Back in the day, we didn't have access to our weird uncle's every political thought. In the age of social media, though, we all too often do, making avoiding politics at family gatherings all the more difficult.

Endless Thread listeners share their stories of familial strife, and how they plan to navigate an especially politically divisive holiday season with integrity, humor, and love.

Credits: This episode was written by Ben Brock Johnson and produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. It was hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Back in the day, we didn't have access to our weird uncle's every political thought. In the age of social media, though, we all too often do, making avoiding politics at family gatherings all the more difficult.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Endless Thread &lt;/em&gt; listeners share their stories of familial strife, and how they plan to navigate an especially politically divisive holiday season with integrity, humor, and love.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;Credits: This episode was written by Ben Brock Johnson and produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. It was hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Endless Thread listeners share their stories of familial strife, and how they plan to navigate an especially politically divisive holiday season with integrity, humor and love.

Back in the day, we didn't have access to our weird uncle's every political thought. In the age of social media, though, we all too often do, making avoiding politics at family gatherings all the more difficult.

Endless Thread listeners share their stories of familial strife, and how they plan to navigate an especially politically divisive holiday season with integrity, humor, and love.

Credits: This episode was written by Ben Brock Johnson and produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. It was hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.

Breaking Bread or Breaking Ties?

"Have you ever felt a deep personal connection to a person you met in a dream only to wake up feeling terrible because you realize they never existed?"

More than a decade ago, someone posted this question to Reddit. It was a popular post with many responses. But one response would go beyond the realm of popularity into something else. Internet canon, perhaps?

The Redditor gave a detailed account of their life. It was a good life, they said. But one day, it came to a crashing halt — because of a lamp.

The post would go on to inspire hundreds of memes and boggle the minds of countless people. Endless Thread's Ben Brock Johnson brings co-host Amory Sivertson the story of the strange lamp.

*****

Credits: This episode was produced by Ben Brock Johnson and Dean Russell. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. Our co-hosts are Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.

<description>&lt;p&gt;"Have you ever felt a deep personal connection to a person you met in a dream only to wake up feeling terrible because you realize they never existed?"&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;More than a decade ago, someone posted this question to Reddit. It was a popular post with many responses. But one response would go beyond the realm of popularity into something else. Internet canon, perhaps?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Redditor gave a detailed account of their life. It was a good life, they said. But one day, it came to a crashing halt — because of a lamp.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The post would go on to inspire hundreds of memes and boggle the minds of countless people. &lt;em&gt;Endless Thread&lt;/em&gt;'s Ben Brock Johnson brings co-host Amory Sivertson the story of the strange lamp.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;*****&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Credits: This episode was produced by Ben Brock Johnson and Dean Russell. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. Our co-hosts are Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

It was a good life. But one day, it came to a crashing halt — because of a lamp.

"Have you ever felt a deep personal connection to a person you met in a dream only to wake up feeling terrible because you realize they never existed?"

More than a decade ago, someone posted this question to Reddit. It was a popular post with many responses. But one response would go beyond the realm of popularity into something else. Internet canon, perhaps?

The Redditor gave a detailed account of their life. It was a good life, they said. But one day, it came to a crashing halt — because of a lamp.

The post would go on to inspire hundreds of memes and boggle the minds of countless people. Endless Thread's Ben Brock Johnson brings co-host Amory Sivertson the story of the strange lamp.

*****

Credits: This episode was produced by Ben Brock Johnson and Dean Russell. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. Our co-hosts are Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.

Awoken by a Lamp

Truth Social is not just a Twitter knock-off. While the social media platform that Donald Trump launched after he was banned from Twitter in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol only has about 600,000 monthly active users (of what appears to be <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-to-know-about-truth-social-trumps-social-media-platform">five million total accounts</a>), it might play an important role in the presidential election.

Truth Social is where journalists go to get Trump's unfiltered takes. Even Vice President Kamala Harris is on it. Perhaps more importantly, Truth Social represents a significant proportion of Trump's personal net worth, making it potentially a critical tool for wealth and power.

Endless Thread decodes why Truth Social matters to all Americans, whether they're posting on X, or truthing on Truth Social, with help from misinformation and disinformation-focused Professor Jo Lukito, and Pro Publica's Robert Faturechi.

Show notes:

<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-media-whistleblower-complaint-devin-nunes">Trump Media Whistleblower Blasts Company for Outsourcing Jobs Abroad as Betrayal of “America First” </a>(ProPublica)

<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-media-truth-social-jedtec-james-davison-conflict-of-interest">Trump Media Quietly Enters Deal With a Republican Donor Who Could Benefit From a Second Trump Administration </a>(ProPublica)

<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/30/business/trump-stock-truth-social/index.html">Trump loses $1.3 billion in net worth after the worst-ever day for his social media stock</a> (CNN)
<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-to-know-about-truth-social-trumps-social-media-platform">What to know about Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform</a> (PBS News)
This episode was written and produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. The hosts are Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Truth Social is not just a Twitter knock-off. While the social media platform that Donald Trump launched after he was banned from Twitter in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol only has about 600,000 monthly active users (of what appears to be &lt;a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-to-know-about-truth-social-trumps-social-media-platform"&gt;five million total accounts&lt;/a&gt;), it might play an important role in the presidential election.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Truth Social is where journalists go to get Trump's unfiltered takes. Even Vice President Kamala Harris is on it. Perhaps more importantly, Truth Social represents a significant proportion of Trump's personal net worth, making it potentially a critical tool for wealth and power.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Endless Thread&lt;/em&gt; decodes why Truth Social matters to all Americans, whether they're posting on X, or truthing on Truth Social, with help from misinformation and disinformation-focused Professor Jo Lukito, and Pro Publica's Robert Faturechi.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Show notes:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-media-whistleblower-complaint-devin-nunes"&gt;Trump Media Whistleblower Blasts Company for Outsourcing Jobs Abroad as Betrayal of “America First” &lt;/a&gt;(ProPublica)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-media-truth-social-jedtec-james-davison-conflict-of-interest"&gt;Trump Media Quietly Enters Deal With a Republican Donor Who Could Benefit From a Second Trump Administration &lt;/a&gt;(ProPublica)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/30/business/trump-stock-truth-social/index.html"&gt;Trump loses $1.3 billion in net worth after the worst-ever day for his social media stock&lt;/a&gt; (CNN)
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-to-know-about-truth-social-trumps-social-media-platform"&gt;What to know about Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform&lt;/a&gt; (PBS News)&lt;/p&gt;
This episode was written and produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. The hosts are Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

It's not just a Twitter knock-off. Not many people use the social media platform that Donald Trump launched after he was banned from Twitter in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, but Truth Social is an important player in the current presidential election.

Truth Social is not just a Twitter knock-off. While the social media platform that Donald Trump launched after he was banned from Twitter in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol only has about 600,000 monthly active users (of what appears to be <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-to-know-about-truth-social-trumps-social-media-platform">five million total accounts</a>), it might play an important role in the presidential election.

Truth Social is where journalists go to get Trump's unfiltered takes. Even Vice President Kamala Harris is on it. Perhaps more importantly, Truth Social represents a significant proportion of Trump's personal net worth, making it potentially a critical tool for wealth and power.

Endless Thread decodes why Truth Social matters to all Americans, whether they're posting on X, or truthing on Truth Social, with help from misinformation and disinformation-focused Professor Jo Lukito, and Pro Publica's Robert Faturechi.

Show notes:

<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-media-whistleblower-complaint-devin-nunes">Trump Media Whistleblower Blasts Company for Outsourcing Jobs Abroad as Betrayal of “America First” </a>(ProPublica)

<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-media-truth-social-jedtec-james-davison-conflict-of-interest">Trump Media Quietly Enters Deal With a Republican Donor Who Could Benefit From a Second Trump Administration </a>(ProPublica)

<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/30/business/trump-stock-truth-social/index.html">Trump loses $1.3 billion in net worth after the worst-ever day for his social media stock</a> (CNN)
<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-to-know-about-truth-social-trumps-social-media-platform">What to know about Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform</a> (PBS News)
This episode was written and produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. The hosts are Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson.

The Truth Social, the whole Truth Social, and nothing but the Truth Social

It's that time of year. Spooky stories from the internet — again!

Last year, Endless Thread brought you "<a href="https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2023/10/27/chilling-campfire-stories">Campfire Chills</a>," an assortment of hair-raising tales from the dark depths of Reddit.

Now, Ben Brock Johnson, Amory Sivertson, and Dean Russell reconvene around the fire to give you even more reasons to stay awake.

Happy Halloween!

*****

This episode was produced by Dean Russell, Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus. The co-hosts are Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.

<description>&lt;p&gt;It's that time of year. Spooky stories from the internet — again!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Last year, &lt;em&gt;Endless Thread&lt;/em&gt; brought you "&lt;a href="https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2023/10/27/chilling-campfire-stories"&gt;Campfire Chills&lt;/a&gt;," an assortment of hair-raising tales from the dark depths of Reddit.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Now, Ben Brock Johnson, Amory Sivertson, and Dean Russell reconvene around the fire to give you even more reasons to stay awake.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Happy Halloween!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;*****&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This episode was produced by Dean Russell, Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus. The co-hosts are Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Endless Thread gathers 'round the campfire at night to share spooky stories from Reddit. Yikes!

It's that time of year. Spooky stories from the internet — again!

Last year, Endless Thread brought you "<a href="https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2023/10/27/chilling-campfire-stories">Campfire Chills</a>," an assortment of hair-raising tales from the dark depths of Reddit.

Now, Ben Brock Johnson, Amory Sivertson, and Dean Russell reconvene around the fire to give you even more reasons to stay awake.

Happy Halloween!

*****

This episode was produced by Dean Russell, Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus. The co-hosts are Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.

Endless Dread: Campfire Chills 2... Campfire Kills!

Do you debate political issues with a certain family member on social media? And will you have to see that family member IRL for the holidays in a month or two? How are you preparing for that? Are there ground rules in your family for discussing politics, online and/or IRL? Have online family debates over politics changed the way your family approaches the holidays or your relationship with specific family members? Will the outcome of the upcoming presidential election determine whether or not you show up to Thanksgiving, for example? Whatever your story is, we want to hear it!

Team Endless Thread is working on an episode about the blurred lines between our online political discussions with family members and our offline relationships with those people, and how each impacts the other.

Email us a voice memo with your story: endlessthread@wbur.org, with the subject line "Family Politics." A written message works too, if you'd prefer. Be specific about who you're feuding with online, what about, and how your online interactions may change — or perhaps, have already changed — your IRL relationship with this family member. 

Thank you!

<description>&lt;p&gt;Do you debate political issues with a certain family member on social media? And will you have to &lt;em&gt;see&lt;/em&gt; that family member IRL for the holidays in a month or two? How are you preparing for that? Are there ground rules in your family for discussing politics, online and/or IRL? Have online family debates over politics &lt;em&gt;changed&lt;/em&gt; the way your family approaches the holidays or your relationship with specific family members? Will the outcome of the upcoming presidential election determine whether or not you show up to Thanksgiving, for example? Whatever your story is, we want to hear it!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Team &lt;em&gt;Endless Thread&lt;/em&gt; is working on an episode about the blurred lines between our online political discussions with family members and our &lt;em&gt;offline&lt;/em&gt; relationships with those people, and how each impacts the other.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Email us a voice memo with your story: endlessthread@wbur.org, with the subject line "Family Politics."&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;A written message works too, if you'd prefer. Be specific about who you're feuding with online, what about, and how your online interactions may change — or perhaps, have &lt;em&gt;already&lt;/em&gt; changed — your IRL relationship with this family member. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Do you debate politics with a family member on social media? Has that changed your IRL relationship with that family member? Could the outcome of the presidential election change your plans this holiday season as a result? Email us a voice memo with your story: endlessthread@wbur.org. 

Do you debate political issues with a certain family member on social media? And will you have to see that family member IRL for the holidays in a month or two? How are you preparing for that? Are there ground rules in your family for discussing politics, online and/or IRL? Have online family debates over politics changed the way your family approaches the holidays or your relationship with specific family members? Will the outcome of the upcoming presidential election determine whether or not you show up to Thanksgiving, for example? Whatever your story is, we want to hear it!

Team Endless Thread is working on an episode about the blurred lines between our online political discussions with family members and our offline relationships with those people, and how each impacts the other.

Email us a voice memo with your story: endlessthread@wbur.org, with the subject line "Family Politics." A written message works too, if you'd prefer. Be specific about who you're feuding with online, what about, and how your online interactions may change — or perhaps, have already changed — your IRL relationship with this family member. 

Thank you!

Tell us about your weird uncle

Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dig into the internet's vast and curious ecosystem of online communities to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and other jaw-dropping stories online and IRL. 

Endless Thread

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