1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,160 Hey everyone, and welcome to Mini Scroll, the daily Internet 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:05,720 culture podcast bringing you the biggest stories from social 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:09,000 media, the creator economy and the digital space every Monday 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,480 through Thursday. My name is Annabelle and I'm 5 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:14,960 your Wednesday Mini Scroll host and also the deputy editor of 6 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,480 the youth digital media brand Centennial World. 7 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:19,960 If you listen to yesterday's Mini Scroll, if you haven't 8 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,640 already, you definitely should, but you would have heard that we 9 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,760 had some major technical difficulties. 10 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:29,440 So I am hoping that is all behind us. 11 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,760 And if it's not, but I am very sorry in advance, but I don't 12 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,240 really have much to say at the top of this week's episode. 13 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,280 So if you enjoy this episode, Please remember to rate, review 14 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:41,680 and subscribe to Infinite Scroll. 15 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:45,800 We are on the journey to getting 1K Spotify star reviews, so feel 16 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,360 free to contribute, it would be much appreciated. 17 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,920 So the first story for today actually broke a while ago 18 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,200 before Mini Tech Scroll even launched. 19 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,680 But last week I saw an interesting opinion piece 20 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,840 published on The Atlantic, so I thought it would be a good 21 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:02,720 opportunity to bring it up again. 22 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,600 If you're interested, the piece is called Is this How Reddit 23 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,320 Ends and it was written by Mateo Wong. 24 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,200 If you want to give it a read, the link is in the description 25 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,760 along with all the other sources that I pull from. 26 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,880 And given The Atlantic has a paywall, I have shared the gift 27 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,040 link, so you should be able to read it if you click on that 28 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:23,320 link. Anyway, the article was talking 29 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:27,200 all about Reddit's new ish AI tool called Reddit Answers. 30 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,640 For those unfamiliar with Reddit Answers, it was announced on 31 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,160 December 9th last year and it's essentially an AI powered search 32 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,040 engine that pulls from Reddit data. 33 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,800 The Reddit blog described Reddit Answers as Quote, a new AI 34 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:41,720 powered conversational interface. 35 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,760 Once a question is asked, curated summaries of relevant 36 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,200 conversations and details across Reddit will appear, including 37 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:50,200 links to related communities and posts. 38 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:53,560 It is initially rolling out to a number of users in the US, and 39 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:55,720 then it will extend to other countries around the world as 40 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:57,480 well as operate in different language. 41 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,480 Wang in his piece, is not so much a fan of Reddit answers. 42 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,520 While he does note how pragmatic the function is, he does note 43 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,000 that it is very sanitized, where he essentially makes the 44 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,080 argument that a tool like this takes away the joys from 45 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,080 trolling through a Reddit thread quote. 46 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,920 The AI responds to questions in bulleted lists along with bold 47 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:21,120 headings followed by summaries of and brief quotes from actual 48 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,160 Reddit discussions. But these answers lose the messy 49 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:26,400 and daring excess of any good Reddit thread. 50 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,480 They appear like takeaways instead of teasers, final 51 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:31,960 answers instead of entry points for further discovery. 52 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,120 You are unlikely to fall down a rabbit hole of posts from here. 53 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:40,240 Aside from kind of changing up the Reddit experience, he makes 54 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,160 another important point in his article. 55 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,560 Like other generative AI tools, Reddit AI obviously pulls from 56 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,600 existing commentary, so it is not presenting an original 57 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:53,040 perspective by any means. But with this, one questions 58 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,080 whether more and more users will turn to this feature, leaving 59 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,160 less offering their perspectives on Reddit threads, ultimately 60 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:03,040 making the feature less useful. As the article concludes, quote 61 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,360 without human answers, there is no Reddit answers. 62 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,560 And so should the feature really take off and Reddit is stop 63 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,240 engaging with one another, the chatbot will be drained of 64 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:13,640 biological intelligence and soul as well. 65 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:17,640 I did want to add that Reddit is definitely leaning into AI 66 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:20,520 beyond producing its own AI search engine. 67 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,840 For instance, last year Reddit and Open AI struck a deal. 68 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,520 The agreement provides Open AI with real time access to Reddit, 69 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:30,920 its data facilitating the training of ChatGPT and other 70 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:33,880 models. This arrangement mirrored a 71 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:37,000 previous deal that Reddit made with Google that was apparently 72 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,520 worth $60 million, and it ultimately permitted Google to 73 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,320 use Reddit Post for training its AI models and improving existing 74 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:48,040 services within Google Search. The deal was a pivotal moment 75 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:50,720 for Reddit because the platform has long struggled to be 76 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:54,360 profitable, even though it is one of the major mainstream 77 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,320 social media platforms. If you want more detail about 78 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:01,360 this though, we did cover the back story of Reddit last year 79 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:03,760 in a deep dive, so I would definitely check that out. 80 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,520 But ultimately, one of the conclusions that we came to in 81 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,240 that episode was that the partnerships between Reddit, 82 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,520 Open AI, and Google could help address some of Reddit's 83 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,240 financial woes. I'd also like to add that social 84 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,959 media users do have valid concerns about Reddit using its 85 00:04:20,959 --> 00:04:24,800 forums as AI training data, whether for Open AI or its own 86 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,400 functions. Reddit is obviously home to 87 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,600 amount of personal and sensitive information, much of it shared 88 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:33,880 under the assumption of relative privacy. 89 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,960 So that is why it is crucial for Reddit to establish transparent 90 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,320 policies on how this data is being used and of course, 91 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,240 implement protections for user consent and data protection. 92 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:48,280 While some argue that Reddit's culture of anonymity helps 93 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,000 mitigate these privacy risks, I do think there is a difference, 94 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:56,040 maybe just even on an ethical level, between users reading and 95 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,880 engaging with these posts versus as companies leveraging that 96 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,080 data for innovation and ultimately profit. 97 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:05,480 Sticking with platform updates. The next story I have is some 98 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,440 news coming out of Meta, specifically around Threads. 99 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:10,960 Earlier this week, it was announced that Threads would be 100 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,480 allowing users to share custom feeds that they make with other 101 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,040 users on the platform. Users will also be able to 102 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,600 explore public feeds under a new feeds tab on the platform, as 103 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,720 well as pinning feeds to their home screen to access different 104 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,280 profiles and topics. Custom Feeds is obviously a very 105 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:30,600 powerful tool in that it allows users to organize their 106 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,280 interests into specific categories, and this has long 107 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:36,240 been a popular function on different texts for US social 108 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,800 media sites. For instance, X, even when it 109 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,280 was Twitter, had lists. As Sarah Perez reported for 110 00:05:42,280 --> 00:05:45,400 TechCrunch, this update is just another way for Meta to compete 111 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:48,240 with Blue Sky Quote. While Blue Sky has largely 112 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,120 benefited from an influx of people leaving X for something 113 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:54,280 that looks and feels similar, it's managed to retain its early 114 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:57,440 adopters thanks to a variety of tools that allow people to make 115 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,000 the network their own, including custom feeds. 116 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,880 So it's unsurprising that Meta would kind of capitalize on this 117 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,360 platform and this move towards personalization beyond the 118 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,560 algorithm. But I would also say that it's 119 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,440 unsurprising that Meta is rolling out such a feature now. 120 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,080 Over the past few weeks, there has been more and more 121 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,480 conversation around the ethics of using a platform associated 122 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,400 with Meta, specifically since the platform announced its 123 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,800 content moderation overhaul, which included ending its fact 124 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,560 checking program and also increasingly puts marginal 125 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:30,560 groups at risk. Obviously, I did cover this in 126 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:35,200 my first mini tech scroll episode, so feel free to check 127 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,000 that out if you want more details on that. 128 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:40,280 Now, I couldn't find any specific statistics on numbers 129 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:43,120 around how many users have actually left the platform since 130 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,120 this announcement, but there has definitely been more discourse 131 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,800 around deleting the apps. Pulling from Google Trends, NBC 132 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:52,720 reported that quote Google searches for deleting Facebook 133 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:55,720 and Instagram have sharply increased, and I'll include a 134 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:58,720 graph on the screen if you want to have a look yourself. 135 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:01,680 Ultimately, while this personalization attempt to may 136 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,600 be part of a broader plan to ensure that people stay on Meta 137 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,040 platforms, I'm not so sure how successful it will be, 138 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,960 especially because recently Mark Zuckerberg positioned a quote 139 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,840 return to OG Facebook as part of his goals for 2025. 140 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:19,200 At this point, no one really knows what this means, but if 141 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:22,320 Zuckerberg is hinting at the platform's misogynistic origins 142 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,880 as Facemash, which was a site that ranked his female Harvard 143 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,560 classmates by attractiveness without their consent, I don't 144 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,680 really think that will play well in 2025, and it shouldn't have 145 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:36,200 played well back then. The last story, I will admit, is 146 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:39,480 a little bit of a rogue one, and it has been around for a couple 147 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,560 weeks now, but I only just came across it and I thought it was a 148 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:44,360 little bit fun, so I wanted to include it. 149 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:48,480 And the story in question is about a new browser game called 150 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:52,120 Stimulation Clicker. So Stimulation Clicker was 151 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:56,080 created by Neil Agarwal, who has created other popular browser 152 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:59,680 games, but this one fully embraces Internet brain rot. 153 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,640 It actually launched about a month ago, but I'll give you a 154 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,160 quick rundown of how it works. So when you open the link, you 155 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:09,480 are taken to a relatively blank page and you are prompted to 156 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:11,960 click on a tab. Each click increases your 157 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,480 stimulation number. I know this sounds a little bit 158 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:18,080 insane and confusing, but think of stimulation as the currency 159 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,080 in the game. The more you click, the higher 160 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:23,000 your stimulation points get, allowing you to purchase various 161 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,080 tools, some of which end up speeding the rate at which you 162 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,160 gain stimulation points, while others are simply pop ups on the 163 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:31,320 screen. Everything you can purchase with 164 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:34,760 stimulation points is quintessential brain right and 165 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:37,200 Internet culture. For example, you can purchase a 166 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,880 screen recording of Subway Surfers, a man doing a mukbang, 167 00:08:40,919 --> 00:08:43,840 or even the lo fi girl. If you guys aren't familiar with 168 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,320 the lo fi girl, just give her a search on YouTube. 169 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:50,440 She was a staple for me during uni and I would often play those 170 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:53,560 videos while studying. But anyway, as you purchase more 171 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:57,320 and more, they all end up playing simultaneously, creating 172 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,160 a extremely overstimulating experience. 173 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:03,320 And of course, the more overstimulating it becomes, the 174 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,680 harder it is to continue. I will lie, I did check out this 175 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:09,840 game obviously before reporting on this story and it was super 176 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:13,160 addicting at 1st and I remember thinking why can I not stop 177 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:15,040 clicking like why is this so engaging? 178 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,640 But it did become increasingly difficult as I unlocked more 179 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,000 extras. But I didn't just want to report 180 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:24,080 on this story to let you guys know that this game exists. 181 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,800 I thought this was really confronting because it really 182 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:31,240 distills just how overwhelming the digital space is today and 183 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,120 how we are constantly compelled to consume content. 184 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:38,000 Yaira Rosenberg wrote about this in The Atlantic, where he said 185 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:41,360 quote with every new feature that is introduced, stimulation 186 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:44,200 Clicker takes place on the all too familiar journey from This 187 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:46,360 is neat to This is ruining my life. 188 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:49,320 What was once novel becomes oppressive because when every 189 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:52,640 online experience is optimized to monopolize our attention, the 190 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,320 feeling that is ultimately evoked is not elation, but 191 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,280 exhaustion. Rosenberg also chatted to the 192 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:01,440 game's creator, where he explained that this sentiment is 193 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,600 exactly what inspired him to make the game during COVID-19 194 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,120 lockdown. As he explained, quote, you have 195 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:09,840 a million different social media feeds and everything's pulling 196 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:11,600 you in a different direction at once. 197 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:13,480 It's almost like a feeling of Vertigo. 198 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:16,120 Anyway, I would definitely recommend you guys check out 199 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:19,200 this game, especially if you want to be confronted with what 200 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:22,000 the digital world is really like in one sitting. 201 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,880 That was a little bit of a fun one to end this week's episode, 202 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:27,560 but that is all I have for you today. 203 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,120 Lauren will speak to you tomorrow and I will see you next 204 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:32,320 Wednesday. Thanks. 205 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:32,880 Bye.