Social Sleuth

the web 2.0 w/ My Mom

Trends, Algorithms, & Trust In this episode of Social Sleuth, I am joined by my mom once again! As a belated Mother’s Day episode I sit down with my mom to ask her questions about the current culture of the web. Her feed, Trust Online, Clavicular, Sydney Sweeney, and Public Perception. She’s a good sport and this episode is full of laughs, bloopers, and real talk - way more light-hearted and lively than usual! Join us in embracing that 2016 is SO BACK! Also: Social Sleuth will still be available on Apple Podcasts [https://apple.co/4cnx28O], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2UG2SDzlCzV9cXZLtpKT0q?si=5cc1c5691ee2474e&ref=kennyc402.com], YouTube [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS3eFi8W4J56CE2zBltwCD6nkrYAAgKuC&si=9F05b74Ux-1Rztu0], or whatever app you use. If you listen directly through Substack, it may look a bit different – just know Social Sleuth is active. I am migrating off Substack in stages. More updates coming soon. In the meantime, KennyC402.com [http://KennyC402.com] is LIVE. And consider sharing this episode.. internet culture, social media trends, memes, political discourse, media consumption, celebrity influence, online trends, social media algorithms, media fatigue, misinformation

psychotropic profit w/ Jamie Brownlee & Kevin Walby

The psychedelic renaissance has a PR problem, or rather, it has a capitalism problem. In this episode of Social Sleuth, we sit down with Jamie Brownlee and Kevin Walby, authors of Psychedelic Capitalism, for a critical look at how big money is reshaping, and arguably distorting, the psychedelic space. Jamie and Kevin unpack the corporate takeover of psychedelics: the push for medicalization, the erasure of Indigenous and countercultural roots, and how power, inequality, and surveillance are baked into what's being sold as a healing revolution. They make the case that this boom isn't primarily about expanding access or consciousness, it’s about market capture. A sharp, necessary episode for anyone following the psychedelic space, drug policy reform, or the broader question of what happens when wellness becomes an industry. Topics: psychedelic capitalism, psychedelic renaissance, drug policy, medicalization, Big Pharma, corporate wellness, surveillance and medicine, psychedelics and power, MDMA therapy, psilocybin, ketamine, drug reform This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com [https://kennyc402.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

digital age activism w/ Chris Hurl & Kevin Walby

Data isn't just something that gets collected about us, it’s something we can use. In this episode of Social Sleuth, we're joined by two of the four authors of Mobilizing Data for Justice: A Guide to Activism in the Digital Age, Chris Hurl and Kevin Walby, for a conversation about how social movements are using data, digital tools, and techniques like visceralization to fight for justice and build collective power. Chris and Kevin each bring distinct perspectives from their work within social movements, and together they make the case for why understanding the digital context isn't optional for organizers, it’s essential. The book, published with Between the Lines, is both a practical toolbox and an archive of activist knowledge, built to outlast the rapidly shifting digital landscape. Also: this is Social Sleuth's first two-guest episode. More voices, more expertise. Turns out more is more. Topics: digital activism, social movements, data justice, surveillance and activism, collective action, political organizing, digital tools for advocacy, open data, data visualization, social justice This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com [https://kennyc402.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

trad-baiting w/ Edwin Hodge

Online extremism didn't emerge from nowhere, and it isn't staying in its lane. In this episode of Social Sleuth, we talk with Dr. Edwin Hodge, adjunct professor in Sociology at the University of Victoria, about how once-underground networks have gone global, the realities of moderating online spaces, and the lasting influence of conspiracy theories like QAnon. Edwin breaks down Gamergate as a key turning point, the moment internet culture and political organizing collided in ways we're still living with. We also get into the strange and troubling symbiosis between the rise of Christian Nationalism and Trad Wife content online: what it reveals, why it resonates, and what it means for the shape of digital politics. A clear-eyed, unsettling, and genuinely important conversation about where online extremism comes from, and where it's going. Topics: online extremism, conspiracy theories, QAnon, Gamergate, Christian nationalism, trad wife, radicalization, online moderation, far right internet, digital politics, sociology of the internet This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com [https://kennyc402.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

making meaning w/ Loren Gaudet

Rhetoric isn't just a political tool, it’s the infrastructure of everything we read, share, and believe online. In this episode of Social Sleuth, we sit down with Dr. Loren Gaudet, Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria, whose research spans the rhetoric of health and medicine, science, and technology. We explore how meaning gets made in digital spaces: how health and wellness content gets framed, why so much of what we consume online is persuasion dressed as information, and what it looks like to apply rigorous rhetorical thinking to the chaos of the internet. Loren also walks us through her research on health awareness campaigns, and why preparedness rhetoric is worth paying closer attention to. If you've ever wondered why certain health claims spread and others don't, or why online discourse about science feels so broken, this episode offers a framework for making sense of it. Topics: rhetoric, health communication, digital literacy, science communication, online persuasion, health and wellness online, media and medicine, internet and belief, academic research This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com [https://kennyc402.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]