A Group Of White Men Is Called A Podcast

2015Snowclone / copypasta / observational jokesemi-active

Also known as: White Men Podcast Joke · Collective Noun Podcast Meme

A Group Of White Men Is Called A Podcast is a 2015 Twitter snowclone joke mocking podcasting's white male stereotype through collective-noun wordplay, which went viral in February 2019 when journalist Lauren Duca tweeted it without crediting the original creator.

"A Group of White Men Is Called a Podcast" is a recurring Twitter joke that reframes the collective noun format to mock the stereotype of podcasting as a white male hobby. The joke first appeared in 2015 and went massively viral in February 2019 after journalist Lauren Duca tweeted it without credit, sparking both a wave of ironic copycat posts and a broader conversation about joke ownership on Twitter4.

snowclone memestwitter memessarcasm memescreator credit memespodcast memes

Overview

The joke uses the structure of a collective noun (like "a murder of crows" or "a pack of wolves") to describe a group of white men as "a podcast." It plays on the cultural perception that podcasting is dominated by white guys talking into microphones about their opinions, despite data showing podcasting is actually one of the most diverse media formats1. The format is simple, endlessly repeatable, and practically designed to go viral every few months when someone rediscovers it and tweets it as if they just thought of it.

The earliest known version of the joke was posted by Twitter user @Inkana on July 6, 20154. The tweet used the basic format that would be recycled hundreds of times over the following years.

Writer Alana Massey gave the joke its most recognizable phrasing in 2016, tweeting: "A gathering of two or more average looking white men is referred to by biologists as 'a podcast.'" Her version pulled in over 3,000 retweets and 13,000 likes before eventually being deleted1. That year, industry analysts were already noting that podcasts had crossed into the mainstream, making the joke land with particular timing1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter
Key People
@Inkana, Alana Massey
Date
2015

The earliest known version of the joke was posted by Twitter user @Inkana on July 6, 2015. The tweet used the basic format that would be recycled hundreds of times over the following years.

Writer Alana Massey gave the joke its most recognizable phrasing in 2016, tweeting: "A gathering of two or more average looking white men is referred to by biologists as 'a podcast.'" Her version pulled in over 3,000 retweets and 13,000 likes before eventually being deleted. That year, industry analysts were already noting that podcasts had crossed into the mainstream, making the joke land with particular timing.

How It Spread

The joke circulated steadily on Twitter through 2016, 2017, and 2018, with various users tweeting their own versions. Some knew they were repeating an existing joke. Others appeared to genuinely believe they'd come up with something original. Variations included "a group of heterosexual guys is called a podcast" and "two or more white guys = a podcast".

The real explosion came on February 17, 2019, when journalist Lauren Duca tweeted: "Did You Know: A group of two or more white men is called 'a podcast'". The tweet picked up over 11,000 retweets and 95,000 likes. Almost immediately, Twitter users flooded the replies pointing out that Duca hadn't invented the joke and was presenting a well-worn bit as her own.

This backlash created a second wave of virality. Users began posting the exact same joke with exaggerated claims of authorship as parody. @MurderBryan tweeted it and followed up with "I made this joke up. It's a Murder Bryan original," gaining over 3,700 retweets and 24,000 likes. User Natalie Walker joked that in hell, her job would be to log "every time someone thinks they have invented the joke 'Lin-Manuel Samantha' or 'a group of white men is called a podcast'".

The format also mutated into a snowclone, with people swapping "a podcast" for other punchlines. @rachelmilman tweeted "a group of white men is called a Kamala Harris campaign," and @PtakJones wrote "A group of white men is called a Bernie Sanders please follow my account I am trying so hard".

How to Use This Meme

The basic template is dead simple:

1

Start with "A group of [descriptor] men is called..."

2

End with "a podcast"

3

Optionally, present it as a nature fact using framing like "Did You Know" or "biologists refer to this as"

4

For the snowclone version, replace "a podcast" with any other thing associated with groups of white men (a campaign staff, a brewery tour, a fantasy football league)

Cultural Impact

The joke tapped into a real tension in podcasting culture. Despite the stereotype, podcasting is actually one of the most diverse media formats. Edison Research found that of all mediums, podcasts best represent "the ethnic and gender make-up of America". Nearly 40 percent of global podcast listeners are non-white, and over 40 percent identify as women. Shows hosted by Black women like *2 Dope Queens*, *The Read*, and *About Race* regularly top charts.

Yet the perception persists. As one culture writer told MEL Magazine: "When I think about podcasts, as a culture thing, the first image that pops up is of a bunch of guys drinking [beer] and shouting over each other on a microphone". Another interviewee pointed to shows like *Chapo Trap House* and *Jacobin* as reinforcing the male-dominated image, particularly in left-wing online spaces.

Nate Bethea, producer of the British leftist podcast *Trashfuture*, suggested the meme says more about social media dynamics than podcasting itself: "Straight white guys don't face anywhere near as much abuse online as women, non-white people or trans people. So in most cases, it's not that scary to voice your political opinions online when you're straight and you're white".

Podcast host Nastaran Tavakoli-Far added that platform gatekeeping plays a role too: "If you aren't considered mainstream, you'll be seen as a 'niche' podcast. You'll be categorized and framed in a way that lowers your chances of being promoted to the front page".

The satirical Australian outlet The Obiter parodied the joke's lifecycle with a piece about a man named "Steven Coote" who repeats the joke to himself while secretly wanting to start his own podcast about "the mid-90s tastes of director Paul Verhoeven" and "the elusive Best Pho in Brisbane". NYU Local also referenced the meme format when covering university president Andrew Hamilton's launch of a new podcast in 2019.

Fun Facts

MEL Magazine's Hussein Kesvani, who wrote one of the deepest analyses of the joke, is himself a co-host of a podcast (*Trashfuture*) hosted by four guys in a basement. He described it as "a prime example of male podcasting".

Alana Massey's 2016 tweet, which gave the joke its most viral phrasing, was eventually deleted. The joke kept spreading without her.

The Obiter's fictional character who loves the joke was described as wearing "corduroy trousers and a loose button-up short-sleeve tucked-in to the trousers and kept in place by a tastefully woven hemp belt," basically the starter pack for someone who would start a podcast.

Kesvani noted he'd been "guilty of co-opting the format" himself, tweeting a version about straight millennial men starting podcasts instead of going to therapy.

Derivatives & Variations

Snowclone variations:

Users replaced "a podcast" with other punchlines. "@rachelmilman tweeted 'a group of white men is called a Kamala Harris campaign'" and "@PtakJones tweeted 'A group of white men is called a Bernie Sanders please follow my account I am trying so hard'"[4].

Ironic authorship claims:

After the Duca incident, users posted the joke while sarcastically claiming to have invented it, turning the meme into commentary on joke theft on Twitter[4].

Biologist/nature documentary framing:

Massey's original version used "referred to by biologists as," spawning variants that frame the joke as a wildlife observation or David Attenborough narration[1].

Gendered and sexuality-specific versions:

Variations like "a group of heterosexual guys is called a podcast" and "straight millennial men working in cities" versions added specificity to the target[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

A Group Of White Men Is Called A Podcast

2015Snowclone / copypasta / observational jokesemi-active

Also known as: White Men Podcast Joke · Collective Noun Podcast Meme

A Group Of White Men Is Called A Podcast is a 2015 Twitter snowclone joke mocking podcasting's white male stereotype through collective-noun wordplay, which went viral in February 2019 when journalist Lauren Duca tweeted it without crediting the original creator.

"A Group of White Men Is Called a Podcast" is a recurring Twitter joke that reframes the collective noun format to mock the stereotype of podcasting as a white male hobby. The joke first appeared in 2015 and went massively viral in February 2019 after journalist Lauren Duca tweeted it without credit, sparking both a wave of ironic copycat posts and a broader conversation about joke ownership on Twitter.

snowclone memes twitter memes sarcasm memes creator credit memes podcast memes

Overview

The joke uses the structure of a collective noun (like "a murder of crows" or "a pack of wolves") to describe a group of white men as "a podcast." It plays on the cultural perception that podcasting is dominated by white guys talking into microphones about their opinions, despite data showing podcasting is actually one of the most diverse media formats. The format is simple, endlessly repeatable, and practically designed to go viral every few months when someone rediscovers it and tweets it as if they just thought of it.

The earliest known version of the joke was posted by Twitter user @Inkana on July 6, 2015. The tweet used the basic format that would be recycled hundreds of times over the following years.

Writer Alana Massey gave the joke its most recognizable phrasing in 2016, tweeting: "A gathering of two or more average looking white men is referred to by biologists as 'a podcast.'" Her version pulled in over 3,000 retweets and 13,000 likes before eventually being deleted. That year, industry analysts were already noting that podcasts had crossed into the mainstream, making the joke land with particular timing.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter
Key People
@Inkana, Alana Massey
Date
2015

The earliest known version of the joke was posted by Twitter user @Inkana on July 6, 2015. The tweet used the basic format that would be recycled hundreds of times over the following years.

Writer Alana Massey gave the joke its most recognizable phrasing in 2016, tweeting: "A gathering of two or more average looking white men is referred to by biologists as 'a podcast.'" Her version pulled in over 3,000 retweets and 13,000 likes before eventually being deleted. That year, industry analysts were already noting that podcasts had crossed into the mainstream, making the joke land with particular timing.

How It Spread

The joke circulated steadily on Twitter through 2016, 2017, and 2018, with various users tweeting their own versions. Some knew they were repeating an existing joke. Others appeared to genuinely believe they'd come up with something original. Variations included "a group of heterosexual guys is called a podcast" and "two or more white guys = a podcast".

The real explosion came on February 17, 2019, when journalist Lauren Duca tweeted: "Did You Know: A group of two or more white men is called 'a podcast'". The tweet picked up over 11,000 retweets and 95,000 likes. Almost immediately, Twitter users flooded the replies pointing out that Duca hadn't invented the joke and was presenting a well-worn bit as her own.

This backlash created a second wave of virality. Users began posting the exact same joke with exaggerated claims of authorship as parody. @MurderBryan tweeted it and followed up with "I made this joke up. It's a Murder Bryan original," gaining over 3,700 retweets and 24,000 likes. User Natalie Walker joked that in hell, her job would be to log "every time someone thinks they have invented the joke 'Lin-Manuel Samantha' or 'a group of white men is called a podcast'".

The format also mutated into a snowclone, with people swapping "a podcast" for other punchlines. @rachelmilman tweeted "a group of white men is called a Kamala Harris campaign," and @PtakJones wrote "A group of white men is called a Bernie Sanders please follow my account I am trying so hard".

How to Use This Meme

The basic template is dead simple:

1

Start with "A group of [descriptor] men is called..."

2

End with "a podcast"

3

Optionally, present it as a nature fact using framing like "Did You Know" or "biologists refer to this as"

4

For the snowclone version, replace "a podcast" with any other thing associated with groups of white men (a campaign staff, a brewery tour, a fantasy football league)

Cultural Impact

The joke tapped into a real tension in podcasting culture. Despite the stereotype, podcasting is actually one of the most diverse media formats. Edison Research found that of all mediums, podcasts best represent "the ethnic and gender make-up of America". Nearly 40 percent of global podcast listeners are non-white, and over 40 percent identify as women. Shows hosted by Black women like *2 Dope Queens*, *The Read*, and *About Race* regularly top charts.

Yet the perception persists. As one culture writer told MEL Magazine: "When I think about podcasts, as a culture thing, the first image that pops up is of a bunch of guys drinking [beer] and shouting over each other on a microphone". Another interviewee pointed to shows like *Chapo Trap House* and *Jacobin* as reinforcing the male-dominated image, particularly in left-wing online spaces.

Nate Bethea, producer of the British leftist podcast *Trashfuture*, suggested the meme says more about social media dynamics than podcasting itself: "Straight white guys don't face anywhere near as much abuse online as women, non-white people or trans people. So in most cases, it's not that scary to voice your political opinions online when you're straight and you're white".

Podcast host Nastaran Tavakoli-Far added that platform gatekeeping plays a role too: "If you aren't considered mainstream, you'll be seen as a 'niche' podcast. You'll be categorized and framed in a way that lowers your chances of being promoted to the front page".

The satirical Australian outlet The Obiter parodied the joke's lifecycle with a piece about a man named "Steven Coote" who repeats the joke to himself while secretly wanting to start his own podcast about "the mid-90s tastes of director Paul Verhoeven" and "the elusive Best Pho in Brisbane". NYU Local also referenced the meme format when covering university president Andrew Hamilton's launch of a new podcast in 2019.

Fun Facts

MEL Magazine's Hussein Kesvani, who wrote one of the deepest analyses of the joke, is himself a co-host of a podcast (*Trashfuture*) hosted by four guys in a basement. He described it as "a prime example of male podcasting".

Alana Massey's 2016 tweet, which gave the joke its most viral phrasing, was eventually deleted. The joke kept spreading without her.

The Obiter's fictional character who loves the joke was described as wearing "corduroy trousers and a loose button-up short-sleeve tucked-in to the trousers and kept in place by a tastefully woven hemp belt," basically the starter pack for someone who would start a podcast.

Kesvani noted he'd been "guilty of co-opting the format" himself, tweeting a version about straight millennial men starting podcasts instead of going to therapy.

Derivatives & Variations

Snowclone variations:

Users replaced "a podcast" with other punchlines. "@rachelmilman tweeted 'a group of white men is called a Kamala Harris campaign'" and "@PtakJones tweeted 'A group of white men is called a Bernie Sanders please follow my account I am trying so hard'"[4].

Ironic authorship claims:

After the Duca incident, users posted the joke while sarcastically claiming to have invented it, turning the meme into commentary on joke theft on Twitter[4].

Biologist/nature documentary framing:

Massey's original version used "referred to by biologists as," spawning variants that frame the joke as a wildlife observation or David Attenborough narration[1].

Gendered and sexuality-specific versions:

Variations like "a group of heterosexual guys is called a podcast" and "straight millennial men working in cities" versions added specificity to the target[1].

Frequently Asked Questions