Kate Lindsay is the author of internet culture substack, “Embedded,” and host of Slate’s ICYMI podcast. She joins us to unpack social media’s cause of death in 2026, analog bags, how we got too addicted to stay addicted, brain rot as political resistance, and what happens when social platforms become places of entertainment instead of places to connect. Plus, stay tuned until the end for the reveal of Kate’s family secret.

Recommended this week:

• Ancestry.com

Where to find Kate:

• Embedded on substack
• ICYMI podcast
• @kathrynfiona on Instagram

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Welcome back! To kick off the year, we’re talking about a new exposé in the Financial Times, which found that OnlyFans creators and influencers are now increasingly dominating requests for O-1B visas, a speciality visa reserved for “exceptional” creatives with “extraordinary ability or achievement.”

Recommended this week:

• "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know" - E.D. Hirsch Jr.
• https://nytv.live/
• Persimmons

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Welcome to Tum Town. Long time listeners will know that we often center our distaste for marketing slop and feral commercialism around a few brands, namely Crumbl, Blank Street, and MrBeast. So in our final episode of the year, we decided to actually try the stuff for ourselves and review it live. Stay until the end for a small crumb of analysis on brands trying to “tap into culture.”

Here’s what we got:

• Crumbl (6 pack): The Cookie That Stole Christmas, Chocolate Crumb Cookie ft. OREO®, Holiday Red Velvet Sandwich Cookie, Candy Cane Brownie Cookie, Peanut Butter Cup Cookie ft. REESE'S, Confetti Cake Cookie
• Blank Street: Iced Strawberry Shortcake Matcha, Iced Blueberry Matcha
• MrBeast: Feastables Bar
• Prime: Ice Pop, Mystery flavor

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