‘Eerie Gap’: Misinformation in Minneapolis, TikTok’s New Management, and the Buzz Around Moltbot

Articles discussed in this episode:

Follow Brian Barrett on Bluesky at @brbarrett, Zoë Schiffer at @zoeschiffer, and Tim Marchman at @timmarchman. Reach out to us at uncannyvalley@wired.com.

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Transcript

Note: This is an automated transcript and may contain inaccuracies.

Brian Barrett: How’s everyone doing?

Tim Marchman: I’m doing great.

Zoë Schiffer: Wow.

Brian Barrett: That’s interesting.

Zoë Schiffer: Shocking, I would say.

Brian Barrett: So Tim, what’s your secret?

Tim Marchman: I’m really focusing on the fact that my anxious thoughts don’t represent reality and that I need to analyze them logically.

Brian Barrett: That’s a more effective coping strategy than mine, which involves my kids discovering Mario Kart, leading to lots of gameplay. Zoë?

Zoë Schiffer: I’m doing okay. I feel like I’m at a bit of a mental-emotional wall with everything happening, and I’m thankful for the work we do because if I were still trying to convince myself that my corporate job mattered like I did during the early days of Trump’s presidency while working in tech, I wouldn’t be pleased to return. That was a difficult period.

Brian Barrett: But Zoë, is there anything you’re looking forward to in the near future?

Zoë Schiffer: Yes! In a show of my diverse interests, I’m going to watch the premiere of the Melania Trump movie.

Brian Barrett: Yes.

Zoë Schiffer: The film that Amazon Studios invested millions of dollars into for the trailer. I thought—

Tim Marchman: I’ve never been more envious.

Zoë Schiffer: I know! The production is exceptional. They made it so dramatic. That woman, from my perspective, sadly, doesn’t seem to have much of a personality, yet they tried to showcase it.

Brian Barrett: Tim, to be fair, you might still be able to grab a ticket.

Zoë Schiffer: Yeah, absolutely.