Panic World

How to deal with rage bait [Ad-free]

Politics has always been an ugly game, but with Trump’s return to the White House and the proliferation of AI, we’re a far cry from the days when wearing a beige suit caused controversy. Today, we’re talking about how Trump is using the federal government’s massive communications apparatus into a rage bait factory — from immigrants to transpeople and the “Radical Left Democrats,” blaming anyone except billionaires, corporations, and bureaucratic sluggishness for all of the Unite...

When the internet convinces you you're sick [Ad-free]

From Goop to MAHA, health/wellness movements might just look like a grift, but each features a real critique of the healthcare industry or medical science at their core. Today we’re talking about wellness and how it connects to the spread of fascism across the globe. Bridget Todd and Heather Holdridge join us to talk about how these wellness trends take advantage of misinformation and exploit our fears, and ultimately can lead people down much darker, conspiratorial paths online.

Our ...

Why Democrats keep losing the internet [Ad-free]

Why is the right-wing media machine so massive and able to dominate digital media, while liberals and progressives struggle to keep up? Jon Favreau joins us to discuss the critical players and outlets in the early 2000s that led us to where US politics is today, along with looking back at what he’s learned from launching Pod Save America back in 2016.

Our guest Jon Favreau is the host of Pod Save America, Offline, The Wilderness, and others as co-founder of Crooked Media. You can find...

A little over one year of Panic World!

When we launched Panic World on September 11, 2024 — which we’ll never forget for a different reason now lol — Patreon was the main way we were able to make any kind of a living while producing the show, letting us see if people were actually interested in what we had to say. Not just about gross internet stuff but also cultural and political, and kinda everything now that society is truly a full-time internet.

Thanks to all the Patrons who’ve been with us since we started up th...

The wild world wide web of witches [Audio] [Ad-free]

Witches, curses, magic, and the internet overlap much more than you’d think — and not just because of the Etsy witch that cursed Charlie Kirk. The very online Peter Berkman and Luke Silas of the band Anamanaguchi join us to talk about the history of internet witches and witchcraft, and the spooky connections between the supernatural and digital worlds.

Our guests are members of Anamanaguchi, who you can catch on tour until October 17. Check out their latest album Anyway 2025-10-08 12:09:53 +0000 UTC View Post

One or two hot takes on One Battle After Another [Exclusive]

(SPOILER ALERT!) Grant hosts Ryan on his podcast to share their thoughts on One Battle After Another and what it says about the current state of the US, dads, Gen X, and compare its political commentary to Eddington and Weapons.

The big dumb weather conspiracy [Ad-free]

Like many things, there used to be a bipartisan consensus that in a disaster, you help as many people get through it as quickly and safely as possible. In the past 20+ years, though, we’ve seen a shift in how the right responds to climate catastrophes — including building out a robust selection of conspiracy theories from chemtrails to Flat Earth. Will Menaker from Chapo Trap House joins us to discuss right-wing conspiracy theories about the weather, the climate, and whether we�...

Vote for us at the Signal Awards (pls)

Apparently there's some Panic World fans (sickos) over at the Signal Awards, as we're finalists in two "listener's choice" categories!

Of course, we're up in the Weird (complimentary) category, as well as for Conversation Starter.

If you can pry your eyes of...

How Eddington and Weapons hold a mirror up to our Panic World [Audio] [Exclusive]

Two of 2025’s biggest movie releases so far, Eddington (basically Panic World: The Movie) and Weapons, are not the same genre but they both offer interesting looks into the state of our society today. Grant joins Ryan to talk about the thematic links between them and examine the question: how do you cover moral panics, mass hysteria, and the internet without just commenting on everything else that’s already been said?

How Eddington and Weapons hold a mirror up to our Panic World [Video] [Exclusive]

Two of 2025’s biggest movie releases so far, Eddington (basically Panic World: The Movie) and Weapons, are not the same genre but they both offer interesting looks into the state of our society today. Grant joins Ryan to talk about the thematic links between them and examine the question: how do you cover moral panics, mass hysteria, and the internet without just commenting on everything else that’s already been said?

The no fap movement and why the boys aren't all right [Audio] [Ad-free]

If you’ve spent any amount of time online in November, unfortunately you’ve heard of “No Fap,” a movement started over a decade ago by a subsection of very aggressive men who’ve created a pseudo-religion around the concept that all problems can be solved if you simply stop masturbating. Jeff & Kitty of the Free Country USA podcast join us to talk about the thousands-year-old history of anti-masturbation efforts and why it’s found such prominence for a certain kind of guy on th...

Charlie Kirk was killed by a meme [Ad-free]

Ryan & Grant talk about the fallout from Charlie Kirk's killing, including what we know about the suspect in custody and what this means for current political climate in the US.

You might be listening to AI music [Audio] [Ad-free]

The band The Velvet Sundown broke through the music charts with millions of streams in months after coming from nowhere — and being an entirely AI band. Is it an existential threat to the health of the music industry and the internet when you can’t even tell if the “song of the summer” was sung by an actual human, or a robot? Music critic Anthony Fantano joins us to discuss.

Our guest Anthony Fantano runs 2025-09-10 15:01:27 +0000 UTC View Post

You might be listening to AI music [Video]

The band The Velvet Sundown broke through the music charts with millions of streams in months after coming from nowhere — and being an entirely AI band. Is it an existential threat to the health of the music industry and the internet when you can’t even tell if the “song of the summer” was sung by an actual human, or a robot? Music critic Anthony Fantano joins us to discuss.

Our guest Anthony Fantano runs 2025-09-10 12:22:27 +0000 UTC View Post

The new age of terror [Exclusive] [Ad-free]

On Wednesday, August 27th there was a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing two kids and injuring a dozen more people. The shooter took her own life, and left behind two YouTube videos and a manifesto that were dogwhistles for both The Order of Nine Angles (O9A) and 764, the latter of which we've previously covered on the show. Ryan & Grant talk about both of these networks and how the mainstream news and the internet have responded to this latest atrocity.

Mobile game ads: The worst online slop [Audio] [Ad-free]

They’re full of slime, weird crime, and seemingly a lot of fetish stuff. Today, we’re talking about the sloppiest of slop online these days, mobile game ads. An expert on the form, Chelsey Weber-Smith, joins us to talk about the history of the genre, from the earliest games like Evony to today’s prolific Lily’s Game, as well as what psychological tactics are being deployed in these banner ads, what makes anyone play these games, and is anyone?

Our guest Chelsey Weber-Smith host...

RERUN: The secret plan to outlaw porn in the US (is working) [Ad-free]

This is a rerun from February this year, when 17 states in the US had banned PornHub. The tally now stands at 21, and both Mike Johnson and the Supreme Court don't seem fussed to stop there.

Have a listen, especially if you haven't already, before we come back with new episodes next Wednesday, September 3.

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As of this recording, 17 states don’t have access to PornHub. You might assume that’s because of very normal people like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson needing ...

Is the ghost of Epstein breaking MAGA? [Ad-free]

We made it nearly a year without having to cover Epstein, but with Trump and his allies consistently committing own-goals and bringing him up, the day has come. Today we’re talking about the Epstein files and what appears to be Trump’s most consequential weakness so far. Josie Duffy Rice joins us to talk about how and why Epstein became so central to the MAGA movement, and whether this could be the thing that finally cracks Trump’s base.

Our guest Josie Duffy Rice is a journalist,...

Gadgetology: The cartoon mouse that inspired a religion [Video] [Ad-free]

If a fandom exists long enough in isolation, does it inevitably become toxic or at least, very strange? This is the main question we’ll be exploring today, through a story that begins in 1989. That’s the year that Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers premiered. More importantly, it’s when the world was introduced to a sweet little mouse girl, Gadget Hackwrench. Gadget became quite popular with a certain part of the internet, and PJ Vogt joins us once again to learn about the Cult of Ga...

Gadgetology: The cartoon mouse that inspired a religion [Audio] [Ad-free]

If a fandom exists long enough in isolation, does it inevitably become toxic or at least, very strange? This is the main question we’ll be exploring today, through a story that begins in 1989. That’s the year that Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers premiered. More importantly, it’s when the world was introduced to a sweet little mouse girl, Gadget Hackwrench. Gadget became quite popular with a certain part of the internet, and PJ Vogt joins us once again to learn about the Cult of Ga...

Sydney Sweeney and rage bait [Ad-free] [Exclusive]

Ryan and Grant discuss that American Eagle ad and why everyone is arguing about Sydney Sweeney's "good jeans."

Why eating disorder content is all over the internet [Audio] [Ad-free]

Eating disorder content has been a problem on the internet since as early as 2001, but it accelerated with the advent of social media. Today we’re examining why it’s become more prevalent than perhaps at any other time. EJ Dickson, a writer who investigated the #SkinnyTok community for The Cut, joins us to talk about the introduction of eating disorder content in the mainstream internet, its causes and characters.

Our guest EJ Dickson is a senior writer at The Cut. You can check out...

Why eating disorder content is all over the internet [Ad-free]

Eating disorder content has been a problem on the internet since as early as 2001, but it accelerated with the advent of social media. Today we’re examining why it’s become more prevalent than perhaps at any other time. EJ Dickson, a writer who investigated the #SkinnyTok community for The Cut, joins us to talk about the introduction of eating disorder content in the mainstream internet, its causes and characters.

Our guest EJ Dickson is a senior writer at The Cut. You can check out...

Dr. Marc-André Argentino on how technology fuels the spread of groups like 764 [Exclusive]

Dr. Marc-André Argentino, an expert on extremist ideologies and groups, talks with producer Grant Irving about the intersection of ideology and technology in accelerating the spread of extremism, especially in the case of 764 and other radical groups.

The cult using Minecraft to recruit [Ad-free]

Often, like in the case of the Momo Challenge, when parents freak out about a thing online, it’s probably not really a thing. But, today we are talking about one panic that is real — “764,” the comm-network that is gamifying committing crimes and abuse. Joining us is Marcus Parks of The Last Podcast on the Left, to dive into this conspiracy that’s more than a theory.

Our guest Marcus Parks is a host of 2025-07-29 07:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Why Slenderman became a moral panic [Ad-free] [Extended]

What is the creepiest thing you’ve ever seen on the internet? For many people, it was Slenderman. This particularly lithe fellow started off as kind of a fun, spooky thing, and then of course got out of hand and caused a panic both on- and offline. We’re joined by Kaelyn Moore of Heart Starts Pounding to talk about his role taking creepypasta mainstream, and how Slenderman is still lurking in our cultural consciousness over 16 years since making his first appearance on Something ...

Why Slenderman became a moral panic [Audio] [Ad-free] [Extended]

What is the creepiest thing you’ve ever seen on the internet? For many people, it was Slenderman. This particularly lithe fellow started off as kind of a fun, spooky thing, and then of course got out of hand and caused a panic both on- and offline. We’re joined by Kaelyn Moore of Heart Starts Pounding to talk about his role taking creepypasta mainstream, and how Slenderman is still lurking in our cultural consciousness over 16 years since making his first appearance on Something ...

What happened to JK Rowling? [Ad-free]

In April this year the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a “woman” excludes trans women. Then — apparently celebrating her years-long TERFdom — JK Rowling tweeted an image of herself on a yacht, smoking a cigar, and captioned it with “I love it when a plan comes together.” The question we’re looking at today is: was it Rowling who changed or was it the world that changed? Matt Bernstein joins us to trace Rowling’s radicalization journey, and discuss how we’...

The plot to ruin the new Superman movie [Ad-free] [Extended]

Today we're looking at how fandom got so cultish, through the lens of the Snyder Cut.

When did fandom become so zealous? Today we’re looking back at the release of the “Snyder Cut” and the people who still think that Zack Snyder should make all of the DC movies. Open Mike Eagle joins us to talk about where the world of fandom in entertainment is and why we’re so desperate to root ourselves in pop culture that it can become like a religion.

Our guest is rapper, comedian, po...

Some big news in Panic World

We've got a (good) announcement about the future of the show. We'll be back with your regularly scheduled panic next week. Enjoy the Fourth!