Catching Up:

• Peter is in the final stretch of a 10-day call and looking forward to time off.

• Aubrey shares updates on her graduation timeline, wedding planning stress, and how her classes feel like a slog in the final semester.

Main Topic: Social Media Across Generations

Peter and Aubrey compare their experiences and attitudes toward various social platforms:

Facebook:

• Aubrey: Rarely uses it, mostly to check in on family posts; associates it with an older generation.

• Peter: Actively dislikes it, especially post-2020; only keeps it for limited practical reasons.

• Shared sentiment: Feels like a platform overwhelmed by misinformation and outdated content.

Instagram:

• Aubrey: Treats it like a personal photo scrapbook; now uses it sparingly and mindfully.

• Peter: Mostly follows memes, bands, and comics; minimal time spent but appreciates the humor.

Twitter/X, BlueSky, Mastodon:

• Aubrey: Never liked Twitter and hasn't touched it in years.

• Peter: Deleted his Twitter account after Elon Musk's acquisition; briefly explored alternatives like BlueSky and Mastodon but found them underwhelming.

TikTok:

• Aubrey: Used to spend a lot of time on it for humor and recipes but now imposes strict limits to avoid doomscrolling.

• Peter: Visits occasionally but hasn't engaged enough for the algorithm to work well; finds it underwhelming.

LinkedIn:

• Aubrey: Only uses it to play the games (!) and occasionally updates for academic reasons.

• Peter: Actively dislikes the culture of self-congratulatory posting; logs in solely to clear out spammy messages.

Reddit:

• Peter: His most-used platform, especially for niche interests and news. Recommends curating the homepage to filter out toxicity.

• Aubrey: Dislikes the general vibe; finds it to be full of complaints and arguments. Feels more like a "cesspool" than a community.

Mini Segments:

• Peter's Medical Fact:

Sleeping more than 9 hours regularly can be worse for you than getting too little sleep, increasing the risk of early-onset dementia and other health issues.

• Aubrey's Physics Update:

Aubrey revisits a previous topic about Microsoft's quantum chip and shares skepticism from a condensed matter physicist. Claims about stabilizing Majorana zero modes are likely overblown or misleading, casting doubt on Microsoft's announcement.