Touching Grass

The New World

In online culture, to tell someone to touch grass is an encouragement to get off their screen and get back in touch with reality. In this podcast, The New World's Gen Z-er Lucy Reade and Millennial James Ball try to explain what's happening on the internet to people with much healthier lives - and each other. Expect confusing discourse, culture wars and bizarre influencer scandals.

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12 episodes
Updated July 28

Episodes12

Newest first

July 28 · 45 min
Deal or No Deal, and should men pay for everything?
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week James Ball emulates Noel Edmonds and takes us through how choosing between £50,000 or a 50% chance of a million is actually very political. Lucy Reade meanwhile unpacks High Value Womanhood, the new genre of girls demanding men pay for everything in relationships. £50,000 v a million links: https://bsky.app/profile/zachrabiroff.com/post/3mrgdqigcrc27 https://bsky.app/profile/nicholasgrossman.bsky.social/post/3mrg6f4mtk22x https://bsky.app/profile/jlray.bsky.social/post/3mrnf4jlza22g https://bsky.app/profile/zachrabiroff.com/post/3mrgdqigcrc27 Gold digger links: https://x.com/aspenn_colorado/status/2079745872645284176 https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/dating-car-uber-ella-freimann-9p33hh2pl https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY9yJQAN6Os/?igsh=MXBnYjJ6amdxbzB0bA%3D%3D https://x.com/FindomCentral/status/2070476166113206508?s=20 Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers OFFER: Subscribe to The New World for just £1 for your first month. https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/touchinggrass/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 21 · 42 min
The worst Odyssey reactions and the Washington Post’s very bad YouTube channel
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week Lucy Reade unpacks the very worst online reactions to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and James Ball introduces us to the Washington Post’s very bad YouTube channel. Odyssey posts: https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/2079385765402833029?s=20 https://x.com/RealAlexJones/status/2018281925488631853?s=20 https://x.com/OliLondonTV/status/2077320379748790543?s=20 Make it Make Sense: https://www.youtube.com/@mimsshow https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social/post/3mqx6j3d2gc2r https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuxVLumbP5U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk9U88GJuSE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slYGWyliHJ4 https://x.com/JeffBezos/status/1894757287052362088 https://x.com/davejorgenson/status/1478840095499247621?s=21 Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 14 · 39 min
Minions, God and AI climate anxiety
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week James Ball manages to link the new Minions movie to questioning the meaning of God, and Lucy Reade discusses how climate anxiety around AI might be more of a moral panic than we think. Minions links: https://x.com/raissaverso/status/2052464875356532743 https://www.polygon.com/minions-questions-do-minions-reproduce-can-they-die-did-they-work-for-hitler/ https://x.com/EndymionYT/status/2072809128918213119 https://www.instagram.com/p/DalTgM2mPAK/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D AI links: https://x.com/rayxkilli/status/2074958811874418989?s=20 https://x.com/metajiini_klen/status/1983676664354669054?s=20 https://www.tiktok.com/@zahra.earthh/video/7640892713721679117?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7629351219308676630 Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 7 · 45 min
Taylor Swift's wedding and the latest BookTok drama
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week Lucy Reade and James Ball talk about the highly controversial wedding of global megastar Taylor Swift, as well as the latest BookTok drama. Taylor Swift links: https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-15956673/Taylor-Swift-tacky-wedding-Travis-Kelce-insiders-buffet-Alison-Boshoff.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=social-twitter_mailonline https://x.com/baaulp/status/2073588363668451332?s=46 https://x.com/kissmarrykill13/status/2073938886217134523?s=46 BookTok links: https://youtu.be/R0TMtY_xdgU?si=XsALiawu9A_rfFFZ&t=173 https://youtu.be/R0TMtY_xdgU?si=FyLQfxaXCsktWEbd&t=313 https://youtu.be/R0TMtY_xdgU?si=kFod1gnFkc4IagZ3&t=631 Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 30 · 37 min
Chargebacks and time blindness
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. In this week’s episode, James Ball delves into the terrible TikTok advice on how to commit credit card fraud via chargeback, and Lucy Reade unpacks the internet discourse surrounding whether perpetual lateness is a moral failing or a disability. Chargeback links: https://www.tiktok.com/@carrington.fisk/video/7501457984606899502 https://www.tiktok.com/@scrunchieluxe/video/7605450123618962708 https://bsky.app/profile/sesmith.lol/post/3mp4ri524n52x Lateness links: https://x.com/dilrhubarb/status/2069348621208948746?s=20 https://x.com/ShayWoulahan/status/2070019497809854697?s=20 https://x.com/privatebirb/status/2070179903786655762?s=20 https://x.com/Brien_Jackson/status/2070284553046884474?s=20 https://www.tiktok.com/@chaotic_philosopher/video/7255063782970445098?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 23 · 33 min
Starmtroopers over here, Looksmaxxers over there
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week, Lucy Reade tells us about the cult of the Starmtroopers and how they’re coping with the prime minister’s departure, while James Ball discusses why the online Looksmaxxers need some serious lessons in biology. Links to Starmtrooper posts: https://x.com/NondescriptRed/status/2069016131419914646?s=20 https://x.com/ChristianHeiens/status/2069204137191825571?s=20 https://x.com/fortnitebigboss/status/2068987930853380444?s=20 https://x.com/orm0nde/status/2068017037507514483 https://x.com/mikeysmith/status/2069118961149460740?s=20 Clavicular post: https://x.com/Clavicular0/status/2069045565766185289 Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here a2bd228003020aad53894489b1cccb203bc94e39 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 16 · 44 min
Should the UK government be banning social media for under-16s?
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week is A Very Special Episode ™️, as Lucy Reade and James Ball discuss the recent UK government announcement that social media will be banned for under-16s. Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 9 · 45 min
Phone bans at concerts, and Pattie Gonia v Patagonia
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week, Lucy Reade and James Ball argue over phone-free concerts, as well as discuss the age-old story of the evil multinational corporation taking on the plucky independent creator… or is there more to the story than meets the eye? Links to Tiktok and X: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRvpx1Qu/ https://x.com/alexasversionn/status/2062924867108753783?s=20 https://x.com/inherentvibes/status/2063752210358685791?s=20 Links to Pattie Gonia v Patagonia: https://business.cch.com/ipld/PatagoniaEntrepreneurEnterprisesComplaint20260121.pdf https://bsky.app/profile/kathryntewson.bsky.social/post/3mnbattd6x22e Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 2 · 45 min
Crying on LinkedIn and the latest Bonnie Blue controversy
CONTENT WARNING: The second half of this podcast contains content of an adult nature - you may want to switch to headphones if listening in a room with children. Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week, James Ball explores the latest LinkedIn phenomenon: people publicly sharing videos of them crying about their jobs. Meanwhile, Lucy Reade unpacks the newest Bonnie Blue controversy, which has sparked fresh debate around the pro-life movement. Links to LinkedIn and TikTok: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/anthony-parkinson_laid-off-you-are-not-alone-25-years-in-ugcPost-7448445900340846592-DCPW/ https://www.tiktok.com/@aimeesmalex/video/7563361266299948310 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/makenna-schumacher_leadership-marketing-corporateculture-share-7384716788393074688-QKS3/ https://bsky.app/profile/yougov.co.uk/post/3mnag6xppjk2h Links to Bonnie Blue interview and Spectator piece: https://x.com/LBC/status/2060378646993383918?s=20 https://spectator.com/article/bonnie-blue-and-the-truth-about-the-pro-life-movement/ Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 26 · 39 min
Can you fall in love with AI, and the great UK v US food debate
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to those sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week, Lucy Reade unpacks what happens to people in love with AI when their chatbots’ coding is changed, and the rise of AI relationships among younger generations, while James Ball has accidentally waded into the great UK vs US debate on food and the weird politics which accompany it. Links to X and Reddit posts and Telegraph article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/25/schoolboys-ai-girlfriends/ https://x.com/boundandwoven/status/2058238387472216304?s=46 https://x.com/signalxsoul/status/2058171068133654862?s=46 https://x.com/groksbride/status/2017130525664956424?s=46 https://www.reddit.com/r/MyBoyfriendIsAI/s/oepRe3Zd2o https://www.reddit.com/r/MyBoyfriendIsAI/s/0tpWm91Q4x https://www.reddit.com/r/MyBoyfriendIsAI/s/tpajWPaRKU Links to Tiktoks and Bluesky food discourse: https://www.tiktok.com/@kjordyyy/video/7548881266955947287?q=british%20seasoning&t=1779781821401 https://www.tiktok.com/@emhdder/video/7137731683268267265?q=british%20seasoning&t=1779781821401 https://www.tiktok.com/@harrisonpawluk/video/7548059143551356178?q=british%20food&t=1779781665478 https://bsky.app/profile/jamesrball.com/post/3mmheaz2qhk2u https://bsky.app/profile/youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com/post/3mm4rkh3q3k2h https://bsky.app/profile/youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com/post/3mm4rrxgmic2h Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 19 · 40 min
The fascist video game row, and why are teens obsessed with New Labour politicians?
Welcome to Touching Grass, where two extremely online people attempt to explain internet discourse to people sensible enough to spend their time offline. This week, James Ball dives into the debate over whether video games can be fascist, while Lucy Reade unpacks the baffling teen obsession with New Labour politicians – and their love lives. Links from the episode: Links to full Mass Effect thread: https://bsky.app/profile/machineiv.bsky.social/post/3mksstm3vss2u Links to Tiktoks: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRtaYvwn/ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRtaURon/ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRtaF1m2/ Presented by James Ball and Lucy Reade Produced by Matt Withers Subscribe to The New World for just £5 for five weeks here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 15 · 1 min
Touching Grass - Coming Soon
Welcome to Touching Grass, the new podcast on online culture from The New World. Telling someone to 'touch grass' means they need to get off their screen and get back in touch with reality - an insult which has been levelled many times at Lucy Reade and James Ball. This podcast is essentially two people who spend way too much time on the internet trying to explain what's going on there to people with much healthier lives. James provides the Millennial perspective. Lucy explains what Gen Z are up to. Expect confusing discourse, culture wars and bizarre influencer scandals. They'll try to explain why you should care about any of this - and also, sometimes, why you shouldn't. It's 2026, after all - there's no escaping the internet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.