Stick Nation

12/06/24 • 23 min

Anyone who has been a kid before knows that there are few joys in life like finding a really cool stick.

That is the basis of Official Stick Reviews, a viral account on Instagram that has amassed 2.5 million followers in just a year and a half.

But what is it about sticks that inspires this universal enthusiasm? In this episode, Amory and Ben join producer Frannie Monahan for a walk in the woods to look for answers, and some sticks of their own.

Show notes:

Official Stick Reviews (@officialstickreviews)

Sticks. And the People Who Love Them. (NYT)

Earliest Evidence of Wooden Construction Uncovered (Scientific American)

Credits: This episode was produced by Frannie Monahan. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus. It was hosted by Frannie Monahan, Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.

Anyone who has been a kid before knows that there are few joys in life like finding a really cool stick.

That is the basis of Official Stick Reviews, a viral account on Instagram that has amassed 2.5 million followers in just a year and a half.

Show notes:

Official Stick Reviews (@officialstickreviews)

Sticks. And the People Who Love Them. (NYT)

Earliest Evidence of Wooden Construction Uncovered (Scientific American)

Credits: This episode was produced by Frannie Monahan. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus. It was hosted by Frannie Monahan, Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.

Previous Episode

Episodes We Love: Where's the Beef?

What if vegetables are poison? What if, instead, humans evolved to consume an animal-based diet of steak, liver, brain, testicles, eggs, butter, and milk?

Shirtless influencers on TikTok and Instagram have acquired millions of followers promoting the carnivore diet. They say studies linking meat consumption and heart disease are flawed — and plant foods are making people sick.

Likewise, meatfluencers say the livestock industry has no significant impact on the climate crisis despite abundant evidence suggesting otherwise.

No controlled studies have been published confirming the advertised benefits of the carnivore diet. Yet, its popularity online is undeniable.

In this rebroadcast, Endless Thread looks at how social media cooked up the anti-establishment wellness trend.

You can find our transcript, with links and additional resources, here: www.wbur.org/carnivore

Credits: This episode was produced by Dean Russell and Ben Brock Johnson. Mixing and sound design by Emily Jankowski. Ben Brock Johnson and Dean Russell are the co-hosts.

Image Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty

Next Episode

The Internet Does Its Thing with Luigi Mangione

The shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson captured the internet's attention last week. Then, a suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was arrested, and social media really went wild. Why, in a week of historic headlines from around the world, did this story captivate so many, so thoroughly?

Show notes:

Suspect in CEO’s Killing Had Discussed His Health Struggles on Reddit (The New York Times)

r/GetNoted (Reddit)

What Can We Learn From the C.E.O. Shooting Suspect’s Goodreads History? (The New York Times)

Credits: This episode was produced by Grace Tatter. Sivertson. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus. It was hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.