Today, Explained

How 9/11 became a meme

September 11, 2026·25 min·4-min readnarrativenews
Podzilla Summary (4 min)
TLDR
The episode explores the complex cultural phenomenon of 9/11 memes, examining how a national tragedy has been transformed into internet humor—particularly among younger generations—and contrasts this with efforts to preserve the emotional and historical weight of the day through projects

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Guest

W

Whitney Phillips

narrative on Today, Explained

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Sean RameswaramWhitney PhillipsManny MarottaJoshua Rovner

Books

The Ambivalent Internetby Whitney Phillips

Companies

Vox

Products & Tools

4chanTikTok

Topics

Historical FiguresLong Form JournalismMental HealthSocial Media MarketingUs Politics

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