‘Endless Thread’ digs into everything interesting the internet has to offer (we promise this article isn’t a Rickroll)
The internet is a vast (and vastly weird) space. It’s a fascinating ecosystem that has created its own culture, filled with all sorts of communities who bond over shared love, intrigue, and beliefs. And within all of that lies a boatload of histories, unsolved mysteries, and all-around fascinating stories. On “Endless Thread,” host Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dig in, seeing everything that internet has to offer.
Since 2017, “Endless Thread” has been captivating audiences. The podcast has just about reached the 200-episode mark, with episodes lasting, at their longest, just 40 minutes. They’ve been known to pop out a few 20-minute-ers here and there though.
Have you heard of Li Ziqi, China’s quarantine queen? If you haven’t, fear not; “Endless Thread” has got you covered. Millions upon millions of people around the world were drawn to her YouTube channel during their COVID-19 quarantines. She captivated the internet with videos of her making peach blossom crowns from silk flowers, growing mushrooms, exploring calm forests, and listening to roses bloom. Ben and Amory explore the sudden burst of her ASMR-esque YouTube channel, and what the popularity of her quietly intricate videos say about the world right now.
They explore the fascinating (though, sometimes terrible) subcommunities of Reddit, recently examining r/antiwork. More than 1.7 million people are in this subReddit community, all sharing the common desire to end work as we know it and reimagine our lives. They speak with members of the subReddit about what brought them to the online space, recent developments in the workforce (the Kellogg strike, the John Deere strike, etc.), and the recent turmoil plaguing the community.
They obviously had to dive into the Jean and Jorts wave (the two cats who were being ethnically stereotyped), the fight for the dinosaur emoji, and the history of memes. Literally, they go and find the people who are meme stars, like “Disaster Girl” Zoë Roth who was 4 years old when her dad took a photo of her mischievously smiling in front of a burning home. You know the picture. They’ve given us background on the “Woman Yelling at a Cat” meme and the history of Rickrolls.
“Endless Thread” is honestly addictive, and you’ll find yourself breezing through episodes like they’re nothing. The topics are fascinating, the hosts are positively delightful, and the discussions are intelligent and sincere. Be sure to check out “Endless Thread” for your next podcast binge.
Sorry, we had to:
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