It's Been a Minute

What makes someone a star nowadays? And why does every generation of humans crave to celebrate them?

For decades, Hollywood has promoted a carefully curated ideal of aspirational talent, beauty, and intrigue. But in 2026, it feels like that power is in the hands of the one thing that alleges to know us best: the algorithm. Now computer programs hold more power in shaping who is famous and what we all are fed as aspirational ideals: from who is a star to what our bodies should look like. Enter the algorithm body.

In this episode, host Brittany Luse is joined by Christiana Mbakwe Medina, screenwriter and host of the Pop Syllabus podcast. They get into the evolving nature of fame and why Christina thinks the thin body ideal is out and the sculpted body ideal is in.

Want more about tech, beauty, and cultural cache? Check out these IBAM episodes:
The morbid lifelessness of modern beauty
Peptides & the pursuit of the "perfect" body

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Is AI in the workplace lightening your load...or frying your brain?

Researchers at Boston Consulting Group and the University of California, Riverside coined the term "AI brain fry" to describe “mental fatigue that results from excessive use of, interaction with, and/or oversight of AI tools beyond one's cognitive capacity.” In other words, doing too much with A.I.
There's something kind of comically tragic about the idea that these tools that were meant to lighten our loads seem to be doing the opposite for some. But beyond the psychic damage, there's a lot in this brain fry idea that points to how we work with AI: for example, with all the managing it needs, is turning us all into bosses? And is this really the future of work?

Brittany is joined by John Herrman, tech columnist for New York Magazine, to get into the ins and outs of AI brain fry.

(00:00) Who gets "AI brain fry"
(05:34) The strange incentives behind more AI-powered output
(09:30) Is working with AI simulating management?
(12:42) How AI chat tools challenge workplace boundaries
(16:18) The anxious future of work with AI

For more episodes about AI and modern life, check out:
Me and my partner don't see eye-to-eye about AI. Now what?
The hard work of having "good taste"
You're not broken - the job market is.

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With everything going on in the world, it makes sense that some of us want to check out. But at what cost?

In this episode, host Brittany Luse is dissecting our current obsession with numbing ourselves to the moment and tuning out. This so-called “numb girl” attitude and aesthetic is defined by detachment, irony, and a world weary cynicism. Think the "Gen Z pout," "expressionless Botox chic,” a deadpan voice, or selfies with a vacant gaze. Of course, It appears effortless and nonchalant, but it’s highly curated and self-aware — it’s the perfect mask for avoiding humiliation in a world that is always there to judge you. But is avoiding the pain of the world good for us?

Brittany is joined by writer Rayne Fisher-Quann aka Internet Princess and freelance cultural critic Sophie Lou Wilson to get into why all the cool girls are dissociating and what we lose when we numb ourselves to the world around us.

(0:00) News fatigue, detachment, & irony are cooler than ever
(5:02) Gucci runways to political nihilism: numbness went mainstream
(10:15) Lobotomy Chic: an ironic joke turned beauty trend
(14:57) The privilege of dissociating. Who can afford to disconnect?
(18:08) Is numbness a form of feminist resistance?
(20:15) How to un-numb and reconnect with humanity

This episode contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9 8 8 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

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Have you seen ADHD content pop up in your feeds? Are you getting a lot of it?

In the past few years, there's been a surge in the number of adults diagnosed with ADHD, and at the same time more and more people online are going viral with "signs" that you might have it too. Whether with our doctors or friends, we're all talking a lot more about adult ADHD. Is this a perfect storm of online content leading to more diagnoses? Or is there more to the story?

Brittany is joined by culture journalist Kelli Maria Korducki, who wrote about this for The Guardian, and Manvir Singh, assistant professor of anthropology at UC Davis, to get into it.

This episode originally aired on April 25, 2025.

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After dominating television screens for decades, has reality TV gone into decline?

Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast member Taylor Frankie Paul has been a controversial figure for some time now, but the latest allegations surrounding the star - and the subsequent cancellation of her season of The Bachelorette - have caused viewers to ask: how far is too far for reality TV? With ratings on the decline and networks desperate to keep audiences coming back, reality TV has taken some drastic turns to remain relevant.

To get into all this Rebecca Jennings, features writer for New York Magazine, joins the show to unpack the drama surrounding Taylor Frankie Paul and the state of reality TV at large.

(0:00) Who's being exploited more on reality TV?
(03:36) Unpacking Taylor Frankie Paul's controversial reality TV journey
(09:27) ABC's risky bet on Taylor Frankie Paul as 'The Bachelorette'
(18:29) Navigating the line between 'messy' and 'dark' on reality TV
(21:25) How reality TV fandom has changed
(25:37) Finding unexpected value in reality TV drama
(29:23) The need for better vetting and ethics in reality TV casting
(33:33) Official statements from Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen

Want more about reality TV? Check out these IBAM episodes:
Our love lives have gone full Love Island.
Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

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