Episodes 386
Avg. Duration 1h 4m
Activity Dormant
Apple Rating 4.5 (112)
Since Sep 2017
Latest Episode Feb 2026

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Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
28%
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feeds.megaphone.fm

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About This Podcast

What does it really take to make a living (and an impact) on the Internet today? Join Matt Silverman (who has been covering online culture for 15+ years) in conversation with YouTubers, musicians, podcasters, streamers, journalists, TikTokers and more about turning creativity into a job, building community on ever-changing platforms, and their complex relationships with huge online audiences. INFLUENCE is the relaunch of 2 GIRLS 1 PODCAST, a weekly comedy/interview show about fascinating online communities, which ran for 7 years and nearly 300 episodes.

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Recent Episodes

62 A Melania Trump Erotic Monster Fiction Book Is #1 on Amazon Thanks to Internet Protesters ✊ J.D. Boehninger

Feb 06, 2026 49m

Feeling dismayed by U.S. politics in 2018, J.D. Boehninger (pen name) got advice from a friend who was writing self-published monster fiction for the Amazon Kindle. Many authors were making a good…

61 How Can We Teach Kids About AI When We Barely Understand It Ourselves? | Amber Ivey 🤖 AI for Kids

Feb 05, 2026 1h 12m

By day, Amber Ivey uses big data to inform governmental policy decisions. Back in 2020, she was invited to tinker with a new tool from a young startup called OpenAI - two years before the public had…

60 How the Man With 1,000 Voices Accidentally Became a Full-Time YouTuber 🎙 Brian Hull

Jan 23, 2026 1h 10m

Brian Hull unlocked his super power at a young age. Mimicking the voices of the world's most recognizable cartoon characters earned him lots of social cred on the schoolyard. In 2014, he uploaded a…

59 Cities By Diana: Making Absurd Video Game Neighborhoods Became Her Fulltime Job

Dec 02, 2025 1h 3m

Like many of us, the urban planning strategy game "SimCity" was an obsession for Diana Regan growing up. When she published YouTube videos about a modern incarnation -- "Cities: Skylines" and its…

58 Luke Plunkett: Rebuilding Online Journalism, One Subscriber at a Time

Sep 26, 2025 1h 35m

Greetings! I am couch/bed-ridden as my entire family recovers from Covid-19 (the BEST Covid!) While I waste away, I think you'll enjoy this episode from my other podcast. - Original Show Notes |…

57 You Might Need Govt ID to Use Social Media Soon. New Laws Explained by a Privacy Attorney | Laura Riposo VanDruff

Sep 04, 2025 49m

Depending on what state or country you live in, logging into Instagram, Reddit, or (dare we say) Corn Hub might prompt you to submit a government ID to proceed. This fresh privacy nightmare is thanks…

56 Greg Miller Decided to Become a Video Game Journalist at Age 9

Aug 20, 2025 1h 19m

Greg Miller fell in love with Ghostbusters, Superman, and video games — as we all did — at a young age. But when he realized you could make money writing about his favorite things, he declared at…

55 Banks Are Deciding What Video Games You're Allowed to Buy, and It's Not the First Time (w/ games journalist Ana Valens)

Aug 06, 2025 1h 56m

Hey friends! I'm bringing an important conversation over from my other feed, as this story has huge ramifications for protected speech, the LGBTQ+ community, and how powerful companies can change…

54 This Harry Potter Podcast Is *Almost* Old Enough to Have a Butterbeer | 20 Years of MuggleCast with Eric & Micah

Jul 23, 2025 1h 20m

In August 2005, YouTube was a 6-month-old beta test, the iPhone was still years away, putting music on your iPod required a cable, and MuggleNet was *the* destination for news and conversation about…

Introducing: TALES FROM THE CLOUD SEA, an improvised comedy adventure podcast for kids and families!

Jul 09, 2025 1h 13m Bonus

I'm taking the week off, but hope you'll check out my new improv comedy podcast for kids and families! Listen to the first episode here, share it with the kids in your life, and subscribe wherever…

53 How the "Overly Attached Girlfriend" Finally Detached Herself From YouTube | Laina Morris

Jun 25, 2025 1h 21m

Laina Morris was 20 years old when she entered a Justin Bieber fan contest in 2012. She uploaded a video of herself to YouTube singing a creepy parody song. She didn't win the concert tickets, but…

52 The Alarming AI Experiment That Shook r/ChangeMyView to Its Core

Jun 11, 2025 1h 4m

When people post online, they usually declare their opinions. And in social media echo chambers, those opinions tend to be validated. But the subreddit r/ChangeMyView *might* be the only place on the…

51 The RE-Reinvention of Grace Helbig

May 28, 2025 1h 20m

Grace Helbig was cutting tape in her 2006 video editing class when the professor asked everyone to create accounts on a new website called "YouTube." That's where Grace found vloggers, jump cuts, and…

50 So ... Where Do Facts Come From, Anyway? | Joss Fong & Adam Cole of Howtown

May 14, 2025 1h 10m

Video journalists Joss Fong and Adam Cole are rarely satisfied with the results of scientific inquiry. As self-proclaimed "earnest nerds," they are compelled to unpack the process — to learn HOW…

49 Feeding the 38 trillion creatures in your colon could transform your health | Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

Apr 30, 2025 1h 37m

Dr. Will Bulsiewicz went to school for 14 years to become a gastroenterologist. He loved working with patients, and developed a fascination for emerging research about the gut microbiome -- trillions…

48 What to Do When AI Ads Steal Your Face and Voice

Apr 16, 2025 47m

This week on INFLUENCE, the double-edged sword of YouTube's ContentID systems, and the explosion of AI-generated ads and voices which have no shame in cloning content creators for profit.Plus: Some…

47 Talking About Sex With Internet Strangers Is Beautiful and Terrifying | Zoë Ligon

Apr 09, 2025 1h 14m

Like many of us, Zoë Ligon worked a retail job after college. But in her case, it was a sex toy shop, where she would have fascinating interactions with customers. Talking sex with random strangers…

46 How a Minecraft Server for Autistic Kids Became the Best Place on the Internet (Encore)

Apr 02, 2025 1h 58m

-Original Show Notes from May 20, 2022-Stuart Duncan is the dad of an autistic son, and he's also autistic himself. So when he learned that autistic Minecraft players were being bullied on popular…

45 Shocker: Mental Health Information On TikTok Is Wildly Inaccurate (and Might Make You Feel Worse)

Mar 26, 2025 35m

A peer reviewed study from the University of British Columbia analyzed the most popular ADHD-related videos on TikTok and found that very few of them contain information that aligns with medical…

44 The Big Ideas That Changed YouTube Forever | Mike Rugnetta

Mar 19, 2025 1h 29m

Here’s an idea: Around 2012, YouTube was undergoing a profound transformation from a novelty economy to a loyalty platform. This was largely driven by vlog culture, but another format was emerging:…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does INFLUENCE have?

INFLUENCE has published 386 episodes since September 2017, covering topics in Hobbies, Leisure.

Is INFLUENCE still active?

INFLUENCE is currently dormant with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 1h 4m.

How do I contact INFLUENCE for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for INFLUENCE, including email and social media links.

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