Social Sleuth

Kenny

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Society & Culture
Updated Monthly

Social Sleuth. Exploring the ever-captivating culture of the web. Here at Social Sleuth, we investigate and create space for dialogue surrounding the cultural impacts of the things we share on the internet. Each month I sit down with a special guest to talk about what we share, why we share it, and what it says about us as an online society. New episodes every 17th of the month. kennyc402.substack.com

5d ago

pushing politics w/ Emily Lowan

"Fight the oligarchs, fund our future." Online culture, grassroots organizing, and provincial politics collide in this episode of Social Sleuth. I sit down with Emily Lowan, leader of the BC Green Party, to talk about her leadership campaign, the evolution of internet culture, and what happens when online energy meets the realities of the democratic process. Emily walks us through the challenges of the new member verification process, the balance between online accessibility and democratic integrity, and how the BC Greens operate as a movement vehicle working alongside other social movements. We also get into the urgent issue of AI data centres and the case for a moratorium, the push to lower the voting age, the alarming trend of US billionaires buying up BC farmland, and why a wealth tax on billionaires could help fund the services people actually need. A grounded look at what it takes to turn online political engagement into grassroots organizing, transparency, and real democratic action. Topics: BC Green Party, Emily Lowan, leadership campaign, political engagement, online culture, youth activism, verification process, democratic integrity, social media strategy, grassroots organizing, AI data centers, AI data centres, social media regulation, voting age, farmland buyouts, political activism, transparency, wealth tax, youth engagement This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com

55 min
May 17

the web 2.0 w/ My Mom

"Join us in embracing that 2016 is SO BACK!" What happens when internet culture collides with Gen X motherly instinct? In this episode of Social Sleuth, the internet culture podcast, Kenny brings mom back for a belated Mother's Day deep dive into everything that's changed — and everything that hasn't — on the world wide web. We sit down with Kenny's mom: a Gen X internet user whose online experience is rooted in personal curiosity, holistic health values, and a sharp eye for what we share and why. She's invested in protecting wellness spaces and understands firsthand how quickly the line between community and misinformation can blur. From fitness influencers and body image to The Manosphere, Clavicular, celebrity influence, and the ever-present oversharing phenomenon — we cover the trending, the troubling, and the totally unhinged corners of today's internet. Full of laughs, bloopers, and genuine side quests, this one's way more lighthearted than usual. Topics: internet culture, wellness industry online, social media and body image, Gen X internet users, misinformation online, celebrity influence, digital oversharing, The Manosphere, fitness influencers, internet culture podcast This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com

35 min
Apr 17

psychotropic profit w/ Jamie Brownlee & Kevin Walby

The psychedelic renaissance has a PR problem, or rather, it has a capitalism problem. In this episode of Social Sleuth, we sit down with Jamie Brownlee and Kevin Walby, authors of Psychedelic Capitalism, for a critical look at how big money is reshaping, and arguably distorting, the psychedelic space. Jamie and Kevin unpack the corporate takeover of psychedelics: the push for medicalization, the erasure of Indigenous and countercultural roots, and how power, inequality, and surveillance are baked into what's being sold as a healing revolution. They make the case that this boom isn't primarily about expanding access or consciousness, it’s about market capture. A sharp, necessary episode for anyone following the psychedelic space, drug policy reform, or the broader question of what happens when wellness becomes an industry. Topics: psychedelic capitalism, psychedelic renaissance, drug policy, medicalization, Big Pharma, corporate wellness, surveillance and medicine, psychedelics and power, MDMA therapy, psilocybin, ketamine, drug reform This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com

56 min
Mar 17

digital age activism w/ Chris Hurl & Kevin Walby

Data isn't just something that gets collected about us, it’s something we can use. In this episode of Social Sleuth, we're joined by two of the four authors of Mobilizing Data for Justice: A Guide to Activism in the Digital Age, Chris Hurl and Kevin Walby, for a conversation about how social movements are using data, digital tools, and techniques like visceralization to fight for justice and build collective power. Chris and Kevin each bring distinct perspectives from their work within social movements, and together they make the case for why understanding the digital context isn't optional for organizers, it’s essential. The book, published with Between the Lines, is both a practical toolbox and an archive of activist knowledge, built to outlast the rapidly shifting digital landscape. Also: this is Social Sleuth's first two-guest episode. More voices, more expertise. Turns out more is more. Topics: digital activism, social movements, data justice, surveillance and activism, collective action, political organizing, digital tools for advocacy, open data, data visualization, social justice This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com

56 min
Feb 17

trad-baiting w/ Edwin Hodge

Online extremism didn't emerge from nowhere, and it isn't staying in its lane. In this episode of Social Sleuth, we talk with Dr. Edwin Hodge, adjunct professor in Sociology at the University of Victoria, about how once-underground networks have gone global, the realities of moderating online spaces, and the lasting influence of conspiracy theories like QAnon. Edwin breaks down Gamergate as a key turning point, the moment internet culture and political organizing collided in ways we're still living with. We also get into the strange and troubling symbiosis between the rise of Christian Nationalism and Trad Wife content online: what it reveals, why it resonates, and what it means for the shape of digital politics. A clear-eyed, unsettling, and genuinely important conversation about where online extremism comes from, and where it's going. Topics: online extremism, conspiracy theories, QAnon, Gamergate, Christian nationalism, trad wife, radicalization, online moderation, far right internet, digital politics, sociology of the internet This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com

54 min
Jan 17

making meaning w/ Loren Gaudet

Rhetoric isn't just a political tool, it’s the infrastructure of everything we read, share, and believe online. In this episode of Social Sleuth, we sit down with Dr. Loren Gaudet, Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria, whose research spans the rhetoric of health and medicine, science, and technology. We explore how meaning gets made in digital spaces: how health and wellness content gets framed, why so much of what we consume online is persuasion dressed as information, and what it looks like to apply rigorous rhetorical thinking to the chaos of the internet. Loren also walks us through her research on health awareness campaigns, and why preparedness rhetoric is worth paying closer attention to. If you've ever wondered why certain health claims spread and others don't, or why online discourse about science feels so broken, this episode offers a framework for making sense of it. Topics: rhetoric, health communication, digital literacy, science communication, online persuasion, health and wellness online, media and medicine, internet and belief, academic research This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com

1h 10m
11/17/2025

modern media w/ Ryan Jespersen

What does it actually take to walk away from corporate media and build something independent? In this episode of Social Sleuth, we sit down with Ryan Jespersen, host of Real Talk, to unpack his move from the institutional media world to independent podcasting, and what he's learned on the other side. We dig into cancel culture, not the reflexive discourse around it, but what it actually looks like up close and how Ryan navigates it. We also get into mental health advocacy: the unassuming but meaningful ways Ryan has made it a thread through his work, and why vulnerable dialogue isn't a liability but a feature. A candid, grounded conversation about media, authenticity, and what it takes to say the things worth saying. Topics: independent media, podcasting, cancel culture, mental health and media, media criticism, corporate vs independent media, authentic storytelling, online public discourse This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com

42 min
10/17/2025

nurturing nostalgia w/ Andy Sahlstrom

Not every conversation about internet culture has to be a warning. In this episode of Social Sleuth, we take a more reflective turn with Andy Sahlstrom, interactive technology engineer, inventor, and kinetic artist, who brings a genuinely personal lens to what the digital landscape does to us, and for us. We talk through Andy's evolving project Shampoooty, how nostalgia functions in an age of infinite content, and what it looks like to engage with technology creatively rather than passively. The conversation covers both the personal impact of digital life and the broader social textures it's reshaping. A warmer, more reflective episode, and a good reminder that the internet isn't only something that happens to us. Topics: nostalgia and the internet, digital culture, creative technology, interactive art, kinetic art, technology and identity, internet and personal experience, social media and memory This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kennyc402.substack.com

43 min

Social Sleuth. Exploring the ever-captivating culture of the web. Here at Social Sleuth, we investigate and create space for dialogue surrounding the cultural impacts of the things we share on the internet. Each month I sit down with a special guest to talk about what we share, why we share it, and what it says about us as an online society. New episodes every 17th of the month. kennyc402.substack.com

Creator

Kenny
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

17
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Kenny
Show Website

Social Sleuth