The Second Death of Charlie Kirk

The First Things podcast episode titled The Second Death of Charlie Kirk examines how internet meme culture can alter a person's legacy after death. Writer Katherine Dee joins hosts Virginia and Germán Saucedo to discuss the "Kirkification" meme trend that followed the death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.

Dee, a writer specializing in internet ethnography and media theory, explores how the internet transforms individuals into jokes through mass coping strategies and Gen Z nihilism. The discussion suggests that the digital landscape functions as a place people inhabit rather than just content they consume, using childhood fairy tales to explain how digital folklore affects a person's image.