” is also out now on YouTube. Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our exclusive Discord? Sign up for a membership for just $5 a month at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. And if you listen on Apple Podcasts, you can now also find us on COURIER+!…

If you forgot to add this important event to your calendars, Spike Jonze’s 2013 sci-fi film, Her, was actually set in 2025. Ryan and Grant watched the Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson vehicle now that we’re just past that date to see what it got right and wrong. They discuss where Jonze thought we would be versus where we are with generative AI, societal isolation, relationships — and whether the movie is really "one of the best science fiction movies of all-time." We're off this week, so this is a Patreon unlock! If you're interested in more ad-free and extended episodes, access to our Discord, bonus videos and conversations like this one, subscribe for just $5 a month at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. If you're an Apple Podcasts user, you can also sign up through COURIER+ in the app. It's a good way to support the show! Sponsor: If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/panic Learn more about…

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…

Where did the "tradwife" trend come from — you know, aside from the 1950s — and why has it become increasingly popular online? Today, we’re talking about not just how men aren’t doing that well, but maybe women aren’t either. This question, of course, is because the (usually) alt-right tradwives supporters have a new girlboss, and it’s Erika Kirk.Journalist Liz Plank joins us to break down the resurgence of these regressive ideas about where women belong and how they should conduct themselves, the trend’s origins (again, aside from in the ‘50s), and why the #tradlife is appealing to people now. Our guest Liz Plank is a journalist, podcaster, and author. She hosts the Boy Problems podcast wherever your listen (or watch on YouTube), the Airplane Mode newsletter, and you can follow her work more broadly at https://www.elizabethplank.com/ or @feministabulous everywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember Chewbacca Mom, Damn Daniel, BeanDad, or most recently, Chappell Roan? These are just some examples of people who have become the “main character” on the internet — for better, or mostly (maybe always) worse. Today we’re talking about the old adage that “each day on [Twitter] there is one main character. The goal is to never be it.”How has the internet warped our perception of celebrity (or “cewebrity”)? What does it mean to be swatted or doxxed now, versus a decade ago? Taylor Lorenz, someone who has been the main character on the internet several times, joins us to discuss.Our guest Taylor Lorenz is a journalist. She hosts the podcast Power User, and writes about tech and online culture for her Substack, User Mag at https://www.usermag.co/. You can also follow her YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/taylorlorenz and everywhere else @taylorlorenz.Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at…

Are we watching the collapse of short-form video and on the cusp of yet another pivot to (a different kind of) video? Today we’re talking about the rise of livestreaming and what makes it different than the Vines and YouTube Shorts that you know. From Clavicular’s overdose to “nuisance streamers” like Vitaly (better known as “VitalyzdTv”) and banned-from-pretty-much-every-streaming platform Johnny Somali, why do people like to watch this stuff? And how do we adapt to this new era of video content that is maybe also helping cause the downfall of society?Ryan & Grant discuss, as well as how Panic World and Garbage Day will be experimenting with video ourselves. Sponsors This episode is sponsored by Surfshark. If you want to make your online life feel just a little less exposed, go to ⁠https://surfshark.com/panic⁠ and use code PANIC at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re talking about Aella the e-girl and “rationalist," who is probably also pretty smelly — at least if her birthday gangbang breakdown is to be believed. She's known for issuing controversial polls about sex and relationships, and then scrapping with people online about the results. June Sternbach & Josh Boerman from the Ill Conceived podcast join us to trace Aella's history and her impact on the broader culture, for better or for worse. Our guests June Sternbach & Josh Boerman host the podcast Ill Conceived. You can follow it here or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're joined again by journalist Kat Tenbarge to talk about one of the grossest guys on the internet. He’s also one of the most popular Twitch streamers there is. His name is Zack Hoyt, better known as Asmongold. His first video was in 2008, featuring him trying to catch a rat in his parents’ house. He then became obsessed with World of Warcraft and started streaming his gameplay. The rest is history.He has a “rat clock.” Roaches frequently join his streams of popular video games. Then, of course, he got radicalized by the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial and started getting political. How did we let this happen? And is he part of the manosphere or kind of his own thing? Ryan, Kat, and Grant try to determine what exactly is appealing about this kind of guy. Our guest Kat Tenbarge runs Spitfire News. Subscribe to Spitfire News at ⁠https://spitfirenews.com/⁠, and follow her on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok @kattenbarge. She also makes videos for our friends at COURIER, which you can find at…

The law Section 230 is maybe the invisible force that governs everything in our lives. With a California court ruling against Meta, what are we to do? How responsible should social media companies be for the content posted on them? Brian Reed joins us to discuss Section 230 and its implications, both past and present. Our guest Brian Reed is the host of Question Everything. Check it out anywhere you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2012, a strange message appeared on 4chan: “We are looking for highly intelligent individuals….” What followed became one of the internet’s most mysterious puzzles: Cicada 3301. Players uncovered hidden codes, real-world locations, encrypted files, and even phone numbers across the globe. Some believed it was a secret society. Others thought it was a CIA recruitment tool. Maybe the Illuminati. Or at least, very organized teens. So what was Cicada 3301 really? And could something like this even exist on today’s internet? Baths joins us to try to get to the bottom of it. Our guest Baths is a musician. You can find his work and tour dates here, or on streaming services like Apple and Spotify. Sponsors If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at https://www.mintmobile.com/courier Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our exclusive Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. And if you want to see this…

Why did boomers “go crazy” — and was the internet actually to blame? Ryan is joined by Sam Seder to trace the long history of boomer radicalization, from the Fairness Doctrine and Rush Limbaugh to Fox News, 9/11, Alex Jones, and the algorithmic media ecosystem that followed. Together they argue that the internet didn’t create boomer brain rot so much as supercharge a worldview that had already been built by decades of grievance-driven mass media. Our guest Sam Seder hosts The Majority Report, whose past episodes can be found here, on YouTube, and all major podcast platforms (or check it out live Monday to Friday from 12-2:30pm). Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our exclusive Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan & Grant convene their movie club to discuss The Secret Agent, one of — or maybe the — best film(s) of 2025, and what it says about where we're at as a society. Want to hear the rest of this conversation? And get even more extra content, like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our exclusive Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re talking about the moral panic around “transvestigation,” an online “game” where people try to identify who is or isn’t trans. Particularly popular in right-wing corners of the internet, transvestigating is a subculture of people — with no background in biology at all — who analyze photos, facial features, and body proportions to “prove” their claims, that basically every celebrity is secretly trans. Kitty Kimz and Jeff from Free Country USA join us once again to trace the surprising early origins of this conspiratorial thinking about trans identities and how it’s continued to permeate culture on the internet and beyond. Our guests Kitty Kimz & Jeff host Free Country USA, a podcast you can find on YouTube @freecountrypod, Instagram @freecountrypodusa, and everywhere else you listen or watch pods. Sponsors Get 50% off and free breakfast for a year from Factor by going to https://www.factormeals.com/panic50off and use panic50off at checkout! Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes,…

Did Jeffrey Epstein destroy the internet? Ryan posits his theory, after not going totally insane (we think) reading through hundreds of Epstein files: Epstein was the Forrest Gump of the 21st century and there’s pretty much no major event this century that he didn’t have some sort of weird interaction with. Marcus Parks of Last Podcast on the Left joins us to indulge these conspiracies — and throw in a few more. Our guest Marcus Parks is the co-host of Last Podcast on the Left. Check them out wherever you listen to podcasts, and watch the video versions on Spotify and Netflix. You can also follow Marcus on Instagram @marcusparks and his music history podcast, No Dogs in Space, here. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Get your first three months for $45 by shopping plans at https://www.mintmobile.com/courier Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about…

What’s cool and what’s cringe, and which generation gets to decide? Today we’re talking about Gen Z, formerly known as “iGen,” and its relationship with millennials (and vice versa). Expert on all things internet, Hank Green, joins us this week to talk about the tried-and-true tradition of generations ragging on each other. Get ready for a lot of talk about gooning, looksmaxxing, mogging, and 6-7 (we still can’t totally get to the bottom of that last one). Our guest Hank Green can be found pretty much everywhere on the internet. In particular, check out his YouTube channels @vlogbrothers and @hankschannel. You can find all of his other science and educational work at Complexly (featuring SciShow and Crash Course) at https://complexly.org/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When did liking women, as a straight man, become gay? Today, we posit that the “logical” endpoint of being in the manosphere is that eventually being so hateful toward women dictates that liking them, having sex with them, or getting married to them, is actually gay. Podcaster, activist, and pornstar Siri Dahl joins us to discuss… that.Our guest Siri Dahl’s work can be found at https://siridahl.com/. Her podcast First Thirst can be found wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can also follow her on Bluesky @siridahl.com (SFW), X @thesiridahl (NSFW), and Instagram @thesiridahlagain (SFW). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From research to vibe coding to therapy to girlfriends and boyfriends, how are we using AI these days? Let’s do a check-in on one of those topics that inevitably fires everyone up: AI. One person who’s fired up about it is Dexter Thomas of Kill Switch, who joins us to get into the interesting relationships people are forming with AI — for better and (mostly) worse.Our guest is Dexter Thomas, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and host of Kill Switch. You can find Kill Switch wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube here. Everywhere else, you can follow the show @killswitchpod and follow Dexter @dexdigi.SponsorsGet unlimited premium wireless from Mint Mobile for just $15 a month at https://www.mintmobile.com/courierGet 50% off and free breakfast for a year from Factor by going to https://www.factormeals.com/panic50off and use panic50off at checkout!Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus content, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at:…

Ryan recounts everything he's learned from the Epstein files so far, and with Grant, begins connecting all the red threads. Turns out, there's basically no major event this century that Epstein didn't have some involvement in — from the Great Recession to Donald Trump's 2016 win. Want to hear the rest of the conversation, plus ad-free episodes, bonus content, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for just five bucks a month at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the first “internet things” that reached beyond a bunch of inevitably really cool people who hung out in chatrooms, was YouTube. Today, we’re going back in time to look back at a potential progenitor of our current era: lonelygirl15. Willa Paskin joins us from Decoder Ring to reminisce about the earliest vloggers and how they have continued to influence us across all other platforms, ever since the first video on YouTube hit a million views in 2005. Our guest Willa Paskin is a writer and the host of Decoder Ring. You can listen to that podcast here or anywhere you find them. Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. And if you want to see this conversation on video, ⁠Panic World is now posting episodes to YouTube! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan and Grant discuss the latest in Minneapolis after ICE shot and killed Alex Pretti – the second Minnesota resident to be killed be ICE in a matter of weeks. This bonus is on the house! But if you want to support the show, sign up for a membership at: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld and you'll get access to more ad-free and bonus and extended episodes as well as access to the Garbage Day Discord. And grab a Panic World tee at: https://store.couriernewsroom.com/products/panic-world-tee Subscribe to Panic World wherever you get your podcasts including here or on YouTube. Panic World is a production of COURIER. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where are the Epstein files? Representative Ro Khanna joins us to urge listeners why we need to keep asking that question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We recorded this episode prior to the killing of Renee Good, but the resulting federal crackdown on the protests in Minneapolis has made this conversation even more relevant. That is, there's a need for an anti-fascism movement, especially under Trump 2.0, but where did the theory come from that it is an organized operation? Today, we’re joined by Ken Klippenstein to explore the myth of the “Antifa super soldier” and how worried we should be about the memorandum Trump released in September 2025, “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence” (which you can also view here). Our guest Ken Klippenstein is a journalist reporting on US national security and politics. Check out his writing on his Substack (https://www.kenklippenstein.com/) and follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @kenklippenstein. Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. And if you…

After an ICE agent killed Renee Good, Ryan & Grant flew to Minneapolis to cover the resulting protests. This special episode documents their experience with protestors, law enforcement, ICE agents, right-wing YouTubers, and of course... some extreme cold.Show NotesGet 50% off Unlimited premium wireless starting at $15/month at — https://mintmobile.com/courierGet 50% off your first Factor box PLUS free breakfast for 1 year at — https://factormeals.com/panic50off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s been a moral panic around video games basically since they first debuted. From too much sex to causing laziness and violence, just about the only thing society and the media have taken seriously about video games since their advent is that they are somehow seriously harmful. Chris Plante joins us today to talk about what causes people (aka parents) to freak out about video games’ influence, and how they actually impact us, both in good and bad ways. Our guest Chris Plante is the co-founder of Polygon and current host of the Post Games podcast — all about how and why we love video games — which you can subscribe to here or wherever you listen to pods. Want to hear Ryan and Chris’s extended conversation? Plus ad-free audio & video episodes, more bonuses and extended episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for our Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Show notes: The secret plan to outlaw porn in the US Your conspiracy families And if you want to see this conversation on…

You may have heard Ryan and Grant mention the term “Kitchencels” a few times throughout this year. Or maybe several times. Or every other episode (second only to gooning). But what is r/Kitchencels, and why are we so obsessed with it? In this special end-of-year bonus episode, Ryan and Grant break down what exactly makes r/Kitchencels so special. Together, they analyze what the subreddit’s existence means for internet culture as a whole, and how it could maybe, just possibly, lead to a cure for the male loneliness epidemic. KEEP LISTENING ! Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld and you'll get the rest of this episode, access to ad-free and bonus and extended episodes as well as access to the Garbage Day Discord. Panic World now has SHIRTS! Ryan, and especially Grant, would love it if you would buy yourself one and maybe two more for friends and family: https://store.couriernewsroom.com/products/panic-world-tee Subscribe to Panic World wherever you get your podcasts including here or…

2025 wasn’t exactly a “good” year, but how “bad” was it? Well, that depends on what you think is good or bad. We’ve reconvened the connoisseurs of the worst things on the internet together again to look back at the year and make a call. Katie Notopoulos joins Garbage Media’s Cates Holderness, Josh Fjelstad, and Ryan to inflict some really great stuff on an unsuspecting and out of control Grant. Has working on Panic World broken his brain enough that he’ll be unfazed by the internet’s “best” content of the year? Or is he just one of us sickos now? Our guest Katie Notopoulos is a writer for Business Insider. Follow her everywhere online if you dare, @katienotopoulos. You can check out the “listicle” version of the worst things on the internet here on the Garbage Day newsletter or watch the video version of the podcast here on YouTube. Panic World now has SHIRTS! Ryan, and especially Grant, would love it if you would buy yourself one and maybe two more for friends and family:…

Today, we’re examining the idea that the Republican Party and its co-option of extremist online culture like 4chan and Kiwi Farms — and all of their posters and lurkers alike — has turned into one of their key political weapons. June Sternbach and Josh Boerman of Ill Conceived join us to look back at one of the earliest and darkest examples of this, through the story of Chris Chan and the invention of “lolcows” (don’t worry, if you don’t know any of these names, we’ll catch you up… unfortunately). Our guests are June Sternbach and Josh Boerman, who together host the new podcast covering natalism, Ill Conceived. Check it out at https://illconceivedpodcast.com/ or wherever you listen. Follow June at https://bsky.app/profile/junlper.beer or follow her other podcast Kill the Computer: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/338-kill-the-computer-102075853/ Follow Josh at https://bsky.app/profile/bosh.worstpossible.world and his other podcast The Worst of All Possible Worlds: https://www.worstpossible.world/ EXCLUSIVE…

Even now our beloved host Ryan doesn’t know what he thinks about Russian interference in the 2016 election. So, he is joined by Garrett Graff, a journalist and author who continually re-examines the question: What is the truth behind the “Russia, Russia, Russia” scandal? How real and deep was their involvement in US politics in the past decade, and how important ultimately was it — or the idea of it? Our guest is Garrett Graff, host of the Long Shadow podcast, previously a national security journalist while all of these Russian interference allegations began, and the ⁠author of several books⁠. Check out Long Shadow ⁠here⁠ or wherever you get your podcasts, and follow Garrett’s other work at ⁠Doomsday Scenario⁠. This episode is sponsored by Uncommon Goods. To get 15% off your next gift, go to ⁠https://www.uncommongoods.com/panicworld⁠ ! Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at:⁠…

We’re joined by No Such Thing for a crossover episode to (try to) get to the bottom of some of the most infamous conspiracies we (aka millennials) heard in middle school. We’re talking about the false rumors that Ciara was intersex, Marilyn Manson removed his own rib, and the whole panic around “jenkem” — and explore how these wild rumors even spread without the aid of social media. You can find No Such Thing at https://www.nosuchthing.show/ or anywhere you listen to podcasts. This episode is sponsored by Uncommon Goods. To get 15% off your next gift, go to https://www.uncommongoods.com/panicworld ! Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. And if you want to see this conversation on video, ⁠Panic World is now posting episodes to YouTube! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re talking about the relationship between “influencers” and politics. The two have perhaps never been more entwined, but what is the difference? Is there one? Who were the original influencers in politics over the years? Both influencer and political candidate, Kat Abughazaleh, joins us again to talk about how her experience tangling with right-wing commenters online prepared her for running for office, and what it’s like trying to transfer internet popularity into political support. If you want to support our guest Kat Abughazaleh’s run for Congress, learn more about her campaign at https://www.katforillinois.com/ or join her Discord at https://discord.com/invite/katforillinois. EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/panicworld Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about your ad choices.…

From Aziz Ansari to Adam22, especially since the proliferation of the internet and social media, there’s no shortage of people who have gotten canceled. But what is the state of cancel culture today? We’re joined by leading experts in the cancellation field, Cancel Me, Daddy hosts Katelyn Burns and Christine Grimaldi, to look back at some of the biggest moments in cancel culture, its presence in society now, and ask if we can use cancellations to actually create change. Our guests are Katelyn Burns and Christine Grimaldi, hosts of Cancel Me, Daddy. For more conversations like this, check them out here or wherever you listen to podcasts! Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices