AI Summary
5 min readThe podcast examines the "main character of the internet" phenomenon—coined in 2019 by Twitter user Maple Cocaine as the person discourse centralizes on daily, whom everyone discusses or jokes about. Hosts Ryan Broderick and producer Grant Irving discuss its history with returning guest Taylor Lorenz, a journalist experienced with online harassment. They trace how ordinary posts spiral into widespread scrutiny, often ruining lives temporarily, while noting shifts from real-world threats to mostly online noise.
Defining and Early Forms
A main character emerges when a post or video gains traction, drawing reactions from trolls, fans, anti-fans, right-wing groups, centrists, or stan accounts rivaling celebrities. Pre-2013 examples resembled memes: Star Wars Kid or Double Rainbow Guy became viral figures without deep personal backlash, often commodified positively (e.g., Chewbacca Mask Lady on Ellen). Blogs like Hipster Runoff and Gawker proto-targeted individuals, especially women, for annoyances like selfies or music posts, fostering resentment toward "bourgeois" expressions.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:28) **Bean Dad Banter** - Hosts reminisce on early cancellations like Bean Dad and intro main character concept
- 2 (01:08) **Main Character Definition** - Central figure everyone jokes about or rages against on a platform that day
- 3 (01:51) **Taylor's Harassment Experiences** - Guest shares doxxing, swatting, and how threats have lost real-world impact post-2010s
- 4 (06:35) **Chappell Roan Brazil Incident** - Soccer player accuses singer's security of aggression; evolves into multi-week smear
- 5 (10:29) **Celebrity vs. Everyday Main Characters** - Standards flattened; celebs face viral-level scrutiny, normals get celeb treatment
- 6 (11:58) **Haley "Spit on That Thing"** - Street interview clip spawns crypto coin, Zinternet label in 2024
- 7 (13:14) **Maddie Hart TikTok Drama** - Viral story of deadbeat dad breakdancer; right-wing attention gamified for fame/OnlyFans
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Remember Chewbacca Mom, Damn Daniel, BeanDad, or most recently, Chappell Roan? These are just some examples of people who have become the “main character” on the internet — for better, or mostly (maybe always) worse. Today we’re talking about the old adage that “each day on [Twitter] there is one main character. The goal is to never be it.”
How has the internet warped our perception of celebrity (or “cewebrity”)? What does it mean to be swatted or doxxed now, versus a decade ago? Taylor Lorenz, someone who has been the main character on the internet several times, joins us to discuss.
Our guest Taylor Lorenz is a journalist. She hosts the podcast Power User, and writes about tech and online culture for her Substack, User Mag at https://www.usermag.co/. You can also follow her YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/taylorlorenz and everywhere else @taylorlorenz.
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