The Dad Bods and Dumbbells Podcast

Riley Daniel is Back to talk Love Island and the Gen Z perspective

• Barton Bryan and Mitch Royer • Season 1 • Episode 64

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The team welcomes back Riley, a literary agent and former intern to discuss Love Island, social media's influence on reality TV, and cultural phenomena shaping younger generations.

• Riley shares how she transitioned from college to full-time literary agent and is "climbing a new mountain" in life
• Love Island USA Season 7 allows viewers to vote through an app to influence contestants' relationships, breaking up couples and creating drama
• The show records only days before airing, creating near real-time audience interaction and engagement
• Contestants can go from unknown to having millions of followers, completely transforming their lives and careers
• Discussion about how streaming culture has created careers where people document their daily lives for entertainment
• Conversation about the evolution of social media from exclusive platforms to places where we unwittingly share our entire digital footprint
• Riley critiques Mitch's new feather earring as "giving pick me energy"

Thanks to our sponsor Solutions Pharmacy for supporting Mitch's hairline and this episode!


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Welcome and Introducing Riley

Speaker 1

Welcome to DadBots and Dumbbells. My name is Mitch and.

Speaker 2

I'm Bart.

Speaker 1

Thanks so much for listening, liking, subscribing. I'd love to have a nice shout out to our sponsor, solutions Pharmacy. Thanks so much for all you do for my hairline. We love you. Waiting for my next delivery for the month of August? Wow, all right, it's amazing. We have today a special show, special guest. Last summer, we had our intern come on and give us a little update on what makes pop culture like the most up-to-date pop culture vibes. That's what she said. I don't know what vibes are, but she's going to tell us. Ultimately, we're going to ask her today about something that I've heard a lot about her talking about, really in the office. Heard a lot about her talking about really and the office about Love Island, because, as 40 and 50 year old men, we need to know about what our kids are watching, and our kids are watching Love Island. So, riley, welcome. Thanks so much for being here.

Speaker 3

Thanks for having me. I'm glad to be back the second time.

Speaker 1

Now you are an official literary agent. I am how feel it feels great.

Speaker 3

I I took a lot of time in college doing this and I wouldn't say it took away from my college experience, but I I put a lot of effort and time into it being still being in college and it's paid off and now I'm here out of college, get to focus solely on this, so I'm having a good time.

Speaker 1

Yeah, you're crushing it.

Speaker 2

I mean, you've signed some huge people how was the transition of going from like you know, student and just like being a part of the university and sororities and like that, and then just now you're kind of like that world's over and you've got just right work, I feel like I.

Speaker 3

I'm still trying to grasp that my college days are officially over and it's really sad. Uh, it's been. What has that even been? Three months, two months? In a very short time that I've had to, that I've taken to realize that I I feel old. I don't know why I'm still 22, so that's crazy for me to feel old um.

Speaker 3

I agree comparative to y'all. But um, but no, I have honestly been keeping busy. I started back up in the office pretty soon after I graduated so that kept me a little bit distracted from the reality that my fun college life and living with my best friends was over. So that was unfortunate realization that I don't know if it's completely hit me yet. I think come august, when I don't go back, I'm gonna be a little bit more concerned about the state of my life.

Speaker 1

But I feel like do you feel like you peaked in college?

From College to Career Success

Speaker 3

oh, that's a good question. I always make this joke that I think that I peaked in sixth grade so good time to peak. I feel like I had a decline, maybe a second there, but I feel like I'm gonna have, like there's mountains have two peaks right.

Speaker 2

I think they can, they can.

Speaker 3

Well, I'm about, there's a false summit, probably you know that's what we might have to do here maybe you're in the saddle of the maybe I think I'm on the upcoming like I'm on the. We're going up this hill right now.

Speaker 1

Well, I think you're huge. I mean you've you've helped us grow as a company, uh, amazingly, and you keep bringing a ton of great clients in. And I, I mean honestly, I think you are, it is true, you are going to continue to rise.

Speaker 2

I hope so, I think it's important, um, speaking from a uh, you know, katie grew up with a brother who kind of peaked in high school. Sorry, just had to say it. I think it's really important to not feel like your glory days are over, like to feel like I'm just figuring myself out. There's so much more in me to discover and explore, because I think that's how we get out of the fun stuff of college and high school into real life and actually work towards something.

Speaker 3

because if you're like constantly like, oh, remember the good old days and it's like you want to go feel that again and that's something that I'm glad that I had. Coming out of college, I had the best college experience. I met the best people, made the best friends. I lived in the best place college wisewise. It's such a college town.

Speaker 2

Where were?

Speaker 3

you, I was at Ole Miss.

Speaker 2

Okay.

Speaker 3

So great small college town. I felt like that was my life. I wasn't in a big city, so that was. All that I focused on was the people there and the school there, essentially. But I feel like coming out of it and coming into this job that I'm so excited about makes me feel like I do have more to like accomplish and like I have a whole other mountain to peak on. I don't know if that's like maybe there's a few.

Speaker 1

There's more than there's more than one mountain out there.

Speaker 3

I think there's gotta be right I think so?

Speaker 1

yo I've always. I mean, the moment I met you I was like you got something about you, that's cool and I think that it's more than just reminded Mitch how uncool he is.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it is true, and I have told.

Speaker 1

Bart that the only the worst humor is when you have to put someone down to make a laugh. And so Bart just did that. And then you know it bothers me. He knows, he knows I got out of my skin and it's bothering me. It threw me off a little bit. I peaked in high school, but those people that knew high school me in high school would be sad Because they're like that was your peak, yeah.

Speaker 3

It's not great.

Speaker 1

It's not a great move.

Speaker 3

There's always more life to live, there's always more things to experience. That's why I also not necessarily meaning to take it back to my job, but I just know there's so many other people out there that's like, yeah, I might meet someone cool and get this amazing client and like have the best book ever, but there's always going to be another one because every story is different.

Speaker 3

There's always not I don't want to say someone cooler, but and it's something someone else I can learn from just as much and like have such a great experience with them too that that's cool, I love.

Speaker 1

I love how serious we got, so let's do something fun. Last time you were here, you, you schooled Bart, who's 50 now, and I'm now 40. At the time we were young 39, 49.

Speaker 1

So, we're at a point in our lives where we have no clue what's going on. If it wasn't on sports center, we don't know. So if you could uh, if you could enlighten us on what's happening in the world today that we need to be apprised of and maybe would allow us to connect with, maybe, a generation that we just don't care about uh, I guess this summer it's really been centered, unfortunately for y'all around love island it's just that's.

Speaker 2

That was the entirety is it over season or?

Speaker 3

no, this was okay. This was love island, usa. So season seven. I hate that I know so much about this.

Speaker 2

I feel like it's williamson uh on love island like the first, the guy from uh modern wisdom podcast.

Speaker 3

That's the only reason I know.

Speaker 2

Let me google it real quick he was like one of the first uh, the very first season.

Speaker 3

Anyway, doesn't matter unsure um, not anyways I feel like love island usa really took a skyrocket jump in season six, so last summer.

Speaker 2

What island are they on?

Speaker 3

they're in fiji that's not usa no exactly.

Speaker 2

It's not.

Speaker 3

No, it's not, it's not and uh, which is funny, but anyways they. They allow the show to be manipulated by viewers. So they have an app, love island app. You at the americans on the app get to vote on things in that happen to go on in in the villa. Not only that, but also the show is recorded, I think a day or two days prior to it coming out so it's very real time, very real.

Speaker 1

So when do you get to vote on something that's still?

Speaker 3

recorded and they give you, like, six or eight hours to vote they do it all through social media type all I mean they, they market it on social media but it's on the app and they'll say like at the end of an episode, voting starts now. You have until you have six hours to vote so what are you voting on?

Speaker 1

you're voting on kicking people out of the villa so it's it's only audience voted, it's only audience doing this for like american idol for a long time, but now it's like with a reality tv show around dating.

Speaker 3

It's around dating and then you get thrown in the mix, you even get to vote on who's gonna couple up with who. So if you know, some people hate each other and then some people really like each other. Oh guess what america's going to say no better reality tv is would be breaking them up and watching their crash out. So that's brutal, so it's crazy, so they come.

Speaker 1

So the way it works is I'm very intrigued and I really want to watch it now. So the, the and chris williamson was on love island.

Speaker 3

You were correct. Yeah, very good, um, yeah, hey.

Speaker 1

He says it's a great part of his journey. I read a quote. Don't worry about it anyway, love island I want to watch it, so tell me if I go on and I vote can I vote for people hooking up. Can I vote like? What can I vote for that's going to control? It'll be specific.

Speaker 3

So if there's like a recoupling, which means the boys or the girls get to pick their partner that they're going to be with, so you can vote to, there's bombshells. So bombshells are new people that come into the villa, stir some stuff up well, while there's already people coupled up.

Speaker 3

Well, a recoupling means that the either the boys or girls get to pick, but sometimes the bombshells it'll just be. A recoupling means that the either the boys or girls get to pick, but sometimes the bombshells it'll just be a recoupling for them so they can break up a couple. But this past season they had a voting for america to vote on the app to pick which bombshell got to couple up with with which cast member that was already currently in a couple. So they got to pick which couple was going to get broken up and recouple with a different person and so essentially america explain like so coupling up it just means they have to spend time together yes or they're there because you can't like manufacture feelings exactly

Speaker 1

don't talk crazy. Of course you can.

Speaker 3

You're forced of course you can, you're forced to like, it's just like essentially, you're in that couple, like it's just known, like those are the terms. You're in that couple. You explore that. What they say connection right, so stupid. I'm like talking I'll be in the office and I'm like, oh, I have. Like I'm talking about somebody else. I'm like, yeah, they should probably explore a different connection, like it's consumed my entire life.

Speaker 1

I think it's great. I it's just like business verbiage we, we talk about synergy all the time I think these are great words.

Speaker 3

It's connection, or exploring something else, or going for a chat.

Speaker 2

I should never say that and I don't mean to be disparaging to people who sign up for reality TV shows where they're in dating situations, but, like I mean, are they just kind of having at it with like each other? Are they not allowed to sleep with each other?

Speaker 3

or it's like oh no, they are, they're all in. Who you couple up with is the bed that you sleep in, but you all sleep in the same room. It's just with a bunch of beds, so it's just like it's depending on the couple. At that point there's just whatever.

Speaker 1

So has there ever been a situation where there's like a hound?

Speaker 3

No, because they have to be coupled up with them to sleep in the same bed as them.

Speaker 1

Oh, so you can't hook up with everybody.

Speaker 3

No, you sleep in the same bed as the person that you're coupled up with. But to bring back in the America voting, it just got to the point where social media highly affected the way that the trajectory of the show went. So social media ended up really disliking this girl and wanted to break up her couple because they knew that she would freak out and so all of america came together in that moment, in a time when america is not united, and broke up this couple.

Speaker 1

Oh, you're saying, this brought america together.

Speaker 3

Oh, america was full, like there was this girl, this girl can claim that she brought America together.

Speaker 1

That's amazing For being just amazing, I mean in an instant, because she was such a bitch, or was it just like they?

Speaker 3

knew it would affect her so badly and it would bring good reality TV.

Speaker 1

So what happened? Did she freak out?

Speaker 3

Oh major.

Speaker 1

Did she tear down Major? Cussed out everybody.

Speaker 2

Because, she really liked this guy.

Speaker 1

Yes.

Speaker 3

And she was like America hates me. And at the time, yeah, america did. She ended up staying until the finale. She didn't win, but she's.

Speaker 1

We should sign her.

Speaker 3

She had a good character turnaround. She's now the most followed girl from Love Island franchise, from all of it, which is great for her. She's going to have no issue out of the villa, but yeah.

Speaker 1

Who's going?

Speaker 3

to have no issue out of the villa. But yeah, who's going to have the biggest issue out of the villa? Probably the like nobodies that are trying to be on social media. Now I apologize for saying nobodies, but the ones that were in the villa for two seconds and now they're out of it. Like. I was on love Island season seven, and it's like I don't even you had five minutes of screen time. Yeah, screen time, yeah, that's tough.

Speaker 1

You know, that's a tough one would never happen to me, I think, uh, it's, I think it's even harder coming into a situation where you expect it to change your life because a lot of these people that go on these shows, that is now your career. So a lot of the times like I know a lot of people that were on the bachelor, bachelor in paradise a lot or like the mtv reality shows and like they just go from reality show to reality shows and they start milk.

Speaker 2

They just kept milking.

Speaker 3

That image, yeah the truth, the the thing about it is, is love island has gotten so big that the people that go on it truly like their life has changed. Those people that really got popular in that show like they're, they will never, their life will never be the same again the way that they have.

Speaker 3

And there's this one girl, ever all of america's obsessed with her. Her name is maya. She ended up winning with her couple, her and brian. They won and she. A lot of them go into the bill and have a friend, family, whatever. Manage their social media because then they know that you can keep getting engagement, getting followers. They can post for you, whatever smart she went in it not having anyone manage her social media she didn't care at all, just wanted to go in it for she.

Speaker 3

She didn't have any expectations, she wasn't trying to get famous, she wasn't. She was just going in there for just to go in. And she ended up winning it. Not only that, but coming out with like she started with not not even 10000 followers and came out with like 3 million or something like that they grow huge yeah remember, so remember the days of I mean, this is a long time ago, but like the, early American Idol or.

Speaker 2

The Voice where it's like everyone watched it. Yeah, that is Love Island now, but so it's like it's the end we all talked about started watching a little by little, and now, at season 7, it's like a global show, where it's like you's the and we all talked about.

Speaker 1

People started watching a little by little, and now at season seven.

Speaker 2

It's like the global show, whereas, like you know, the first three or four seasons of american island.

Speaker 1

It's like everybody watched it. Yeah, it was everyone who was good yeah, like had a career yeah, you know basically. Yeah, now it's just like no, nobody cares yeah but that's just.

Speaker 3

I think it's so dependent on social media too, the way that if something becomes entertaining like that enough for people to talk about on social media, it's blowing up regardless of what it is yeah it's just anything and so I love that they created the interaction, like the ability for us to, as as viewers, to influence the show.

Speaker 2

Love it is.

Speaker 3

Yeah, love it it's next level it's, and it's different from seeing votes on american idol like, oh, this person made it through because of the votes. It's no, like everyone genuinely liked just this one person and wanted this one thing to happen and they made it and they made it happen and amaya was barely in.

Speaker 3

Like a. She wasn't in great couples like the whole show. Like she was, she didn't really like anyone. No one really liked her very much. Like she wasn't, she didn't have great connections. And then she had a good connection four episodes before the finale and all of america loved her and she wins, that's cool and she didn't, she wasn't even how many millions of people are we talking like watching? Oh, I don't even, I really yeah final episode.

Speaker 2

How many like what's the view?

Speaker 3

yeah, I don't know and honestly I think like middle of the season was when it, whenever everyone chose to break up that couple through america's vote. I would probably say it was the highest viewership, but I would be curious to know what total viewership for the season was.

Speaker 1

Oh, my goodness, I mean it's, it's talking like there was. Now. This is the hard thing about engagement on social media. Right, it's hard to determine how many people watched it, but they go by down like amount of views. Yeah, uh, over a billion minutes were viewed of this premiere of love island so premiere, just, the premiere just the premiere wow. The other numbers they can't really say, but it's the largest that they've ever had oh, I can believe it, so it'd be millions.

Speaker 3

It's crazy they did it. They they're doing a uh, not a rerun, but it's a different version of the show. They called it Love Island Beyond the Villa and they're doing it with the past season six and they put them all in LA, basically, and are seeing how they're interacting now in America and their normal lives, which is crazy because and people are so watching that Like it's just I think because and people are so watching that like it's just I think about if all of these winners had three million followers oh, yeah, and those they bring through.

How Reality TV Transforms Lives

Speaker 2

It's kind of like amazon tried to do it with the goat. It was like uh yeah, with josh, with tosh, tosh and a bunch of like former reality reality shows doing a reality show and it's like you know, it's like well, everyone's got a bunch of million viewers. That's going to bring enough people to make a show.

Speaker 3

I think it just only goes to show how and not to make it this serious, but how social media platforms and engagement like that turns into direct marketing and those kind of platforms can get you so far, like even mr b's show was I don't know if y'all watched it.

Speaker 2

I was way too invested crazy loved it every second of it.

Speaker 3

Yeah, first of all I'm like, why am I watching this with my 15 year old brother? But I absolutely loved it. It was so good and just stuff like that.

Speaker 2

I mean, obviously he's a whole, another level of dollars, but like he's betting on the fact that, like he knows what he brings, he knows what he brings in. He's not throwing money away. He's making millions and it's to us.

Speaker 3

It seems like this just random guy is throwing out millions of dollars every episode, yeah, but he's bringing in like an insanely amount more than that.

Speaker 1

Well, I think the love island experience is kind of a taste of what the have you ever heard? Of the hunger games very similar model. Of the hunger games very similar model so Love the. Hunger Games Very similar model, so I can see it ultimately shifting to a full life control vibe of you get to vote, like the Truman Show style. It's like you get to vote what you want to see happen.

Speaker 3

I think for sure next season they'll do more America votes.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 3

I think because this past season there was, they did a great job at placing the timing of voting because you got to see enough of the people, but I think next time they'll do like a lot more I think what they should do is big brother style where it's live I've never watched big brother, it's dumb uh but.

Speaker 2

But it's based like the idea is like you just there's like a, there's a controlling big brother who's like, yeah, who makes them compete and stuff, but it's live, so you're just watching them live.

Speaker 1

What you could do is do everything real time, do you? You know what are they having for dinner? You know what? What are? I mean you could do all aspects of their life within that space.

Speaker 3

I mean it could get really cool I think what people like about it too, though, is it's not that extreme, and so I don't know if they will change it very unserious I mean just going back to, like you know, voting on the voice of american idol.

Speaker 2

What if you could pick the song they have to sing? And it's last minute, like america votes, and this singer has to?

Speaker 1

say dude, I think I I honestly I'll be honest, I still like american.

Speaker 3

I watch american idol.

Speaker 2

Actually, if you get involved in the storylines of these kids. I mean, they're young kids they're adults, but they're young. A lot of them are like 17 to 24. Yeah, Every once in a while, like when the whole Ian Tongi, the Hawaiian guy who won? I mean his story losing his dad and everything.

Speaker 3

I can't watch that video without crying. Okay, so I know a little inside to American Idol. That made me so sad that I won't watch it anymore. Wait, I don't know if you should tell me this, because I cry every episode, so so when you get down to the last, 24 where it really gets serious right.

Speaker 1

A majority of those kids that are there are already signed with record labels and they are placed there by their agent because they know producers. So a lot of those people are already kind of already hand-picked like they're going to be amazing and a lot of the times they win so half quarter, a half, a lot of it's already kind of preset. It's not this living the American dream anymore, like I came out of the shadows of a farm and I have this amazing voice Now.

Speaker 2

It's like people that are already recording. Now it is too Like if you're a really accomplished singer, like people have heard you on social media.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it's impossible now, I think.

Speaker 2

Because they need the quality of the voice to be so good at that first audition.

Speaker 3

I do know that American Idol isn't as glamorous as it is. On the backside One of my clients actually he's going to write a book anyways. He won season 20. And so whenever I met with him in Nashville, he was just talking about how essentially it seems so great and he said that day of winning American Idol was one of the best, but then the day that followed was one of the worst because it was all over and he didn't have as much control of his music career?

Speaker 2

Is that Phillip Phillips?

Speaker 3

No, his name's Noah Thompson. He's great.

Speaker 1

You signed Noah. That's cool he's great.

Speaker 3

You saw noah, that's cool, he's great, but he, yeah, he just, and he was lost in the way that he he didn't, he was coming into a music industry that he didn't fully know and he got thrown into it in american idol. And then you come out, in the end you're the winner and you are faced with all this stuff that you're not sure how to navigate, and I fully understand how that can be difficult.

Speaker 1

But also, just, apparently they're not as personable as they come off to be on TV, which is sad they make them sign contracts at a certain point that are worse than development deals of most record labels, and thankfully, I think the guy that I was talking to at least interjected himself and said listen, your deals are bad, do not sign these. This is what a development deal should look like. So maybe that shifted and changed things, because it really was these people that win American Idol. There's no longer the Kelly Clarkson of the world, but a lot of her music was owned by American Idol, probably still is, where they don't own anything, and so uh, but I I think talent is talent, and this is what I I find about most people now is, if you are really, really skilled at something, you're always going to find a place right so if noah is the best of the best, his personality is good, like he's going to find a place in the, the music industry, and he's still young and he has he has a lot, I think, coming in the future

Speaker 3

for him and he has a great manager now and he definitely I can see him finding success and just down the road in his future. But even nowadays I always think about when I watch american idol. I think about benson boone and how he went on. American Idol he auditioned, dropped out and now he was opening for Taylor Swift at the Eros tour. There is no explanation to how TikTok and marketing himself was greater than he could have ever accomplished on American.

Speaker 1

Idol. I didn't know which is the truth. Yeah, I didn't know that story.

Speaker 3

Yes, he went and auditioned that's how he went viral on TikTok after following the fact that he had already been posting singing videos on tick tock and that was getting him viral, and then went and auditioned awesome audition, obviously and then just kept posting from there and found it.

Speaker 2

We did a favorite where you send me a link to his audition so that we could put it on our show notes.

Speaker 3

Yes.

Speaker 2

So that as listeners you hear this. We'll put the go to the show notes. You'll find the link and that way you can just kind of watch.

Speaker 3

Also Jessie Murph. I don't know if y'all know who that is?

Speaker 2

I know Jessie Murph. She's amazing.

Speaker 1

She has like 19 million followers on on TikTok. She's incredible.

Speaker 3

And so, regardless of the fact that she's an amazing singer, she has one of the best marketing tools herself that she doesn't have to pay for. She's already set up for her, she's creating good, great music and knows how to market it in such a great way.

Speaker 1

I met her a couple of years ago when I was at the Jelly Roll concert backstage. I didn't know who she was because she wasn't like huge at that point no, she's huge, we were chilling in the backstage area and just chit-chatting.

Speaker 1

She was super cool. And then with this, concert started and she came out to sing with jelly roll, I was like holy crap, like she was, because they had a song together wild ones and she sang that out there but I was like dang, she's gonna be huge no, she is, and she started singing on tiktok it.

Speaker 3

I think she's only. Yeah, she's not old, she started singing.

Speaker 1

I think she was, I think she was under age when we were. I think she she was there.

Speaker 3

She might have just turned 21 might have just turned 21, or she's 20, which is crazy having 19 million followers and a very successful I don't want to tattletale.

Speaker 1

I didn't know how old she was, but she was definitely drinking at 18.

Speaker 3

Oh well, I mean, I'm sure that's underage.

Speaker 1

I didn't know I would have said something Anyway. Well, this is amazing. This has helped me understand Love Island. Why I should care. I love it. Final question for you.

Speaker 2

I have a final question. Oh, no, you, you get the no. No, I want the final question, you go? Um, so last summer you were talking about kind of like little sayings and things like pick me and and whatever I don't, that's all.

Speaker 1

I remember that one yeah is there anything that you've heard?

Speaker 2

uh what?

Speaker 1

what should we be saying? What's? The newest kind of like 20 something expression that old guys wouldn't understand Is pick me still a thing.

Speaker 3

It's always a thing, it's just always so.

Speaker 1

My son said this kid was glazing, the girls were glazing this kid. It's like what does that mean?

Speaker 3

I fear that there's been a new generation that has created these terms that I don't know You've leveled up, but I hope I have. Well, I guess the only like verbiage that I would say, that I know that maybe y'all wouldn't would be like the love island, like going for a chat, exploring a connection, which I hope I don't say that in real life, and if you do, please be like Riley, let's chill with the Love Island terms. But yeah, there's a whole, there's all the kids that like are addicted to YouTube Like.

Speaker 3

I was never in the like YouTube phase, super hard, the YouTube gaming phase, the streaming, the streaming. I'll never understand just because I was never in that. So they have like their own set of terms that I'll not like. I don't know what glazing means, if I'm in all honesty. And then there's some other stuff that just streamers like Kai Sinet probably says a bajillion things that all of them.

Speaker 1

Who's this?

Speaker 3

Kai Sinet. He's like the biggest streamer.

Speaker 1

Oh cool, Never heard of him. Anyway, that's crazy Surprising.

Speaker 2

I've never heard of him.

Speaker 3

I don't know what streaming is Streaming?

Speaker 2

Wait, are we being serious On? Youtube Wait, no, no. Okay. I was like you talk about YouTube and then streaming. I'm like you can stream on YouTube.

Speaker 3

There's streaming services where essentially it's a live, you can go live on Instagram or TikTok. Well, it's a live that just stays on for a while.

Speaker 1

Are we talking about Twitch?

Streaming Culture and Digital Footprints

Speaker 3

basically, yes, yeah live that just stays on for a while. And are we talking about twitch? Basically, yes, yeah, it started where gamers would split screen their game with them, a video of them, and then there's a live chat that can go on and they whoever's on it can just chat with each other and whatever, and they can watch the gamer play their game. The gamers normally, if they're good, they're like funny and engaging, so then the people want to stay on and chat about it. But it's gotten so big that streamers will just sit on stream and they'll go about their life with a live camera essentially following them around everywhere and the chat just goes, goes through, on and on until it's over that is a.

Speaker 3

How do you not know about that?

Speaker 2

of of, just like self-absorbed how about you know? The like person walking around being videoed, yeah, and like people like watching him or her.

Speaker 3

Do like basic life and these streamers get millions and millions of dollar contracts to stream on a specific platform, based also on how many times like these platforms and their companies or whatever they give them the deals, we'll see them being clipped on tiktok, because all of the streams get recorded and then clipped and then it makes people want to go watch their stream in real time, to get clips and then make their tiktok account viral from clips that they post. It's a whole streaming's a whole other world. That I was never like.

Speaker 1

I was not young enough whenever it started. It's crazy, very wild. It's hard to keep up. Uh, I think now it used to be like every seven years like a culture change of some sort. Now it's about every six months. It seems like I just don't, I'll never changing streaming has.

Speaker 3

So there's so much money in it, there's so many viewers in it. I don't even know the people that stream. I was I'm. I was never a gamer, so I also just never like felt the need. But I just see, I mean you can scroll on tiktok for five minutes and see a clip of some kind of stream.

Speaker 1

Well, I think now, I think if, if the coldplay concert taught us anything, bart, it taught us.

Speaker 3

You know about that or I'm chronically on social media, of course.

Speaker 1

So so that's still hip.

Speaker 3

The cold plague concert tells us anything still hip, it happened, there's no there's no privacy.

Speaker 3

We are in a world where nothing is nothing is private no, me and my friends thought about, talked about this the other day and this is so like girly of me to say, but if my ex were to date another girl or be talking to another girl, I could never. If I was that girl, I would be having a field day. I my like I have. There's everything I do is on social media. I post everything. I'm on TikTok, I'm on Instagram. I'm public on everything. Yeah, there's nothing you can't find out about me and you know you always like to stalk, like the ex's new girl or your current boyfriend's or I guess it'd be your current boyfriend's ex like you always want to stalk the absolutely.

Speaker 1

Well, I'm the ex that you could stalk on everything.

Speaker 3

Like there's nothing, like we're too. We're like too online we're too digital. There's too much data my digital footprint is wild I, I can't wait to dig don't.

Speaker 1

And just here's you know.

Speaker 2

Here's the thing because I train, I train a lot of uh tech people and a lot of it, a lot of the the tech world is going into, like creating ai, like aiu right, so like imagine like you pay a certain amount of money and there's, they take all of the content you've ever created someone could create a whole life of me and it's like you know, ask riley a question and it's like there's rileycom and you go there and it's an ai version of you and they can ask you and they'll answer based on all of the things you've ever said on social media.

Speaker 2

Please, nobody do this, please you know, but think about that for like that's a great idea, like you think about.

Speaker 1

Uh, nobody wants to know my opinion, right? Yeah?

Speaker 2

now, most of warren buffett's life wasn't recorded, but the next warren buffett that's your age who becomes 80 and made zillions of dollars and was always on social media and was always recorded his whole life or her whole life, is going to be accessible through an ai and I hate that I mean it just, but that's that's what that's what's coming and that's why you know you're getting older.

Speaker 3

I'm going to come back to work tomorrow and Mitch is going to be like, by the way, that's not good.

Speaker 1

I mean, here's the thing about that, and this is. This is very, very. I did not expect the Love Island conversation to go here, but I love this.

Speaker 3

This is very good.

Speaker 1

I think the interesting part about the beginning of social media because we both were there yeah, we can remember it.

Speaker 3

That's crazy. I just took a class on that Isn't that crazy.

Speaker 1

So I remember when you couldn't get a Gmail without being invited by somebody that already has a Gmail. So I got MitchRoyercom.

Speaker 3

Mitchroyercom at Gmail. It was an exclusive club.

Speaker 1

Now I'm going gonna have to delete it and never use it again because it's gonna get bombarded by people online my fans, you know but uh, but uh, it was available and so but. And then I remember going to I was at Purdue University hanging out with some friends that that stayed there because I went to a local college and my roommates were my parents and, uh, I couldn't imagine we could tell a whole episode on that.

Speaker 1

Uh, best roommates ever I had the best roommates ever so I had the best roommates ever because they paid for everything. Um, so we went to uh, I went to purdue to visit some friends and they're like, hey, are you on facebook? And I was like what's that? Yeah, and they're like, well, you can sign on if you have a student id or a student email. That was the only way you could sign on.

Speaker 1

And so in 2005, 2005, mroyer at iusbedu, signed up for Facebook, found all my friends and that's what it, and we didn't even think about it. It's like, wow, all this stuff is free. So it was like, yeah, accept all these terms and conditions and basically what we're doing is giving away all of our information.

Speaker 2

I remember 2005, lived in new york city and I had a myspace account. Oh yeah, that was the first that's coming back. There was an account I still, myspace is coming back I'm not great at working facebook I genuinely don't know you don't need to be, it's like an analog it's like working a normal phone, like yeah, the ring time with my like grandparents or something will be like oh, you even post in a while.

Speaker 3

I'm like I post on Instagram 800 times and then they're like. I'm like oh, you're talking about Facebook.

Speaker 2

I don't know how to post on there. No, that freaks me out. I don't know how. I don't like that, I know.

Speaker 3

But the working Facebook freaks me out and it's always like I don't know, just Facebook freaks me out well, I think a lot of people are watching. It are your parents I'm like, can they just look at my instagram? It's so much easier. Well, it's.

Speaker 1

I mean the facebook is turned into a marketplace that really does move the needle for because it's all boomers. It's a lot of boomers that are trying, so you can sell a lot more stuff.

Speaker 2

It's just like what qvc was to our grandparents and you can also like put a lot more long form content on it and things like that.

Speaker 1

So I linked my Instagram to that just cause it's simple and easy and that's where my parents get their information, and it was funny, as my Facebook is linked to dad, boss and dumbbells on.

Speaker 2

Instagram. So every once in a while there'll be a dad mom dumbbell post on Instagram about like my aunt dying or something.

Final Thoughts and Mitch's Earring

Speaker 1

I did see that. Sorry about your aunt. That's a bummer.

Speaker 2

Um, but anyway final question. Yes, go.

Speaker 1

Okay, final question how do you uh? What do you think about my earring?

Speaker 3

You? Well, you told me about this a few weeks ago, so I'm not like I wasn't thrown off by it or anything but do I pull it?

Speaker 1

off I have a dangly earring that has a feather on it.

Speaker 2

Mitch has a left ear feather earring gold plated.

Speaker 1

It's the non-gay side. You said it was the gay side.

Speaker 2

No, I didn't say anything about that, I just remember in the 80s or 90s, you had to have it on one side or the other.

Speaker 1

I'm on the correct side, I'm on the straight side, but it's a feather that's hanging, but it's a metal feather. It looks real classy, I think I think it's. It looks backwards well, I have another. There's another chain on it because it's too light and so it's an extra dangly. So I got two danglies are you taking it out? No, I like it.

Speaker 3

Oh, you're leaving it in for good.

Speaker 1

It's great like when I play sports and stuff when I run. The only problem when I run it does sometimes change my song on my earbud so you know, I don't, I don't, I don't need acceptance. I mean, I I've had this thing for almost a month now and I feel pretty good about it, your wife loves it. No, no, I have you posted it on instagram, yet no, no, I mean not to be like hey, look at my new earring.

Speaker 3

No, but just any like. Have you been in a post on instagram with?

Speaker 1

it I don't think so well, you should.

Speaker 2

And then I want you to post it.

Speaker 1

I want you to post a picture to see what the real people maybe the haters will bully you into taking it out I. I love haters because I have none, because everybody loves me that.

Speaker 3

That's just. There's no way.

Speaker 1

I've told you that Everybody loves me. Why would they hate me?

Speaker 3

It's not necessarily hate, but he's the underdog.

Speaker 2

You can't hate him. You can't hate the underdog, dude, it's not necessarily hate, but I feel like someone would have an opinion.

Speaker 1

I expect that you'd have some opinion. Here's the thing I'm trying to be nice this is going on the media.

Speaker 3

I can't be doing. What are you going to say?

Speaker 1

You don't like it.

Speaker 3

I don't. What does it look like?

Speaker 1

to you when you see it. What do you? What is the feeling?

Speaker 3

Word description Okay, honestly, in all honesty, it's giving pick me.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I see that.

Speaker 3

You want one. I know you wanted to just.

Speaker 1

I did not. I did. I needed to actually ask you something. Oh my goodness.

Speaker 3

And then you made the final question. Bart's question is better. You made the final question about the earring, so that just ever it's pick me. That's how I feel about it. I love it.

Speaker 1

Well, thank you for sharing, Riley. It makes me want to keep it more, and I'm grateful for you taking the time. It's always good to have you, because you're always a hoot and a holler. That's what we say.

Speaker 2

We had a pretty serious talk the other day. Honestly, I loved how the Love Island just really ignited a great conversation about just a lot of things Agreed. I think it's great, just like going down a specific rabbit hole.

Speaker 1

I mean I know a lot more about Love Island. It scares me to death what we're allowed to vote on for people to change their trajectory of life, but I think it's cool to see what we can do and I'm interested to see what's next.

Speaker 3

I'm hoping that it stays like that.

Speaker 1

And we're not going to start getting famous people on Love Island or influencers that already have a platform. It's only going to try more stuff.

Speaker 3

I want the ones that don't have a platform. I want the ones that don't have a platform. I want the 10 followers. I want the people that can only go up. I don't want the people that are in the middle pack and need a way to grow bigger.

Speaker 1

I don't want that.

Speaker 3

I want the people, no one knows.

Speaker 1

But y'all really need to watch. You're going to run out of good-looking people at some point. There you are, we'll find them.

Speaker 2

You're going to run out of good looking people at some point.

Speaker 1

There you go, we'll find them Love.

Speaker 3

Island has found a way to cast the people that are good TV.

Speaker 2

Like they've mastered it. They have to do a lot of like screen tests to like figure out Right. Are these people charismatic or can they speak?

Speaker 3

Some of my friends I know that need to go on it. I'm going to start applying for them. Do it. I love it. I would going to start applying for them. Do it.

Speaker 1

Submitting them. I love it. I would love to see one of your friends be on Love Island so that I could say I know somebody that was on Love Island.

Speaker 3

That'd be great. One of our clients was on Love Island last season, rob Snake guy yeah.

Speaker 2

That's awesome. I didn't know you signed him yeah.

Speaker 1

You. Hey, I'm not worried about it, I'll get somebody, don't you? All you Love Island participants?

Speaker 3

Hey, shout out Rob.

Speaker 1

Rob you the man Actually I do really love a lot. I didn't know he was on Love Island. That's how I follow him.

Speaker 3

I mean, he was already big before doing snake, reptile catching stuff. But yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 1

It's not my forte, but yeah, he went on Love.

Speaker 3

Island, and he did pretty well for himself.

Speaker 1

That's awesome. Well, good for him. I'm glad he's a client. If you're looking for a literary agent, reach out to Riley If you want somebody that has an earring.

Speaker 3

That is really badass.

Speaker 1

I mean I have earrings and they're normal looking.

Speaker 3

They're in both ears, and they're not wings. It's a feather.

Speaker 1

I will tell you this whenever, when mitch is when mitch is dead lifting, 430 the earring really wrapping out. It does play well. It plays well when he's pulling 430 pounds off the ground. Yeah, a couple times, don't worry about it.

Speaker 2

No one said anything where just anywhere a few people, but like they just look at it, they don't say anything. Any church dockers.

Speaker 1

Church. No Well, I mean, I go to a big church so no one really even cares. I'm there, sad.

Speaker 3

That's really sad.

Speaker 1

I don't want to be seen we love you, mitch, I'm too famous, too famous.

Speaker 3

The famous is crazy. I can't the ego in this room, oh, in this room.

Speaker 1

Oh, it feels good. Well, riley, thank you again for being here. We love you. You're the best. Thank you, guys.

Speaker 2

We do want to make this kind of a seasonal thing. I think if you're down for this, hey, I'm down for this. The 22-year-old check-in.

Speaker 3

Hey, and I feel like our conversations are only getting better. Last time it was a yeah it did go good.

Speaker 2

We got three mics now Look at that. Look at us growing up.

Speaker 1

Look at us growing up. Well, thank you so much for listening to Dab Bots and Dumbbells. We love you. Peace, great, Well done. That was really.