We're joined by Taylor Lorenz, author of Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet to talk about how she had a front-row seat to many of the changes in media, memes, and Millennials over the course of her career from tabloid blogger to feature reporter for The Washington Post. We talk about the role of social media, the way incentives for media companies have evolved, how she proved internet culture was a beat, and how memes get amplified into mass culture - and what all this means for generational identities.

You can order her book, available next week! here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Extremely-Online/Taylor-Lorenz/9781982146863

You can find Taylor online in many places, including her website: https://www.taylorlorenz.com/ and @taylorlorenz basically everywhere (TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, etc).

If you're curious about her coverage of some of the generational memes we all know and loathe, check out her 2019 piece 'OK Boomer’ Marks the End of Friendly Generational Relations: Now it’s war: Gen Z has finally snapped over climate change and financial inequality." https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/style/ok-boomer.html

For more recent reporting, check out her work at the Washington Post - a recent piece debunking a recent TikTok panic the Today Show amplified is especially smart: 'That dangerous TikTok trend on the Today Show? It was fake.' https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/13/tiktok-boat-challenge-fake-misinformation/

In The Demo, a podcast about how stories of groups are created, subverted and destroyed. On the first season, we pursue the origins of the Millennial Myth. Farrah Bostic is the founder and Head of Research & Strategy of, The Difference Engine, a strategic insights consultancy focused on helping business leaders make decisions. Adam Pierno, author and brand consultant and managing director of brand strategy at Arizona State University. Our host is voiced by Eliza, a robot created by Murf.ai.

In the Demo is edited by Allison Preisinger and AMP Studio. Music by 0megaMan under the Creative Commons license. Learn more and find research and supporting materials at inthedemopodcast.com

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