On Pretty Much Pop, a philosopher, an actor, and a sci-fi writer (often with entertainment industry guests) talk about media and how we consume it: TV, film, music, novels, games, comics, comedy, theater, podcasts, and more. Most of what (other) people like is pretty weird when you think about it, so thinking about it is what we do.
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What has the Internet done to comedy? Does removing gatekeepers mean a more distributed comic landscape, or does it inevitably end with a small number of comics dominating the world? The Internet means that people can and do judge comics based on very short clips, but also makes it easy to follow the activities of someone you discover that you like.
Tiffany comes not from stand-up but from music theater, and is active in creating character-based comedy and novelty songs for Instagram, YouTube, etc. She joins your hosts Erica, Mark, and Brian to explore the types of short-form humor and viewing habits that grow out of video created for TikTok, Snapchat, and other platforms. What’s the creator’s relation to the audience? Social media blurs the line between constructed bits and extemporized commentary. It’s often reacting to current events, yet stays posted long after. “Going viral” (how about we not call it that any more, given current events, huh? I suggest “goin’ bananas” a la Herbie the Luv Bug) is not typically the result of mere organic sharing or chance, and some comics (and their consultants) have really studied the medium to find out what appeals and how to get the word out.
We touch on Carmen Lynch, Sarah Cooper, Eva Victor, Bowen Yang, Coincidance, Miranda Sings, LockPickingLawyer, Jimmy Slonina, AskChickie, and more.
Watch Tiffany’s Fragile White Sadness:
…And her ode to Disney Plus. Our Long November has passed, thank goodness.
Tiffany also recommends Jen Tullock, Josh Ruben, Jordan Firstman, Megan Stalter, Cole Escola, Crawford Millham Horton, Benito Skinner, Inappropriate Patti, Advent Carolendar, and Marc Rebillet.
“These Comedians Are Using TikTok to Create Some of the Internet’s Funniest (And Wokest) Content)” by Kat Curtis.
Young people acknowledge that TikTok is ruining young people’s attention spans!
This episode includes bonus discussion you can access by supporting the podcast at patreon.com/prettymuchpop. This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life podcast network and is curated by openculture.com.
Sponsor: Get 10% off a month’s counseling at BetterHelp.com/Pretty.
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