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Axis Conversations

Axis

Each week on Axis Conversations, we survey cultural trends, host expert interviews, and answer listener questions to help parents and caring adults understand and disciple the next generation

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Yesterday · 46 min
Roundtable: Dolly Parton, Meta's Lawsuit Settlement, and Back-to-School Fashion
Three Big Conversations: Meta settles lawsuits with an $18 billion pledge to make social media safer - 06:08 what Gen Alpha is wearing for the back-to-school season - 18:30 the legacy of the beloved country music singer Dolly Parton - 29:52 Song of the Week: "Loser" by Tame Impala - 00:46 → Click here to read the lyrics (language) → Click here to see the video (language) In Other News: - 39:48 Australia's much-touted social media ban for teenagers is falling apart (paywall) as state authorities find it impossible to outsmart the tech prowess of fifteen-year-olds. Naur! China's big box office winner this week was made on a shoestring budget. The plot is a dream about a cow, or a dream of a cow, or perhaps a cow's dream. The movie was praised for its "craftsmanship." According to data from Eventbrite, events advertising shared hobbies (think mahjong or birdwatching) as "meet cutes," or chances to meet potential romantic partners, increased by 117% over the last year. Fanfiction publishing platform Wattpad, a longtime haven for teens experimenting with fanfiction, updated its content guidelines. Some users were convinced (incorrectly) that Wattpad would no longer host sexually explicit content and fled to another platform called AO3. The Olivia Rodrigo-backed Daisy Chain Festival will take place in Irvine, California, this weekend. The music festival is also a charity benefit and will feature an all-female lineup of musicians, including Doechii, Bikini Kill, Mitski, Katseye, and even the OG female-led festival queen, Sarah McLachlan. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
Thursday · 9 min
CT: Dolly Parton, Meta's Lawsuit Settlement, and Back-to-School Fashion
Meta settles lawsuits with an $18 billion pledge to make social media safer, what Gen Alpha is wearing for the back-to-school season, and the legacy of the beloved country music singer Dolly Parton. Song of the Week: "Loser" by Tame Impala → Click here to read the lyrics (language) → Click here to see the video (language) In Other News: Australia's much-touted social media ban for teenagers is falling apart (paywall) as state authorities find it impossible to outsmart the tech prowess of fifteen-year-olds. Naur! China's big box office winner this week was made on a shoestring budget. The plot is a dream about a cow, or a dream of a cow, or perhaps a cow's dream. The movie was praised for its "craftsmanship." According to data from Eventbrite, events advertising shared hobbies (think mahjong or birdwatching) as "meet cutes," or chances to meet potential romantic partners, increased by 117% over the last year. Fanfiction publishing platform Wattpad, a longtime haven for teens experimenting with fanfiction, updated its content guidelines. Some users were convinced (incorrectly) that Wattpad would no longer host sexually explicit content and fled to another platform called AO3. The Olivia Rodrigo-backed Daisy Chain Festival will take place in Irvine, California, this weekend. The music festival is also a charity benefit and will feature an all-female lineup of musicians, including Doechii, Bikini Kill, Mitski, Katseye, and even the OG female-led festival queen, Sarah McLachlan. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
Tuesday · 33 min
Katie Kelley on Tech in Schools, Rescuing Critical Thinking, and What Gives Her Hope
Katie M. Kelley is a writer, teacher, a lifelong learner, and a mother to eight in a beautifully blended family. She has been a longtime member of the Coffee + Crumbs writing team as well as the podcast co-host, and is the author of three books: Gluing the Cracks, The Very Best Baseball Game, and her most recent book, Grace Will Be There. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 21 · 47 min
Roundtable: That's AI, The End of Oak Street, and Student Literacy Rates
Three Big Conversations: Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor debut their new dinosaur movie - 02:32 "that's AI" is the ultimate burn from Gen Alpha - 14:22 how one teacher found a way to get his students reading again. - 29:30 Resource of the Week: Podcast Episode - How to Do What We Do - 00:58 → Click here to listen to our episode on: Educating Humans in the Age of AI (with Professor Jeffrey Bilbro) In Other News: - 43:00 This week in AI: In light of concerns about romantic involvement with chatbots, "ChatGPT for Teens" is being marketed as a homework helper that limits "the emotional and intimate exchanges between young people and AI." Robbie Torney from Common Sense Media argues that we should remain cautious until we have actual evidence that these features have been turned off. This week in dopamine: South Korean websites like "Dopamine Shop" and "FoodNeverComes" allow users to "pay" for clothes or food, and still feel like they're getting "retail therapy," without having to spend any money (because the products aren't real). This week in arson: "Prediction market" Polymarket has enabled users to bet on the outcome of wildfires, which historian Jamie Pietruska rightly labels as a "perverse incentive." This week in fabric: The word "polyester" has become a new way for Gen Z to call something out as low-quality or cheap. But you know what's worse than that? Wool and linen, woven together. This week in fabric, again: An article in Teen Vogue suggests that "poetcore" (aka Dark Academia's "cozier, more relaxed cousin") and "vintage 90s mall fashion" will be some of the biggest fashion trends this semester. On a completely unrelated note, here's The Guardian on how social media has "automated individual taste into oblivion." 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 20 · 10 min
CT: That's AI, The End of Oak Street, and Student Literacy Rates
Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor debut their new dinosaur movie, "that's AI" is the ultimate burn from Gen Alpha, and how one teacher found a way to get his students reading again. Resource of the Week: Podcast Episode - How to Do What We Do → Click here to listen to our episode on: Educating Humans in the Age of AI (with Professor Jeffrey Bilbro) In Other News: This week in AI: In light of concerns about romantic involvement with chatbots, "ChatGPT for Teens" is being marketed as a homework helper that limits "the emotional and intimate exchanges between young people and AI." Robbie Torney from Common Sense Media argues that we should remain cautious until we have actual evidence that these features have been turned off. This week in dopamine: South Korean websites like "Dopamine Shop" and "FoodNeverComes" allow users to "pay" for clothes or food, and still feel like they're getting "retail therapy," without having to spend any money (because the products aren't real). This week in arson: "Prediction market" Polymarket has enabled users to bet on the outcome of wildfires, which historian Jamie Pietruska rightly labels as a "perverse incentive." This week in fabric: The word "polyester" has become a new way for Gen Z to call something out as low-quality or cheap. But you know what's worse than that? Wool and linen, woven together. This week in fabric, again: An article in Teen Vogue suggests that "poetcore" (aka Dark Academia's "cozier, more relaxed cousin") and "vintage 90s mall fashion" will be some of the biggest fashion trends this semester. On a completely unrelated note, here's The Guardian on how social media has "automated individual taste into oblivion." 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 18 · 21 min
Keeping Up With Culture 101: How to Do What We Do
This week, the Axis team pulls back the curtain on how and why we do culture research. That's right, we're sharing all our secrets. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 14 · 49 min
Roundtable: Hoodies, Back to School, and the "No Influencers" Sign
Three Big Conversations: Back to school season is officially upon us - 11:42 Hoodies are the new T-shirt for Gen Z - 23:31 A store in Nantucket's "No Influencers" sign sparks a debate - 35:26 Song of the Week: "oh yeah?" by Steve Lacy (language) - 1:00 → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: - 46:10 Spotify will add an "AI Persona" label on AI artists. In addition to flagging AI-generated content for users, these personas will be excluded from the company's algorithmic recommendations. The summer box office has earned $4 billion for the second time since COVID, thanks to hits like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, and other blockbusters. Olivia Rodrigo played for a crowd of 1,000 in Brooklyn last week. Tickets were purchased at the box office that day for only $25. Compare this to her ticket prices for The Unraveled Tour (up to $1,100). Some grandparents have taken to unknowingly gifting their grandkids AI-generated slop books, to the consternation of many parents. A new rom-com, One Night Only, imagines a world where Congress has outlawed premarital sex. But for one night a year, the ban is lifted. You can read the content warnings here. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 13 · 11 min
CT: Hoodies, Back to School, and the "No Influencers" Sign
Hoodies are the new T-shirt for Gen Z, a store in Nantucket's "No Influencers" sign sparks a debate, and back to school season is officially upon us. Song of the Week: "oh yeah?" by Steve Lacy (language) → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: Spotify will add an "AI Persona" label on AI artists. In addition to flagging AI-generated content for users, these personas will be excluded from the company's algorithmic recommendations. The summer box office has earned $4 billion for the second time since COVID, thanks to hits like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, and other blockbusters. Olivia Rodrigo played for a crowd of 1,000 in Brooklyn last week. Tickets were purchased at the box office that day for only $25. Compare this to her ticket prices for The Unraveled Tour (up to $1,100). Some grandparents have taken to unknowingly gifting their grandkids AI-generated slop books, to the consternation of many parents. A new rom-com, One Night Only, imagines a world where Congress has outlawed premarital sex. But for one night a year, the ban is lifted. You can read the content warnings here. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 11 · 48 min
Pop Culture, Propaganda, and Philosophy (with Professor Bruce McCluggage)
Bruce McCluggage is a Professor of Philosophy at Pikes Peak State College, and a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 7 · 51 min
Roundtable: Spider-Man, Ariana Grande, and Hank Green
Three Big Conversations: Ariana Grande announces a break from public life - 7:56 history writer and influencer Hank Green faces backlash for using AI tools - 22:08 Spider-Man: Brand New Day has a wild opening weekend - 33:02 Slang of the Week: Larping - 00:58 In Other News: - 47:40 The current owners of Myspace (Tim and Chris Vanderhook) announced that they plan to relaunch the classic social media platform, though they did not say when. Let the record reflect that we are on the edge of our seats. According to the Wall Street Journal, this summer's "hottest drink" is officially a bottle of water. Try some today for $6!Vogue, on the other hand, has argued that the drink of the summer is "banana-milk coffee." And right behind that one: durian-mustard maté. Netflix is getting sued for $105 million for losing an unencrypted copy of Nicolas Cage's WWII film Fortitude. Kind of like we might lose a few subscribers after that obscure fruit-caffeine joke in point three. Finally, Christianity Today agrees with us that Instagram Plus is really just Instagram Minus. So glad our own Jenna Mindel was on the case! 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 6 · 9 min
CT: Spider-Man, Ariana Grande, and Hank Green
Ariana Grande announces a break from public life, history writer and influencer Hank Green faces backlash for using AI tools, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day has a wild opening weekend. Slang of the Week: Larping → Click to see our interview on Educating Humans in the Age of AI (with Professor Jeffrey Bilbro) In Other News: The current owners of Myspace (Tim and Chris Vanderhook) announced that they plan to relaunch the classic social media platform, though they did not say when. Let the record reflect that we are on the edge of our seats. According to the Wall Street Journal, this summer's "hottest drink" is officially a bottle of water. Try some today for $6!Vogue, on the other hand, has argued that the drink of the summer is "banana-milk coffee." And right behind that one: durian-mustard maté. Netflix is getting sued for $105 million for losing an unencrypted copy of Nicolas Cage's WWII film Fortitude. Kind of like we might lose a few subscribers after that obscure fruit-caffeine joke in point three. Finally, Christianity Today agrees with us that Instagram Plus is really just Instagram Minus. So glad our own Jenna Mindel was on the case! 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
August 4 · 33 min
Educating Humans in the Age of AI (with Professor Jeffrey Bilbro)
Jeffrey is the editor-in-chief of Front Porch Republic and associate professor of English at Grove City College. He is the author of several books, including Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry Into the News, which we'll be discussing today. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 31 · 41 min
Roundtable: The Odyssey, AI Videos of Christians Getting Bullied, and Majoring in Content Creation
Three Big Conversations: Arizona State University offers a B.A. in Content Creation - 11:26 AI-generated videos of Christians getting bullied go viral - 20:48 What The Odyssey and C.S. Lewis have in common - 29:12 Song of the Week: "Be Her" by Ella Langley - 01:10 → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: - 37:24 Marvel will re-release Avengers: Endgame in theaters on September 25 with seven minutes of extra footage and a never-before-seen ending, connecting the movie to Avengers: Doomsday, giving fans another reason to spend money revisit the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time. Nearly half of middle and high school-aged teens have seen what they believed to be AI-generated sexual content, according to a new Common Sense Media survey. At Comic-Con this year, Marvel announced that Ryan Gosling will star as Ghost Rider in a movie directed by Sean Levy, and that Ryan Coogler will return to direct Black Panther 3, with David Jonsson playing the next Black Panther. According to The New York Times, using the phrase "Google it" officially makes you sound old, and the phrase "search it up" is now preferred. Ariana Grande's new album, petal (language), comes out today. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 30 · 12 min
CT: The Odyssey, AI Videos of Christians Getting Bullied, and Majoring in Content Creation
Arizona State University offers a B.A. in Content Creation, AI-generated videos of Christians getting bullied go viral, and what The Odyssey and C.S. Lewis have in common. Song of the Week: "Be Her" by Ella Langley → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: Marvel will re-release Avengers: Endgame in theaters on September 25 with seven minutes of extra footage and a never-before-seen ending, connecting the movie to Avengers: Doomsday, giving fans another reason to spend money revisit the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time. Nearly half of middle and high school-aged teens have seen what they believed to be AI-generated sexual content, according to a new Common Sense Media survey. At Comic-Con this year, Marvel announced that Ryan Gosling will star as Ghost Rider in a movie directed by Sean Levy, and that Ryan Coogler will return to direct Black Panther 3, with David Jonsson playing the next Black Panther. According to The New York Times, using the phrase "Google it" officially makes you sound old, and the phrase "search it up" is now preferred. Ariana Grande's new album, petal (language), comes out today. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 28 · 16 min
Ask Axis: "The sound of my husband's voice fills my daughter with fear and panic. What do we do?"
"Our daughter has a neurological condition called misophonia which causes severe pain, panic and anger over certain common sounds like chewing and typing. One of the sounds that started triggering her a few years ago was the sound of my husband's voice. How do we navigate this as a family?" - Maria 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → This podcast is entirely Q&A based! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 24 · 53 min
Roundtable: Gracie Abrams, Injectable Peptides, and Kylie Jenner Smartglasses
Three Big Conversations: Gen Z musician Gracie Abrams releases an album-long apology to her mom - 05:22 TikTok influencers are promoting injectable weight loss peptides - 16:00 What parents should know about Kylie Jenner's new collaboration with Meta smartglasses - 30:06 Slang of the Week: Quiet on the Creek - 1:06 In Other News: - 49:40 According to the Wall Street Journal, the popularity of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is convincing many students to finally read the epic poem that many English teachers couldn't coax them into reading. A wild raccoon in Seattle with a deformed spine has been dubbed "Jimothy," and has become an inspiration for perseverance in the face of setbacks, with some even getting tattoos (language) of said raccoon. Infamous online "manfluencers" Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Miami this Saturday, and await extradition to the U.K. for prosecution on rape and sex trafficking grounds. About one-third of people under 35 now live with their parents, according to survey data published by Realtor.com. Several members of Spain's World Cup-winning team, like Torres and Rodri, are publicly crediting God and their Catholic faith for the team's World Cup victory. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 23 · 8 min
CT: Gracie Abrams, Injectable Peptides, and Kylie Jenner Smartglasses
Gen Z musician Gracie Abrams releases an album-long apology to her mom, TikTok influencers are promoting injectable weight loss peptides, and what parents should know about Kylie Jenner's new collaboration with Meta smartglasses. Slang of the Week: Quiet on the Creek In Other News: According to the Wall Street Journal, the popularity of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is convincing many students to finally read the epic poem that many English teachers couldn't coax them into reading. A wild raccoon in Seattle with a deformed spine has been dubbed "Jimothy," and has become an inspiration for perseverance in the face of setbacks, with some even getting tattoos (language) of said raccoon. Infamous online "manfluencers" Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Miami this Saturday, and await extradition to the U.K. for prosecution on rape and sex trafficking grounds. About one-third of people under 35 now live with their parents, according to survey data published by Realtor.com. Several members of Spain's World Cup-winning team, like Torres and Rodri, are publicly crediting God and their Catholic faith for the team's World Cup victory. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 21 · 52 min
Jay Stringer on How to Shape Our Kids' Desires
Jay Stringer is a licensed therapist, researcher, and speaker who helps people uncover and reshape the story beneath self-sabotage, disconnection, and shame. He is the award-winning author of Unwanted and lives in New York City with his wife Heather, and their two children. We'll be talking today primarily about his new book Desire: The Longings Inside Us and the New Science of How We Love, Heal, and Grow. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 17 · 36 min
Roundtable: World Cup Semifinals, All-Star Break Complaints, and the Netflix Documentary Trend
Three Big Conversations: Argentina is back in the World Cup final - 05:25 MLB's All-Star competitions had some hiccups - 12:14 Everyone online is auditioning for their Netflix documentary debut. - 22:53 Resource of the Week: The Conversation Starter - Where'd All the Tweens Go? - 0:31 In Other News: - 33:54 A parasite that causes extreme digestive upset is maybe the meme of the week (alongside Netflix documentaries). It certainly doesn't help that it's possibly connected to Taco Bell. Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey is out in theaters this weekend. We'll write more about it next week, but for now, the R-rated take on Homer's epic poem is reviewing quite well with critics and audiences. Letterboxd has opened itself (paywall) to being purchased. It's Gen Z's movie review app of choice, and considering how Gen Z showed up to theaters this year, it's pretty valuable to buyers like Netflix and Sony to understand the preferences of young people. Meta rolled out a "feature" that effectively lets you use their AI tools to deepfake users with public accounts. It was promptly rolled back after the internet (rightly) freaked out. Assassin's Creed is back? Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced (a remake of Assassin's Creed Black Flag) sold 2 million copies in its first day. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
July 16 · 9 min
World Cup Semifinals, All-Star Break Complaints, and the Netflix Documentary Trend
Argentina is back in the World Cup final, the MLB's All-Star competitions had some hiccups, and everyone online is auditioning for their Netflix documentary debut. Resource of the Week: The Conversation Starter - Where'd All the Tweens Go? In Other News: A parasite that causes extreme digestive upset is maybe the meme of the week (alongside Netflix documentaries). It certainly doesn't help that it's possibly connected to Taco Bell. Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey is out in theaters this weekend. We'll write more about it next week, but for now, the R-rated take on Homer's epic poem is reviewing quite well with critics and audiences. Letterboxd has opened itself (paywall) to being purchased. It's Gen Z's movie review app of choice, and considering how Gen Z showed up to theaters this year, it's pretty valuable to buyers like Netflix and Sony to understand the preferences of young people. Meta rolled out a "feature" that effectively lets you use their AI tools to deepfake users with public accounts. It was promptly rolled back after the internet (rightly) freaked out. Assassin's Creed is back? Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced (a remake of Assassin's Creed Black Flag) sold 2 million copies in its first day. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

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