SOLVED! SAMPLE! #29 - “Don’t Be Cringe”: Is Gen Z’s Humor a Political Warning Sign?

Air Date: 12-10-25

Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin was out this week) discuss:

• Ch. 1 - Generational humor, and analysis of Gen Z’s absurdist humor and the impact it’s having

• Ch. 2 - The unexpected social side effects of NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s campaign on Gen Z volunteers

• Ch. 3 - The “App”stinence Movement helping people get off of social media

• Ch. 4 - How the peak Millennial humor mobile game “Sword and Sworcery” has evolved with the times

• SOLVED! Backstage: Behind the Algorithm: Elon Musk’s “Grokapedia” reminding us of the “Conservapedia” of 2010s punchlines, and the co-opting of Gen Z meme humor by right wing extremists to normalize hate.

 

REFERENCES

Gen Z Humour: What’s so funny about something so unfunny? - Hayden Lim Khai Eun via Medium

Inside 'Gen Z humor,' the layered and absurdist internet jokes millennials are struggling to keep up with - Business Insider

A crash course in Gen Z humor - Pion

We Laughed Into The Void—And It Laughed Back: Understanding Gen Z Humor - Berkeley Political Review

A Little-Noted Element Propelled Mamdani’s Rise: Gen Z Loneliness - The New York Times

A mass exit from social media - Mashable

Should you practice Appstinence? Gen Z and Gen Alpha are embracing this Harvard student movement - Fast Company

7 Reasons to Think Social Media Has Peaked The platforms have serious problems. - New York Magazine

The Mysteries Of Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP - Waltorious Writes About Games

Social media is dead – here’s what comes next - New Scientist

EXTRAS

NOT SPONSORS/AFFILIATES

Appstinence

Brick - Device to help you manage phone use

Freedom - App to help you manage device use

How to make your smartphone into a dumb phone - (Modern Dumbphone)