Liam McBain

Is location tracking building relationships? Or ruining them?Four in 10 U.S. adults share their locations with at least one person. But while it's convenient, is it also a violation of privacy? And who really needs to know where you are? We're getting into how location sharing became a norm, the pros and cons, and how to turn it off without making things weird.Brittany breaks it all down with Gina Cherelus, New York Times styles reporter and writer of their Third Wheel dating column, and Tatum Hunter, internet culture reporter at The Washington Post.This episode first aired on December 3, 2025.For more episodes about where culture, tech, and relationships meet, check out:The Coldplay kiss cam & moral surveillanceMe and my partner don't see eye-to-eye about AI. Now what?The joy of breaking up with dating appsSupport Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) LIAM MCBAIN, BYLINE: Brittany, I've had kind of a revelation this year. BRITTANY LUSE, HOST:

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) BRITTANY LUSE, HOST: What's a moment where you made a significant life change but you couldn't fully describe

How to enter your Sporty Spice era. Getty Images/quantic69/Olga Kurbatova/Anastasiia Zvonary/Photo Illustration by NPR hide caption

Two big horror films, Obsession and Backrooms, just smashed all box office expectations. So much of their success has been driven by Gen Z, which is now the biggest moviegoing demographic. But what makes a movie a Gen Z movie? Today we’re bringing you an episode of NPR’s It’s Been a Minute. Host Brittany Luse talks about this trend with Sam Adams and Reanna Cruz. If you want to hear more about these movies, check out these episodes: In ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts.'Backrooms' brings YouTube horror to the big screenZendaya brings 'The Drama,' we bring the spoilersConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+

What's the cost of a childhood online? Getty Images/Overearth/Photo Illustration by NPR hide caption

Transcript (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) BRITTANY LUSE, HOST: What's something from your childhood that you would have been really embarrassed if your parents had posted about?

There are influencers taking money to promote music – and not telling you about it.It's great when you find people who put you on to hot new music that matches your taste. But online tastemakers might be getting secretly paid to shill for labels. This is not a conspiracy theory – it's a real practice. NPR music reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento spoke to several online content creators who told her about how labels approached them – and who they’re being asked to promote. By the way – this is potentially illegal. But what does it mean for regular music enjoyers that music discovery is so weighed down by dollars? And can we ever disentangle money from the Internet – and from culture?Brittany is joined by Isabella to get into the juicy details and the broader implications of this practice.For more episodes on the state of music in culture, check out:The shelf life of a pop starThe D-List pop star purgatoryCan TikTok spark a new era of protests?Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse

Transcript BRITTANY LUSE, HOST: Whose music recommendations do you trust, and why?

Transcript BRITTANY LUSE, HOST: Have you ever had a moment where you're like, OK, I'm being a baby woman, and I need to grow up a little bit right now?