Memes, Reddit deep dives, and the history of Furries: 7 podcasts about internet culture

As the internet makes human connection simpler than ever, connecting and sharing cultures from around the world, something very interesting has happened: the internet itself has created its own culture. With sites like Twitter and Reddit creating thousands of subcultures under their umbrellas, there is so much to talk about. So, we are finding podcasts digging into internet culture!

We have podcasts like “There Are No Girls on the Internet,” talking about the movements started online, to “Violating Community Guidelines” about the downright weird parts of the web. So, we’re using the term “internet culture” loosely, because that casts a pretty wide net. All of these podcasts are dedicated to the cross-section of culture and cyberspace.

There Are No Girls on the Internet

From iHeartPodcasts, Bridget Todd hosts “There Are No Girls on the Internet.” The creation of the internet let previously silenced voices be heard, and their ideas, culture, and voices be spread around the globe. And yet, their stories often get overlooked. In this podcast, Todd chronicles the history of the internet and how marginalized voices shaped it by covering recent/current events like Facebook’s misinformation/selling of information troubles, Spotify and Joe Rogan’s problems, how the #FreeBritney movement worked, the TikTok Satanic Panic around Travis Scott and Astroworld, and more.

Endless Thread

On “Endless Thread,” hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson scavenge through the internet to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and hidden secrets of online communities (and some that have bled into the real world). They analyze memes, scour Reddit, and dive into the weirdest, wildest happenings in the corners of the internet that few of even knew existed.

Violating Community Guidelines

If we’re talking podcasts about internet culture, “Violating Community Guidelines” is the first place you should turn. Influencers/Vine stars/YouTubers/Culture Connoisseurs Brittany Broski and Sarah Schauer host this new podcast all about the truly weirdest, sometimes cringiest, parts of the web. So far, they’ve dug into the online community of Furries, the phenomenon of Creepypastas, A.I. Influencers, the wild world of Facebook Marketplace, and the absolutely unhinged community of LinkedIn Influencers. Not only is this duo hilarious, but they’ve created an entirely unique podcast that hits on everything we want to know about the internet.

Decoder Ring

So, maybe “Decoder Ring” isn’t fully dedicated to the mysteries of internet culture, but it certainly does overlap! Many episodes look at trends that originated from the internet (like gender reveal parties and Karens), and examine why these things exist. They’ve looked at what fame does to a person (and if monkeys can be influenced by celebrities in ads), where the term Friend of Dorothy originated, and much more. While it’s a stretch, “Decoder Ring” is a fantastic podcast that should probably be on everybody’s list.

Underunderstood

It’s not a typo! “Underunderstood” is a Select Works podcast trying to find answers where the internet has fallen short. From dead-end Wikipedia pages to Reddit threads that never fully answered your questions, “Underunderstood” is here to fill in the gaps. For any questions you’ve Googled and never found closure for, definitely turn here.

Twenty Thousand Hertz

We should all be talking about “Twenty Thousand Hertz” more. Created and hosted by Dallas Taylor, a sound expert who has led tons of high-profile sound design projects, this podcast digs into the stories behind the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds. He’s hunting down that “pew pew” Star Wars sound, digging into John Cage’s 4’33”, talking about synesthesia, Eric Whitacre’s groundbreaking Virtual Choir, the Seinfeld theme with its composer, that “You’ve Got Mail!” voice, and so, so, so much more.

Red Web

The Internet’s most fascinating mysteries and conspiracies are explored in Rooster Teeth’s “Red Web.” Hosts Trevor Collins and Alfreda Diaz cover a wide variety of the scary, creepy, and unsolved from Bigfoot to Dark YouTube, the Chicago Tylenol Murders to the endless hunt for the most mysterious song on the internet. It’s a little mix of everything that the internet has been trying to solve since its creation. “Red Web” has over 80, hour-and-a-half long episodes.