This week, ChatGPT and Lensa AI each took over the internet, which begs the question: why is the AI always so horny? Amanda and Isabel go back and forth between talking about grief and the social implications of AI art way too quickly. Isabel rode on a bike cab blasting Numa Numa through New York City. Amanda went to a live comedy show based on a meme page. Everything is fine. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-m...
Dec 14, 2022•51 min•Ep. 57
In this special episode, Isabel and Amanda discuss the greatest mafia movie ever made. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Nov 30, 2022•37 min•Ep. 56
In this episode, we talk to Alex Cohen AKA tiny snek comics AKA the mastermind behind being rat verified on twitter, which is superior to regular verified, because you don’t pay $8 and you also get a rat. But hey, if you’re really thirsting for that blue checkmark, tumblr’s got you covered—they’ll give you two, and it even comes with crabs. Also a guy in Philly ate 40 rotisserie chickens, and Jamie-Lee Josselyn explains why this is a sport. PETA’s going to have fun with this one. See Privacy Pol...
Nov 16, 2022•57 min•Ep. 55
It happened: Elon Musk ordered that thing from Amazon late at night and then it arrived at his home and it wasn't what he expected but it was too late to return it. In other words, he owns Twitter now, but we'd rather not talk about the implications of that. Instead, let's talk about the memes spawned from this historic transaction. Also, we talk about the lawsuit surrounding Disco Elysium. May the pale wash away Elon & ZA/UM's sins. Find Us Online Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod I...
Nov 02, 2022•51 min•Ep. 54
Everyone in this episode has experienced yoga, and now they're experiencing Mario. We do a full legal analysis on the legality of editing the Mario movie to remove Chris Pratt, talk about how to deal with getting recognized in real life, and iz explains which situations necessitate the removal of a wizard. Also, Amanda has a great Mario voice - if anyone's hiring. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Oct 19, 2022•46 min•Ep. 53
In this episode: everyone is very regular on the internet! Just kidding. Wifeguy stocks tank. Amanda succeeds in our original goal of going viral. Iz gets asked about weed while wearing a blazer at an MCR concert. Look, it's been a week. We're all doing our best, but at least our best isn't delivering a resume cake to the Nike office. Links Isabel's Shirley Jackson Award-nominated story! https://www.khoreomag.com/fiction/youll-understand-when-youre-a-mom-someday/ Resume cake chaos: https://www.k...
Oct 05, 2022•37 min•Ep. 52
You have questions, we have answers. We talk about how the pod is going, mundane super powers, influencer animals, internet art, good books, and whether we would fuck, marry or kill Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg. You know, normal things. Find Us Online Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrue Website: https://wowiftrue.com/ Email: wowiftruepod@gmail...
Sep 21, 2022•52 min•Ep. 51
In this first-ever live episode of Wow if True, our hosts go on vacation to an island haunted by the ghosts of 40 Boy Scouts (?). After remaining mostly offline for a week, we receive updates from the news of the real world -- walrus hitmen, Argentinian presidential candidate crypto schemes, goth tractor girls having a yeehaw summer -- with two dozen of our closest friends. If you've never listened to the pod before, maybe don't start with this one. Find Us Online Twitter: https://twitter.com/wo...
Sep 07, 2022•41 min•Ep. 50
Isabel saw the Minions movie. Amanda became obsessed with Minion linguistics. Stephen King testified in court. Jennette McCurdy talked about trauma. The internet thought she talked about Ariana Grande. 26 of Isabels closest friends rented an island. Maybe the real minions were the friends we made along the way. This episodes was edited by David Newtown (get well soon Allison!!!). It was also posted from The Island. It is Day 5 and nobody has died (yet). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr...
Aug 24, 2022•48 min•Ep. 49
This week, one of our hosts is finally, officially a lawyer! And the other knows too much about the pink sauce scandal. What's the pink sauce, you might ask? That's a great question. We'd also love to know what's in it. Also, Big Publishing™ is trying to sue the Internet Archive, and our Actual Lawyer™ tells us why we should care. Finally, we are entranced by the epic highs and lows of the Upper East Side french bulldog community. Links Libro.fm: use code WOW at checkout to get 2 audiobooks for ...
Jul 27, 2022•57 min•Ep. 48
Are the brands okay? Is anyone ever okay? Is RadioShack, specifically, okay? Is Elon pulling out (of Twitter, we mean, get your head out of the gutter)? Who are the Gentleminions? Did Hank Green steal a lemur? And most importantly: what did Amanda eat at VidCon? Links Uhhh, a lot more happened in the Ongoing Musk Saga after we recorded this, but here's Amanda on Musk + memes + the law: https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/12/elon-musk-lawsuit-memes-twitter-acquisition/ RadioShack Twitter guy: https://...
Jul 13, 2022•51 min•Ep. 47
Amanda McLoughlin (CEO of Multitude Productions) says that everything she knows about running a business, she learned in fandom... because believe it or not, the same skills that help you organize a fic exchange also help you run an independent podcasting collective! This one's for you, fanfic enthusiasts and former britpickers. Links Amanda McLoughlin: https://twitter.com/shessomickey Multitude: http://multitude.productions/ Find Us Online Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: ht...
Jun 29, 2022•58 min•Ep. 46
In this episode: Not going to sugarcoat it, this is a Morbius centric experience. We also discuss taco bell quarterly (a literary magazine unaffiliated with taco bell), disney adults, and Glossier's CEO stepping down, but who cares about that: it's morbin' time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 15, 2022•54 min•Ep. 45
Wikipedian of the Year and Actual Real Doctor Emily Temple-Wood returns to the pod! We talk about the worst thing on the internet this week -- the Winnie the Pooh slasher film -- then answer your burning medical questions: how did they do surgery on a grape? Did people really eat tide pods? How does ibuprofen work? What went wrong when Bella Swan gave birth? Get ready, it's morbin' time. Timestamp trigger warnings: 27 - Surgery and debraidment 30 - Abortion 31 - Byopsies 32 - Children in medical...
Jun 01, 2022•56 min•Ep. 44
In this episode, we embrace the goth lifestyle and go back to basics. That is to say, we read Dracula. Daily. Along with 25,000+ people. It's a long story, okay. Also My Chemical Romance is back and half the hosts are excited about this, and it's not the half you'd think. Sometimes the internet is just a vehicle to embrace your inner emo kid, and sometimes it's a vehicle to lose a lot of money in a crypto meltdown. These are definitely equivalent things. Links Your new pen pal, Jonathan Harker: ...
May 18, 2022•47 min•Ep. 43
Sorry for talking about Elon Musk again, but in our defense, he should stop doing things like "having a secret baby with Grimes" and "spending $44B on Twitter." That's right, Elon "Tesla stock at $420" Musk is likely buying Twitter, and meanwhile, you could briefly 420blazeit on Tumblr. On the bright side, at least the Destiel/political event nexus is still active? Links A timeline of the Elon saga: https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/24/elon-musk-twitter-offer-timeline/ About Us Wow If True was crea...
May 04, 2022•46 min•Ep. 42
Elon Musk is buying Twitter (or not?). Club Penguin is relevant again (or not?). Most importantly, audio editor extraordinaire/author/archivist Allison Mills joins us to talk about Birkin bags, appropriated blockchain-based Birkin bags, and appropriated-appropriated Birkin bags. Also, Isabel gets cancelled. Libro.fm: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=25361&awinaffid=1001477&ued=https%3A%2F%2Flibro.fm%2Fmembership%3Fmp%3DWOW (…or just enter promo code WOW to start a monthly subscrip...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 41
In this episode, half the hosts have contracted the [REDACTED], but we won't tell you which half unless you listen. But more importantly, half the hosts have never consumed canned soup, and we also won't tell you which half unless you listen. Also, Tumblr's actually good prank, Khloe Kardashian's pantry vs. Ashley Tisdale's bookcase, and Young Sheldon? It's content. Affiliate Links Libro.fm: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=25361&awinaffid=1001477&ued=https%3A%2F%2Flibro.fm%2Fmemb...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 40
In this episode, we talk about dating, good names for wizards, and bad names for babies. AKA, Grimes is dating Chelsea Manning and had a second secret baby with Elon Musk, so sorry if you found out this way. Can we offer you a podcast episode in this trying time? Or maybe five Brandon Sanderson books? Affiliate Links Libro.fm: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=25361&awinaffid=1001477&ued=https%3A%2F%2Flibro.fm%2Fmembership%3Fmp%3DWOW (…or just enter promo code WOW to start a monthl...
Mar 16, 2022•47 min•Ep. 39
We are a shining beacon of 2009 fandom in these trying times. Chill vibes only on the pod as very online playwright Alexa Derman stops by to tell us about "Big Fanfic Piece," a digital play in which her friends performed her 2009 fanfiction.net profile, which she deleted after being featured in a list of "worst Twilight fanfics." Also, we have to talk about HPMOR. And then we tell you Iz's twelve year old fanfiction.net account username, which we are sure everyone really wanted to know. Show Not...
Mar 02, 2022•57 min•Ep. 38
In this episode: there’s nothing wrong with web3 and it is going just great, because we’ve entered a parallel dimension where crypto doesn’t exist but women do. That’s a lie: we’re here to talk about the biggest financial seizure in history, cryptoland, and also, Razzlekhan. And we’re joined by special guest Molly White, creator of “web3 is going just great,” a site that chronicles the many stumbles web3 has while it continues its sigma grindset. Also, Amanda raps. So you should listen for that,...
Feb 16, 2022•57 min•Ep. 37
[TW: mention of sexual assault 5:05-5:20] In this episode: Is this a poetry workshop? No! It’s the gamer girl spectacular, featuring gamer girl Eric Silver. Just kidding, Eric isn’t a gamer girl, Eric’s the Head of Creative at Multitude Productions and Dungeon Master of Join the Party. We’re here talking about real gamer girl things, like mergers and acquisitions — specifically Microsoft and Activision, the Undertale-Pope connection, and whether we approve of Wordle culture or not. After we reco...
Feb 02, 2022•53 min•Ep. 36
In this episode: Iz breaks Amanda with the identity of blorbo, we discuss the circular nature of social media fame and going viral for nothing (hello Hype House yes this is a drag), and the current Tower of Babel situation Tumblr is undergoing. Also, we talk about rebranding, both conceptually and as a very real thing we’re doing. Show Notes Blorbo links? https://twitter.com/tumblr/status/1480981759369965571 https://casgirl.tumblr.com/post/672727025101979648 https://pwcbthesixth.tumblr.com/post/...
Jan 19, 2022•42 min•Ep. 35
Wow If True is your one-stop internet culture shop, hosted by meme sommeliers and real-life besties: tech journalist Amanda Silberling and terminally-online law guy Isabel J. Kim. We dig into what, where, and how something's going viral, and why what’s happening online matters in real life. New episodes every other Wednesday. Find Us Online Twitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftrue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowiftrue Patreon: https://www....
Jan 19, 2022•1 min
This week, we’re rolling back the calendar to talk about the viral highlights (and lowlights) of 2021. Just kidding, we’re talking about Timothée Chalamet being Amanda’s real life nemesis, the magnetic, unexplainable appeal of Pete Davidson, and also the upsetting juxtaposition between tragedy and comedy that defined viral events in 2021. Also, Isabel threatens to murder three different people. Show Notes Paige Skinner's 2021 discourse list: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r9Poy88d4mO2g4BsZY...
Jan 05, 2022•46 min•Ep. 34
Mysticism meets data science in this week’s episode, where we unwrap Spotify Wrapped and talk way more about auras than we needed to. Also, if the algorithm suggested this episode to you — great news for recursion fans, we talk about the algorithm. And last, weird news for money fans, Mr. Beast is throwing lots of it away, cause that’s what the content machine craves — not you though, YOU want to listen to this episode. Show Notes Mystic Michaela: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-12-01/learn-mo...
Dec 15, 2021•39 min•Ep. 33
32: Corporate Cringe Facebook rebranded, which is extremely cringe and not based. Also, venture capitalists are subsidizing the lives of creators now, and we can’t decide whether that’s cringe or if we’re jealous that no one is giving us millions of dollars for this S-tier podcast. Also also, Isabel makes Amanda go into the Wendy’s Discord, the definition of corporate cringe. Somehow, Amanda’s childhood skiing accident comes up. It’s a mess of an episode, but we know you love mess. Show Notes Ve...
Nov 24, 2021•45 min•Ep. 32
31: Cult Survivor TikTok (ft. Elizabeth Hunter) Sometimes, the algorithm is… good? For people with very specific experiences — like surviving a cult — social media can be a place of connection and healing. Elizabeth Hunter went viral on TikTok for talking about her experiences growing up in a fundamentalist cult, and now, she’s the named plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Department of Education — it’s a long story, but we have it all for you here on your favorite internet culture podcast! We al...
Nov 10, 2021•43 min•Ep. 31
Another episode, another deep dive into pointless internet drama. This time, we’re talking about Realms of Ruin, the ill-fated NFT-based publishing project created by six bestselling young adult authors that people hated so much, it got shut down in hours. Plus, Isabel somehow finds a way to mention Supernatural and Homestuck, and Amanda shares her most controversial opinions. Show Notes If you are looking for even more content on this, here’s a deep dive that we think is very good and we have n...
Oct 28, 2021•37 min•Ep. 30
The internet broke this week — literally, like Facebook went down for six hours. But also figuratively, because Writer Twitter blew up with takes about a New York Times article about a lawsuit between two writers that none of us had previously heard of. Isabel indulges us by using her J.D. to dive into the legal proceedings in the landmark case Dawn v. Sonya (that’s not the actual name), and we learn how copyright law works! We’re your Bad Art Friend. Again, we have a discord now! So if you’re n...
Oct 13, 2021•42 min•Ep. 29
