Why'd You Push That Button?

Why’d you like that celebrity photo on Instagram? Why’d you leave that restaurant review on Yelp? Why’d you text in lowercase, or turn on read receipts, or share your location? The Verge’s Ashley Carman and Kaitlyn Tiffany ask the hard, weird, and occasionally dumb questions about how your tiny tech decisions impact your social life.

Technology
Society & Culture
Arts
1
Will virtual dates stick around after the pande...
Kaitlyn and Ashley talk to online daters and app makers about how they are adapting to virtual-only dating, and what features will stick around after the pandemic ends.
36 min
2
What does ‘being verified’ actually mean?
Ashley Carman and Kaitlyn Tiffany wonder why people want to be verified on Twitter and what they’re willing to do to get the blue checkmark.
29 min
3
Why do you use Close Friends on Instagram?
Is Close Friends a product response to finstagrams? If so, are people using it?
26 min
4
What keeps people on Snapchat?
In the social media world, Instagram has dominated as the most used app in 2019, but what happened to Snapchat?
33 min
5
Why do you slide into someone's DMs?
Kaitlyn and Ashley interview people who found love in the DMs and others who didn't.
32 min
6
Is auto-replying ruining email?
Do you use Gmail's "smart reply" feature when answering emails?
30 min
7
Death Online: When celebrities die
Ashley and Kaitlyn analyze why people flock to Twitter after a celebrity dies.
35 min
8
Death Online: Mourning a robot
What happens when your robot friend dies? Ashley Carman explores the grieving community surrounding the short-lived social robot Jibo.
35 min
9
Death Online: Planning your digital afterlife
What’s going to happen to all of your tweets, Instagram photos, and emails when you die?
33 min
10
Does deleting Instagram make you happier?
Kaitlyn deactivates her Instagram account to try and feel happier. Does it actually work?
44 min
11
Why are you anonymous online?
Ashley and Kaitlyn talk to users who feel the need to keep their personal life out of their Instagram accounts.
36 min
12
Why do you promote your tweets?
Promoting a tweet has been a tool for brands, influencers, and entrepreneurs to spread their message, but why do regular users promote their tweets?
30 min
13
Why do iPhone users judge people with green tex...
Ashley and Kaitlyn talk to experts and users about how Apple's design and color choice in iMessage can cause rifts in relationships.
32 min
14
We’re back this week!
1 min
15
Should we be kind to our smart assistants?
Kaitly and Ashley chat about what it means to have smart speakers in our homes and as part of our families. Do we need to be kind to them?
20 min
16
Why do you use an exclusive dating app?
Ashley and Kaitlyn discuss dating apps that require users to apply, and why they were created.
43 min
17
Why do you ask questions anonymously?
Kaitlyn and Ashley discuss anonymous question-and-answer apps — why do people use them, both to ask and receive questions?
33 min
18
Why do you post on fake holidays?
Kaitlyn and Ashley discuss hashtag holidays, who invents them, and why people use them.
30 min
19
Why do you send voice messages?
Ashley and Kaitlyn discuss sending voice messages and how they will evolve in the future.
32 min
20
How do you choose your emoji skin tone?
Kaitlyn and Ashley discuss the five emoji skin tones and how people decide which color best represents them.
48 min
21
What makes a place Instagram-worthy?
Kaitlyn and Ashley discuss places that are designed to be an Instagram-worthy photo shoot.
54 min
22
What have you bought on Instagram?
Ashley and Kaitlyn discuss how Instagram has turned into a shopping app.
54 min
23
Who is your Instagram boyfriend?
We’re talking about Instagram boyfriends, or simply, the photographers who take everyone’s Instagram photos. The unsung heroes.
35 min
24
Why do you text like that?
Kaitlyn and Ashley ask why we type the way we do. Are we really that cool?
38 min
25
Why did you leave the group chat?
Some of us love our group chats. Others of us hate them and would love nothing more than to leave them all. But why do we want to leave?
37 min