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Endless Thread

Endless Thread

By: WBUR
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Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dig into the internet's vast and curious ecosystem of online communities to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and other jaw-dropping stories online and IRL.Copyright Trustees of Boston University
Episodes
  • Thinking Outside the Dox: What 'consensual doxing' can teach us about internet privacy
    Jul 25 2025

    Kristen Sotakoun (@notkahnjunior on TikTok) says she has always been 'the FBI of the friend group' – that person you can count on to dig up the juicy details on anyone's social media.

    It's a skillset that has earned her millions upon millions of views on TikTok in a series she has dubbed 'consensual doxing.' In her videos, Kristen completes challenges from her viewers to find their birthdays, using only publicly posted information online.

    Kristen is now a handful of creators on TikTok who are making consensual doxing videos as educational content, encouraging viewers to think more deeply about what they post online, and where.

    On this week's Endless Thread, we dive into the world of consensual doxing, what it can teach us about our privacy, and host Ben Brock Johnson gets (consensually) doxed.

    Show notes:

    • I got popular on TikTok by being a total creep (Business Insider)
    • This Man Proves You Can Find Anyone Using Geolocation — and It's a Scary Lesson for All of Us (Distractify)
    • ‘Consensual doxxing’ reveals the confronting truth about online privacy - you’re not as hidden as you think (7NEWS Australia)
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    30 mins
  • There's a new emoji for sadness :(
    Jul 18 2025

    What does the thumbs-up emoji mean to you? Or the wilted rose? The meanings of emojis are limitless and can differ across social groups or generations. On this episode of Endless Thread, Ben and Amory discuss two stories about how certain emojis have taken on surprising meanings.

    Show notes: * Here’s why the Aerial Tramway Emoji is suddenly in every YouTube comment section (daily dot) *Alright guys.. What is does this emoji mean and why is it used so much? (Reddit)

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    24 mins
  • Why it feels like it rains every weekend
    Jul 11 2025

    If you feel like it's been raining a lot on the weekends this summer, you're not alone. A couple months ago, we noticed a thread on r/boston asking why? So, we enlisted the help of one of our WBUR colleagues, Climate and Environment Corespondent Barbara Moran to clear things up once and for all.

    Show notes:
    • Rain Every Weekend??? (Reddit)
    • OMG, why is it raining every Saturday in Boston? (WBUR)
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    22 mins
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