That's A Thing?!

Karen just wanted to know why Elizabeth reads Tumblr on Instagram, and it turned into a two-part episode on how the web evolved from a nerdy, interconnected blogosphere to the semi-siloed mishmash we have today. This is Part 1.

The moon is hexed, the witches are vexed and scene kids keep typing in L337 text. So, what’s up with that? We dive into the complex and often overlapping realms of fashion and subculture.

Karen quizzes Elizabeth and Jon about the end of their high school and junior high years, as the strangest school year ever comes to a close. Also, Elizabeth’s Pride Month recommendations.

Elizabeth has thoughts on Quibi, Some Good News, responsible ways to share bad but important news, and why gifs now mark you as a n00b. Karen chimes in where possible.

Elizabeth and Karen compare and contrast the nature of comedy for their respective generations, and crack each other up a fair amount along the way.

Elizabeth offers insight into the teenage mindset during a pandemic, and provides Karen with some much-needed diversion as we do our duty and stay home.

As threatened in the previous episode, we look at what fuels current teenage fandoms for musical theatre and compare it to older experiences, with the help of Kyle Marshall of Putting It Together. Also, we won an award!

Exams ate Elizabeth’s time, so we’re sharing our recent appearance on Putting It Together, Kyle Marshall’s great podcast about the music of Stephen Sondheim. Consider this a prelude...

Here's what you can expect from our sometimes belated, already outdated guide to your teens, tweens and everything under 20.

Having allowed YouTube to raise her children, Karen now turns to Elizabeth to explain it all to her, through the lens (eventually) of the annual Rewind video.

Elizabeth gets into the labels and epithets assigned by the internet, and where the mainstream media gets them wrong. Karen just feels very attacked.

Elizabeth and Jon introduce their mom to the world of Lost Media, reveal their desire to keep everything forever, and unspool two of their favourite mysteries.

Elizabeth takes Karen on a journey from Area 51 to the climate strike, and considers the role memes and social media play in mobilization. Do a good praxis, everyone.

Elizabeth gets mad and Karen gets madder about an insidious new way for shady companies to recruit teens to sell stuff for them.

Jon slides into Elizabeth’s chair to enlighten Karen about recent memes and accuse her of being a Boomer (the nerve!). Creative or cringe? You be the judge.

Karen grew up in the golden age of CanCon. But Elizabeth’s generation prefers Spotify and YouTube to radio and TV. So are Canadian content rules even a thing anymore? And should they be?

How do you sell to young people in the age of adblock? Forget snapbacks on Twitter, avoid drama-prone influencers, and beware the double-edged sword of #woke-ness. Elizabeth suggests where you might want to head instead.

Recorded live at the SkirtsAfire Festival, Elizabeth explains how she has felt more comfortable exploring her queerness online rather than in person (though we’re happy those in-real-life places exist). Then we discuss such issues with our eloquent guests.

Elizabeth discusses Markiplier, Jacksepticeye and PewDiePie, the Father, Son and Unholy Spirit of Let’s Play videos. What accounts for their popularity? What can and should they do with their influence? And why is Karen so goth in this episode?

Elizabeth explains TikTok, the wildly popular app that used to be Musical.ly, inherited Vine’s place on the internet, and could lead your kids towards extreme creativity or utter toxicity, or both! Plus, Jon returns with a look at the memes of 2018.