You're one post away from becoming the internet's main character

You're one post away from becoming the internet's main character

From Panic World by COURIER

April 29, 2026 · 1h 15m

About this episode

The episode discusses the phenomenon of becoming the 'main character' on the internet and its implications on celebrity culture.

Remember Chewbacca Mom, Damn Daniel, BeanDad, or most recently, Chappell Roan? These are just some examples of people who have become the “main character” on the internet — for better, or mostly (maybe always) worse. Today we’re talking about the old adage that “each day on [Twitter] there is one main character. The goal is to never be it.”How has the internet warped our perception of celebrity (or “cewebrity”)? What does it mean to be swatted or doxxed now, versus a decade ago? Taylor Lorenz, someone who has been the main character on the internet several times, joins us to discuss.Our guest Taylor Lorenz is a journalist. She hosts the podcast Power User, and writes about tech and online culture for her Substack, User Mag at https://www.usermag.co/. You can also follow her YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/taylorlorenz and everywhere else @taylorlorenz.Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to the Garbage Day Discord? Sign up for a membership at https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld.SponsorsMint Mobile: Shop plans at https://mintmobile.com/courier for three months of coverage at $45.Surfshark: Go to https://surfshark.com/panic or use…

People in this episode

Guest: Taylor Lorenz

Topics covered

  • internet culture
  • celebrity
  • social media
  • doxxing
  • perception of fame

Keywords

  • internet main character
  • celebrity
  • social media
  • doxxing
  • Taylor Lorenz

Sponsors

Mint Mobile, Surfshark

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Power User, User Mag

Products: Surfshark

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