The Content Mines

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com

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 would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecontentmines.com