Show Notes
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.
More from Touching Grass
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 reluctantly explains why so many right wing incels are now writing their own Harry Potter fanfictions. Meanwhile, James Ball brings us part two of the Kelly Clarkson mechanical bird saga. We are serious journalists.
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 takes us through all the twists and turns of the latest online drama: Kelly Clarkson getting Pretty-Womaned at a magic shop. Meanwhile, Lucy Reade asks whether using ChatGPT to answer all your questions is the wisest move…
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 and James discuss the Green Party’s motion declaring that Zionism equals racism, as well as catching up on the latest Elon Musk 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 James Ball takes us through the online right’s reaction to the Fairford 5 and its descent into madness, and Lucy Reade unpacks how a KFC advert has prompted accusations of cannibalism.
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 latest Gen Z discourse: is it unprofessional to drink iced coffee in a job interview? And James Ball asks whether internet hustle culture is getting out of hand…