Endless Thread podcast

Endless Thread

·

  WBUR  

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.

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.

 

#428

The drone web: how consumer drones have covered Ukraine's battle lines with fiber optic cable

There's a lot of drone warfare footage on the internet from Ukraine and Russia. But over t... more

12 Dec 2025

38 MINS

38:47

12 Dec 2025


#427

What's on the menu: Ruby Tandoh on how the internet and algorithms shape our appetites

The internet decides what's for dinner. Ruby Tandoh is the author of the new book, All Con... more

05 Dec 2025

28 MINS

28:38

05 Dec 2025


#426

Episodes we love: Sandwiches of History

In honor of the day-after-Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, we're revisiting our conversatio... more

28 Nov 2025

35 MINS

35:42

28 Nov 2025


#425

Chiveman and a mountain of margarine

Endless Thread serves up two of Reddit's most absurd food sagas. First course: Chivegate, ... more

21 Nov 2025

26 MINS

26:37

21 Nov 2025


#424

Fryders and Alligator Alcatraz tours: When trolls get inventive

Ben and Amory share two stories about some out-of-the-box internet trolling. First, Amory ... more

14 Nov 2025

31 MINS

31:27

14 Nov 2025


#423

Episodes we love: Lofi Girl

This November, we're playing some of our favorite episodes from the past alongside new stu... more

11 Nov 2025

38 MINS

38:06

11 Nov 2025


#422

Labubus, lafufus, and Hello Kitty: How cuteness conquered the internet

While some people find Labubus terrifying, millions of others find their big eyes and furr... more

07 Nov 2025

27 MINS

27:17

07 Nov 2025


#421

Episodes we love: Welcome to the Jam

Everybody get up, it's time to slam now... again! Yes, we're revisiting our episode about ... more

04 Nov 2025

33 MINS

33:46

04 Nov 2025


#420

Endless Dread: Haunted Hayride

In keeping with Endless Thread tradition, Ben and Amory are celebrating spooky season with... more

31 Oct 2025

38 MINS

38:04

31 Oct 2025


#419

Episodes we love: Artist Known — Illustrator for 'A Wrinkle in Time' gets long-overdue credit

New to Endless Thread? Wooooo! We're revisiting some favorites from our archives to welcom... more

28 Oct 2025

46 MINS

46:10

28 Oct 2025


#418

Hidden Levels Ep. 6: Segagaga

The final episode of Hidden Levels explores the story of SEGA developer Tez Okano and the ... more

24 Oct 2025

40 MINS

40:38

24 Oct 2025


#417

Hidden Levels Ep. 5: Press B to Touch Grass

Video games are arguably the antithesis of nature; highly constructed worlds, synthetic, i... more

22 Oct 2025

41 MINS

41:47

22 Oct 2025


#416

Surgical Precision: One doctor's quest to show how video games can save lives

Dr. James "Butch" Rosser was a pioneer in minimally invasive surgery in the 1990s. When he... more

21 Oct 2025

24 MINS

24:34

21 Oct 2025


#415

Hidden Levels Ep. 4: Machinima

Machinima — a portmanteau of “machine” and “cinema” — refers to movies filmed inside video... more

18 Oct 2025

45 MINS

45:08

18 Oct 2025


#414

Hidden Levels: Choose Your Player (Side Quest)

Today, Stef Sanjati is a creator on YouTube with over half a million subscribers. Her cont... more

17 Oct 2025

31 MINS

31:25

17 Oct 2025


#413

Hidden Levels Ep. 3: This Game Wants YOU

For decades, the U.S. Army has been on edge about recruitment, hitting its goals for a few... more

14 Oct 2025

44 MINS

44:10

14 Oct 2025


#412

Hidden Levels Ep. 2: Stick It to 'Em

In this second episode of Hidden Levels, Amory traces the history of the humble-yet-genius... more

10 Oct 2025

41 MINS

41:36

10 Oct 2025


#411

Hidden Levels Ep. 1: Mr. Boomshakalaka

Welcome to our all-new collaborative series, "Hidden Levels," in which we team up with 99%... more

07 Oct 2025

37 MINS

37:16

07 Oct 2025


#410

Announcing 'Hidden Levels': how the videogame world has changed the world beyond videogames

Have you ever jumped on something as you're moving through the real world, and heard that ... more

06 Oct 2025

05 MINS

05:08

06 Oct 2025


#409

A fork (still) in the road: Three members of r/fednews share their stories

You've heard of the "Freshman 15"... how about the "DOGE 15"? This is how some federal emp... more

03 Oct 2025

30 MINS

30:42

03 Oct 2025


#408

Bridezillas and quiz traps: Petty stories from Reddit

Ben and Amory share stories about potential pettiness from Reddit. Ben shares a post from ... more

26 Sep 2025

27 MINS

27:49

26 Sep 2025


#407

What happened to Jenna Marbles?

In 2020, Jenna Marbles — one of the most popular YouTube creators of all time —posted her ... more

19 Sep 2025

37 MINS

37:00

19 Sep 2025


#406

Message in a laptop

What is your relationship with the trash heap of digital history? Can you still connect yo... more

12 Sep 2025

24 MINS

24:24

12 Sep 2025


#405

Encore: The truth about seagulls, the internet's most hated bird

As summer fades away, we bring you an encore episode about you shoreline companions and oc... more

05 Sep 2025

39 MINS

39:47

05 Sep 2025


#404

Introducing 'Jaws Island': 50 years of loving, fearing, and revering "Jaws"

Dun dun... This week, on Endless Thread... dun dun... something new is here... dun dun dun... more

29 Aug 2025

31 MINS

31:46

29 Aug 2025


#403

From bedtime stories to couples therapy: How AI is changing relationships

What happens when we outsource aspects of our most personal moments to machines? In the se... more

22 Aug 2025

30 MINS

30:12

22 Aug 2025


#402

Robot hosts, real relationships: How AI is changing human connection

Amir Mizroch spent years deconstructing fairy tales for his children — and thinking that m... more

15 Aug 2025

28 MINS

28:12

15 Aug 2025


#401

Bootcamp for Men: from betas to alphas

In the past few years, videos from a new kind of camp have begun circulating the internet.... more

08 Aug 2025

27 MINS

27:28

08 Aug 2025