NPR staff discovered that middle schoolers were using the Spotify comment section under an episode of its Wild Card podcast to chat with friends, initially mistaking the flurry of cryptic, emoji-laden posts for bot spam. This American Life host Ira Glass investigated the phenomenon, learning that kids sought out podcasts with few existing comments specifically to use as a private-feeling space. NPR says a similar pattern occurred previously on an episode of Ted Radio Hour.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-26
NPR staff discovered that streams of odd emojis and abbreviations under Spotify episodes of its podcast 'Wild Card' were not bot spam but messages from underage kids using the comments as a group chat, according to reporting on 'This American Life.' Producer Hannah Chin identified the pattern after colleagues had already flagged the posts to Spotify as bots, and host Ira Glass later found a similar case had occurred on NPR's TED Radio Hour.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-25
CloverWorks, the animation studio behind recent Pokémon anime work, is producing a new theatrical film titled 'Wild Card' scheduled for 2027. The release adds to what is shaping up to be a major year for the franchise across media.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-08-31
GoKawiil