The show’s fourth season examines the strange symbiotic relationship between our two most basic desires. “Innovation” get off’
Over the past 40 years, the internet has changed the way we have, talk about, and view sex. What is less talked about is the symbiosis of this relationship. Sex has always been a driving force behind technological innovation, and if we weren’t so obsessed with it, we wouldn’t have the Internet as we know it today (eventually leading to the creation of streaming services). It was the desperation for porn (VR, social networking apps, and digital media business models). This is the central focus of the new season of Rehash. Sex on the Internet: A “gradual” history of the interrelationship between “our two most basic desires: innovation and breakaway.”
The Toronto-based podcast, now in its fourth season, is known for its forensic examination of social media phenomena. The hosts are very astute internet experts themselves. 26-year-old Hannah Lane is a Terminal Online aspiring filmmaker, and 27-year-old Maia Wyman (aka Broy Deschanel) is a writer and YouTuber. He is known for his incisive video essays and film criticism. “We met in high school,” Wyman told Dazed. “But it wasn’t until we went to university in Montreal that we actually became friends.
Since Rehash premiered in 2022, the pair have explored a wide range of themes, from viral moments to shocking cultural events. So far, episodes have appeared on BuzzFeed, the #FreeBritney movement, and Gamergate, as well as smaller “minisode” discussions about millennial scapegoating and parasocial relationships. Sex remains the main focus of the latest season, with discussions about Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s sex tape, FOSTA/SESTA, Tumblr porn, and the internet’s “first porn star” Sasha Grey. Here, host Maia Wyman details what’s to come ahead of the first episode’s premiere later this evening.
This season’s theme is sex on the internet –Could you tell me more about that?
Maia Wyman: It’s about how sex affects technology and how technology affects sex. The more you look into it, the more you discover that many of the internet’s great technological advances have actually been driven by sex. We start with Pamela and Tommy’s sex tape, then enter Sasha Gray, the “internet’s first porn star,” and see how she influenced the perversion epidemic in porn. She also talks about FOSTA/SESTA, how Tumblr replaced her OnlyFans, and how dating apps led to the loss of relationships. It’s a little more explicit than other seasons, but it clearly tries to maintain an academic perspective at all times. we are very much looking forward to it.
I know you’re recording the season as it goes, but are there any episodes you’re particularly looking forward to?
Maia Wyman: Personally, I’m really excited about Sasha Grey. She wanted to do an episode about her because she knew how she grew up, but she couldn’t understand why she was so famous. And when I looked her up, I realized how interesting she was. She definitely influenced the personas of many of the OnlyFans girls and was so ahead of her time. I also know that Hannah is really excited about joining Tumblr. Is anyone awake? This is about revenge porn, which I think is kind of cool.
What do you think about the way we talk about revenge porn now? It feels like deepfake porn has overtaken it as the new thing to fear at the moment.
Maia Wyman: I think we’ve effectively destigmatized revenge porn, and that’s how we end the season. I think there’s a huge cultural bias now in a way that didn’t exist before. Yes, I think deepfakes are something to be concerned about. The internet was invented with intrusion into women’s bodies in mind, and since then it has historically been a push and pull. Sometimes women gain agency, like on OnlyFans, and sometimes it’s taken away, like on Pornhub. It continues. I hope deepfakes are the ultimate realization of that, but I also hope that Taylor Swift pursuing it now will help crack down on it. That’s scary!
What about the current reputation of young people as “puritists”? Do you think there is any truth to that?
Maia Wyman: I personally believe that Gen Z is quite puritanical. They’re really more puritanical than the boomers, which is so weird. But I don’t think it’s their fault. I think we’ve over-revised a lot of things when it comes to how we talk about sex and sexuality. And I think they were too young to be a part of that, and now they’re kind of regurgitating that influence. So I think it’s a generalization that all Gen Z’s are purists, but from what I’ve seen in the way sex is discussed on the internet, it’s very guarded and not very subtle. There tends to be no. taboo on screen series, that’s what we’re talking about.
“I believe Gen Z is quite puritanical, even more so than the Boomers, which is very strange.” – Maia Wyman
What do you think that means for culture more generally?
Maia Wyman: I think the industry is very risk-averse and doesn’t want to be criticized any further. So the projects they fund don’t feature desire, and they don’t feature sex. And if they feature desire, it will be unfinished desire, like longing. And we won’t see sex on screen as often. I think people like Sam Levinson also encouraged prejudice and made it worse by going too far in the opposite direction. They want to be provocateurs, but they have no say in what they do.
what do you want rehash What do you do differently from other podcasts? How do you want to stand out?
Maia Wyman: I think we’re just trying to add some nuance to these subjects.we are so inspired you are wrong, they can always find the gray area in things. But while they look to the past, we want to look to something a little more modern. I also think that when people talk about the Internet, they don’t get into the actual technical parts. There aren’t many that really blend the worlds of culture and technology. People like Taylor Lorenz do it really well, and we’re trying to do that too.
new series rehash On sale today (February 19th) at 8pm EST. Find it on Apple. Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
