Gen Z’s Jerry Springer show
+ IRL ChatGPT sexbots, Humanity’s Last Exam, YouTube at 4x, yak wool vs glass skin, and the rise of wedding QR codes
Right before the election, I interviewed Jason Y Lee, the founder of Jubilee Media, a massively popular YouTube channel known for producing social experiments and debates on topics like whether being fat is a choice or if someone can decide to stop being gay. Today, the interview was published to my YouTube channel.
The Atlantic recently called Jubilee “Gen Z’s Jerry Springer show.” Jubilee says its goal is to "spark conversations that matter and bring people together through shared humanity." But is that actually what Jubilee is doing? The Atlantic’s Spencer Kornhaber writes:
The internet is “updating our tolerance for disagreement—and disagreement on a lot of things that we thought were in the can.” Jubilee has proved adept at mining this new paradigm for views. Its video with [Ben] Shapiro was the fifth-most-watched bit of election-related content on YouTube, just a few spots down from Joe Rogan’s interview with Donald Trump.
…Lee said he’s trying to build “the Disney of empathy”: a media empire that teaches people how to connect, listen, and healthily disagree—an ambitious, even fanciful-sounding notion in a time of cultural fracturing and political polarization.
Pursuing that goal has meant emphasizing seemingly old-fashioned media ideals—neutrality, fidelity, hearing from all sides—in ways that can seem extreme. Moderators, when they’re involved at all, take only the lightest touch in steering conversations, which can mean letting misinformation and misdirection fly. (Fact-checks happen after filming and are provided by another start-up, Straight Arrow News, which pitches itself as “Unbiased. Straight Facts.”) Cast members tend to seem like regular, if colorful, folks who speak off-the-cuff.
… Jubilee’s critics, however, contend that the company is simply manufacturing ragebait and platforming dangerous ideas in order to pull eyeballs. Regalado noted that angry viewers often leave comments joking that Jubilee might do “Holocaust Survivors vs. Holocaust Deniers” next—but in the company’s logic, that’s really not an outrageous idea. “Internally, Jubilee has argued about whether or not we would do that episode,” Regalado said, adding that he himself would “want to see that dialogue happen.”
Jason and I discuss these questions, and whether hosting both-sides style debates on major topics like trans rights, feminism, or police brutality actually leaves people more informed.
We also discuss the origins of Jubilee, dig into Jubilee's unique formats like “Middle Ground” and “Versus,” and talk about the company's plans to expand into dating apps, games, and experiential events. Watch the full video on my YouTube channel, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!
What I’m reading
Chapo Trap House Isn’t Going to Save the Democrats
Trump’s takeover of the manosphere left liberals pining for their own Joe Rogan. But the hosts of Chapo, still stung by Bernie’s defeats, would rather let the party establishment burn. “I’m not giving any campaign advice here,” says Will Menaker, “other than to believe different things.” - Vanity Fair
America Is Divided. It Makes for Tremendous Content.
Jubilee Media mines the nation’s deepest disagreements for rowdy viral videos. But is all the arguing changing anyone’s mind? - The Atlantic
This Therapist Is Not Who She Seems to Be
A therapist named Sophie Cross is quoted as a mental health expert all over the internet. Is she really just an AI-created ploy to drive more visitors to a site that reviews sex toys? - Allure
Capitulation Is Contagious
When fear spreads in a society, powerful people who know better are often the first to show their weakness. - The Atlantic
The global struggle over how to regulate AI
Big AI companies have come out hard against comprehensive regulatory efforts in the West — but are receiving a warm welcome from leaders in many other countries. - Rest of World
More fun stuff
The creators of a new test called “Humanity’s Last Exam” argue we may soon lose the ability to create tests hard enough for A.I. models.
OnlyFans creators are offering discounts to help people cope with Trump taking office.
Soon you’ll be able to watch YouTube videos at 4x speed on mobile.
A thread on how to achieve Dana Scully’s makeup looks in X-Files.
Wedding hashtags are so 2010s, QR codes are now becoming the preferred way to share and view videos and photos during/from a wedding.
Chinese scientists are applying ChatGPT-like technology to sex robots to make them more lifelike. Future models will react to users “with both movements and speech.”
No, Travis Kelce isn’t actually quitting X. Hundreds of Threads users boosted this false info sharing a link to a known disinfo site.
Martha Stewart interviewed Pamela Anderson.
Senate Democrats had a luncheon to discuss how to go viral. “One of the bright spots Democrats highlighted…was a viral video from the pandemic of Warner making a tuna melt in his kitchen.” 🤦🏻♀️
Japan’s loneliness epidemic is so bad that elderly women are committing crimes in order to go to prison where they can make find friends and get free health care.
Longevity guru Bryan Johnson is tracking his son’s nighttime erections and tweeted out a chart comparing them to his own.
Barron Trump is potentially launching his own real estate company.
The writer Laura Pitcher turned herself into a porcelain doll with Pat McGrath’s new ‘glass skin’ mask. Read her full review with photos.
NYT makes the case for a gay Bachelor.
Yak wool is the new luxe “it material,” rarer and more coveted than cashmere.
Private firefighters are becoming more popular in states like California which are plagued by wildfires, widening the effects of climate change on the rich vs poor.
Elon Musk has joined a growing chorus of right-wing voices attacking Wikipedia as part of an intensifying campaign against free and open access information.
Trump signed an executive order that artificial intelligence be developed "free from ideological bias." (which will be impossible)
While Zuckerberg is out claiming his platforms embrace “free speech” Meta has been blurring, blocking, and removing posts from abortion pill providers.
Why every celebrity seems to have a non alcoholic drink line lately.
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A lot of younger people don't know their classic daytime television and I don't want this important part of American history to be re-written.
I don't think it's fair to Springer (RIP) to compare his show to Jubilee. The Springer formula was very simple, you get obese people to beat each other up every few seconds and then pretend to break up the fights. The whole magic of the show working was in the timing between the fights and the duration of the fights. It was Tex Avery level timing. Really brilliant work disguised as complete garbage.
He would have never strayed from this simple formula. That's why as the calls for him to tone down the violence resulted in fewer fights, the ratings started to go down.
Jubilee seems to be a little more like the Morton Downey Jr. Show.
I guess in a few more years it will be time for someone to re-invent "Maury" for YouTube, but that may prove to be more difficult.