Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) - have you ever been the main character?

Episode Date: May 1, 2025

We're switching to a seasonal format on Sixteenth Minute in a few weeks, and to close the chapter on week-to-week main characters, we want to know -- have you ever been the main character? And if not, how has your relationship to the internet changed? For our May 20th episode, we'll be airing your stories! Send your voicemail to: [e-mail] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, 16th minute listeners, Jamie here with a formal announcement and a request from you. Okay, I'll go first. Starting in a few weeks, 16th minute is going to go on hiatus for a bit while we reconfigure the show into a more seasonal format. Because I absolutely love talking with the Internet's characters of the day from week to week. But as time has gone on, I've noticed that people really seem to enjoy when I have the the time and the bandwidth to get deeper into a single topic about internet history. And if you don't feel this way, sorry for gaslighting you, but the numbers don't lie. And honestly, I am but one person, and I write and research and record this show and I edit

the interviews. And with the current format, it can be difficult to go as deep as I'd like to or interview as many people as I would like to without never sleeping. So, we are switching things up. After our hiatus, we're going to be back with seasons of episodes going deep on under-explored moments or trends in Internet histories, talking about main characters where there is a much larger context to look at, and talks with those who want to make the Internet a better place, not just a closer, of what it was like when you were 11 years old. I'm talking about digging into how internet culture has shaped the way that court cases go as the new court of public opinion.

I'm talking about looking into the role of the internet with incarcerated people. I'm talking about really taking a closer look at the areas of the internet that can't be tackled in a single week. I'm talking about histories of niche internet communities that are misunderstood or fully formed online. I'm talking about how the internet has permanently changed the way that we write and consume news. And that's just off the top of my head. But I would love to hear what figures and what topics you would want to hear about. I'm really excited to do more in-depth reporting. And I also want to give you guys what you're interested in.

Unless I think it's boring, in which case I will ignore your suggestion. But please, if you are a member of our Reddit community, our producer, Ian is going to start a thread there when this episode releases, and I would love to hear what you want to hear more about. But to close out this iteration of 16th minute, I have a request. There is one more weekly character episode coming out, and we will continue to release occasional episodes in the interim if we get an interview that is too good to resist. But for now, I would like to hear from you. My question, have you ever been a main character of the internet on any scale? And if so, what was it like? And if you haven't

been, I would also love to hear about how your relationship to the internet in general has changed over time. Whether you're an internet native or not, I feel like for me, it's been like a relationship with a bad parent that has only gotten stranger as I grow more and more dependent on it. So, in short, I want to hear your stories. I want to hear about your favorite, your least favorite, your changing memories with this big monster that's got us in such a chokehold. And whether you feel if it's too late to turn things around, whatever that means to you, if you record a voice memo when you hear this and send it to the email address, Small Ice Resurfaceer at gmail.com, it's in the description as well. I will go through these voice memos.

and air my favorites in our last episode before hiatus in a couple weeks. So again, that email address is Small Ice Resurfaceer at gmail.com. And more than anything, I really wanted to thank you so much for continuing to listen to 16th minute as it has grown in its first year into what it is. I'm really proud of what we've done here so far. Thank you to my amazing producers, Sophie, Ian, and Robert. Thank you to Grant for doing incredible voice work week in and week out. And biggest thanks of all, I cannot overstate.

Thanks to the guests on this show, who have been unbelievably generous with their time and entrusting me with their stories. It would not be a show at all without their generosity and trust. And, oh, also, Zoe Blade and Sadie Dupuis, who score this show. I just, there's so many great people. Okay, jump scare, love you, small ice resurfacer at gmail.com, voice memo, internet memories, were you the main character? Got it? Great.

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