The secret to internet fame is surprisingly simple—it’s based on an improv comedy game that you might have heard of called “Yes, And”. Like any comedy routine the more someone commits to the bit, the farther they will go.
Here is how it works. When there are two comedians on stage the first person says a funny line, and it’s the responsibility of the second comedian to accept the statement as truth, and then add their own joke on top of it. Here’s an example:
Comedian 1: Nice Sombrero!
Comedian 2: Yes, and I think you already know that it’s your mom’s.
Comedian 1: Yes, and that’s why I need it back.
Comedian 2: Fight me for it.
(The comedians then pretend to duel)
Ok, so maybe, I’m not particularly funny. Which is why in this week’s video I got two real comedians—Brent Pella and Meredith Lynch to help out. Still, I hope you get the idea: in “Yes, and” the routine builds towards absurdity with every new line because both actors agree that every statement is true.
The magic would stop, of course, if either actor took a beat and instead said “No, but.”
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Now, I’m not writing this newsletter because I want to give you tips on comedy—rather it’s because the top influencers, vlogers and podcasters have been playing a giant game of Yes, And online for decades. If you want to get famous on the internet all you need to do to get to the top is simply add to whatever someone else is saying, and never stop to fact check anyone’s statement—just keep building on whatever reality other people posit is true. Unfortunately this will lead a would-be-influencer to endorse ever-more absurd statements and contribute to our online misinformation problem, but they will get reimbursed with internet success.
This works for several reasons. The first and most important is human nature. If you agree with someone else’s points they are going to be pre-disposed to like you. This will get you invited on to their shows, add positive interactions to your social media presence and show people with bigger platforms that your’e a team player.
Second: social media algorithms LOVE “yes, and.” When someone watches a video they are more likely to watch similar videos. By posting content that agrees with popular view points the internet will reward you with more views and recommend your video to a larger audience.
In the abstract this might not be a problem—but the tendency for “Yes, And” to lead to absurd outcomes is the reason why the internet is so awash with misinformation and conspiracy theories.
If one podcast host declares that there’s a Big Pharma conspiracy to silence health information, a person who agrees with that view point will get a boost when they add to the developing story by saying, for example, that it’s the same elites who planned 9/11. The process goes from there until the absurdity floats to the top. Meanwhile, anyone who tries to interrupt the game with fact checking gets a lower score by the algorithm and doesn’t build strong ties to either person who wants to keep it going.
If you want any further proof consider the comedian Joe Rogan. He’s the undisputed leader in the podcast space with 12 million viewers on Apple where the number two spot takes in 3 million. The formula for the show is to bring on guests and agree with basically whatever they say.
Last week I did a video about Joe Rogan’s response to the Andrew Huberman scandal where I actually had to listen to his three and a half hour show while I looked for the right timestamps to clip out. I’d never actually gotten through a whole EP before and this was eye opening. If you’ve never listened to Rogan before, he’s a quick summary of his show with Andrew Schulz (who I called Aaron Schulz in the video by mistake):
Psychopaths have advantages.
Aliens visited earth.
BIGFOOT!
Consciousness is Rad
Social media makes truth hard to discern
Hillary Clinton is horrible
The FDA lied about Covid
Huberman's trial by media
Big Pharma controls the media.
I felt like I was watching a parody of Joe Rogan, but it was his actual show. He and Schulz moved smoothly between one conspiracy to another, the entire time building and building a narrative that lost any thread of impartiality. While Rogan says repeatedly that he’s running a comedy show—it’s notable that he wasn’t actually telling a lot of jokes. Instead the two guests simply built on one another until, I presume, they collapsed from exhaustion.
This is the problem with Yes, And. The most popular conspiracies all float to the top because it’s what audiences, powerbrokers and the algorithm all want. That’s all I have to say for now. I sincerely hope that you don’t use this information for evil.
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