The Create Unknown

Why do we become obsessed with things nobody else cares about? We audit our hobbies and find out why they actually matter.

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we tackle a strange disconnect in modern media: why can someone have millions of followers and still struggle to get people to show up? We begin with VidCon and the changing relationship between creators and their audiences. We start comparing the early days of YouTube to the fragmented world of TikTok and modern algorithm-driven content. What happened to the idea of a creator being important enough that fans would actually travel to see them? From there, we introduce Kevin’s “Invisible Fan Theory,” the idea that views and streams can represent passive exposure rather than genuine fandom. We explore the phenomenon through VidCon, concerts, and streaming numbers, including the strange possibility that an artist can rack up billions of streams while struggling to sell tickets. Is all that consumption actually creating fans, or is much of it just digital background noise? The discussion expands into what separates truly devoted fandoms from massive but interchangeable audiences. We compare expensive Taylor Swift concerts, sports events, and UFC fights with struggling creator conventions, and discuss why people will spend thousands on experiences that feel personally meaningful. Finally, we look at algorithmic filter bubbles, the growth of specialized communities like Open Sauce, and the increasing sameness of online creators. If YouTube becomes a “solved game” where everyone follows the same formulas, could being genuinely distinctive become the thing that matters most? Thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we tackle one of the more uncomfortable topics of the modern day: what happens when AI can do the work you built your identity around? The conversation begins with Fern’s video “The Death of Educational Content on YouTube,” exploring how AI-generated scripts, visuals, and research are making it easier to produce convincing educational videos at an unprecedented pace. But when the information is wrong, who catches it, and what happens when viewers can’t tell the difference? Next we discuss Matt’s “Tabor Obituary Test,” a simple experiment designed to reveal what AI actually knows about a person, and how easily AI-generated content can blur the line between research and plagiarism. From there, we examine the growing phenomenon of real human work being dismissed as “AI slop,” including a 3D artist whose work was accused of being AI-generated. Has documenting the creative process become part of the job? The discussion expands into YouTube’s responsibility for maintaining quality, the difficulty of correcting misinformation in video, and why educational content may be particularly vulnerable to AI. What can humans still offer that AI still can’t? Is it personal experience, mistakes, perspective, and the strange little details that make something feel genuinely human? Finally we wrestle with the bigger existential question: if AI eventually becomes capable of replicating even those uniquely human qualities, what happens to the value of creativity itself? Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll see you next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben WebsterEditor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we dive into the decline of the Western, starting with Seven Samurai and its influence on The Magnificent Seven. We compare the 1960 original with the 2016 remake, praising the remake's casting while arguing that it leaves out some of the original's most meaningful scenes. Are modern stories losing the lessons of heroism that people like Bernardo O'Reilly's worked so hard to craft? From there, we explore how Westerns evolved from simple good-vs.-evil morality tales into the morally ambiguous films of the Clint Eastwood era, and why Unforgiven may have marked the end of the genre's cultural dominance. Along the way, we also discuss what classic Westerns reveal about courage, masculinity, self-defense, and changing cultural values. Could the Western's irrelevance actually make it more interesting to watch today? We close by recommending several classics, including The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars, and Once Upon a Time in the West. We’ll be back next week, thanks to our patrons! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Today we tackle one of the more uncomfortable questions in modern entertainment: what happened to masculinity in storytelling? The conversation begins with a YouTube essay arguing that anime like Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is "rewriting" masculinity. We go on to question that premise, pointing out that traits like chivalry, courage, self-sacrifice, and respect are hardly new inventions. This leads us to ultimately ask, why can genuinely positive masculine characters feel so unusual in modern Western media? Next we discuss Frieren and its portrayal of Himmel the Hero, contrasting its emphasis on kindness, relationships, and small human moments with the battle-focused storytelling common in anime. From there, Kevin talks about the idea of "millennial writing" and the tendency for modern stories to constantly joke about themselves, undercut serious moments, and make sure the audience knows the creators understand how ridiculous everything is. The discussion expands into why contemporary entertainment seems so afraid of sincerity, the differences between Western and Japanese storytelling, and the unusual success of characters like Reacher. That finally leads us to debate whether online criticism actually represents what audiences want, and whether people are increasingly hungry for stories that simply take themselves seriously. Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben WebsterEditor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices