wavePod

Get Wave AI

PR Turbulence: When the Internet Turns a Moment Into a Brand - Help Wanted | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Back to Help Wanted

PR Turbulence: When the Internet Turns a Moment Into a Brand

Help Wanted

Tue May 05 2026

Summary

Help Wanted – "PR Turbulence: When the Internet Turns a Moment Into a Brand"
Podcast: Help Wanted
Date: May 5, 2026
Hosts: Jason Feifer (Entrepreneur EIC), Nicole Lapin (Money Expert)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the viral story of a woman on a flight who became the target of internet outrage after refusing to give up her assigned seat for a toddler. Jason and Nicole dissect the incident, exploring the effects of online shaming, gender expectations, and the long-term impact a viral moment can have on a person's professional life. They also examine the new realities of privacy, public judgment, and reputation management in the age of social media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene: Viral Airplane Seat Incident

Background: A Brazilian bank employee became a viral target after politely asking a toddler to vacate her designated airplane window seat. The situation escalated when the child and mother reacted negatively, the mother loudly berating the woman.
Viral Fallout: A bystander filmed and posted the encounter online, leading to a massive public backlash and ultimately the woman’s departure from her banking career. (03:30–05:59)

"She [the woman] came out and said that the viral video led to severe online shaming. It adversely affected her mental health, her career...So much so that today I am no longer in the field I worked in before." — Nicole Lapin (05:25)

Would You Switch Seats? The Ethics of Airplane Etiquette

Jason and Nicole ponder the moral obligations when asked to move for another’s convenience—especially involving children.
Jason relates as a parent, but maintains that he would, like the woman, assert his assigned seat, especially against parental pressure for toddler whims.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with going about your adult life despite that a small child has asked for something...It is my responsibility to teach my children that they don't get everything they want, including from strangers." — Jason Feifer (10:36)
Nicole suggests she might have moved in the past, but notes how the story reframed her thinking about setting boundaries and the negative perception, especially when women do so.

"It makes her somebody with boundaries, and boundaries are not a public offense." — Nicole Lapin (12:36)

The Gendered Double Standard & Internet Villains

Nicole highlights the gendered expectations—public shaming is disproportionately worse for women asserting boundaries, particularly with issues involving children.

"We've created this new social script where, you know, a woman is expected particularly to be endlessly accommodating, especially when it comes to kids." — Nicole Lapin (13:38)
Both hosts cite other public transport viral incidents—train seats, luggage storage, etc.—where decisive women became the internet’s “villains.”
Jason credits Nicole for flagging the gendered aspect, noting his wife Jen’s similar frustration with the public response.

The Dangers of Online Judgment & Loss of Context

Jason draws a parallel with a personal experience: people misjudging a video he posted of firefighters at work, critiquing their performance without context. (17:04–22:43)

"The mistake that we all make when we see a little clip of something online is that we assume two things at the same time. Number one is that we have all the information...and number two is there's something else in this story that isn't being said that we can figure out.” — Jason Feifer (16:18)
Both hosts stress the need for humility and restraint before judging viral moments, emphasizing we never see the full story.

"If we would ask ‘what do we not know’ ... I think that we would all be a lot more understanding." — Jason Feifer (22:42)

Legal, Career & Privacy Ramifications

The woman at the center of the viral incident sued the airline and the person who posted the video, seeking to set a precedent against public shaming and unauthorized exposure. (24:10–25:20)
Nicole is ambivalent about the damages, noting the woman has since gained millions of followers and received brand deals, blurring victimhood and opportunity.

"She’s also apparently leveraged this unexpected online fame to get 2 million Instagram followers and has secured a few brand deals...It feels a little off to me." — Nicole Lapin (25:23)
Jason raises the question of the "reasonable expectation of privacy" and calls into question whether lawsuits will fix internet pile-ons, but maintains the moral issue is more important than the legal one.

Employer Perspective: What Happens Next?

Nicole raises the issue of “Google-ability”—how a viral scandal becomes a digital scarlet letter for any future job seekers.
Both hosts share stories of giving candidates a second chance despite negative news coverage—a call for employers to look past headlines and contextless viral moments. (29:50–33:14)

"If you're going to reach out for another job...you just have to acknowledge it. You are going to see this viral news story...and what I want you to know is that not only am I not a monster, but I also learned something really interesting about that experience that I could bring to bear at your company.” — Jason Feifer (30:17)

How Should We Share Viral Moments Responsibly?

Jason suggests a “middle way”: film or share events for awareness or humor, but anonymize those involved (e.g., don’t show faces or identifying details). (27:00)

"If you see some crazy thing happening...do it in a way in which nobody's face is shown. Just put nobody else in harm's way." — Jason Feifer (27:13)
Nicole jokes that even anonymizing isn’t foolproof—“Unless it's Fabio and then it’s recognizable”—but agrees in principle.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Parenting and Perspective:

"The greatest sound you can hear on an airplane is a crying child who is not your child." — Jason Feifer (07:41)
On the Recipe for Chaos:

"A recipe for chaos is making lots of changes because a toddler asked you to." — Jason Feifer (12:48)
On Gendered Social Scripts:

"Apparently there's more of a sense that the second a baby cries near you, you need to become Mary Poppins." — Nicole Lapin (13:52)

Important Timestamps (MM:SS)

[03:30] — Incident overview and viral aftermath
[10:36] — Jason’s stance as a parent on the scenario
[12:36] — Nicole on boundaries and gender expectations
[16:18] — Dangers of online judgment, Garbage Day reference
[17:04] — Jason’s house fire analogy
[22:42] — “What do we not know?” key lesson
[24:10] — Discussion of lawsuits and reasonable privacy
[27:13] — Jason’s rule for responsible sharing
[30:17] — Handling reputation when applying for jobs
[33:14] — Employers looking past viral incidents
[33:40] — Nicole and Jason joke about crisis comms career pivot

Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is candid, humorous, and empathetic, balancing serious critique of internet culture with relatable anecdotes. Both hosts advocate for more nuanced, compassionate consideration of viral incidents, challenge gendered double standards, and encourage drawing teachable moments from tough experiences. The episode is both a cautionary tale and a call for more compassionate digital citizenship.

Loading summary...

Transcript

Nicole Lapin (0:00)

I travel a lot for work. When I have to get off a

Nicole Lapin (0:02)

flight and go straight to a meeting, an airport lounge makes all the difference.

Nicole Lapin (0:07)

I can get something to eat and

Nicole Lapin (0:08)

clean up a bit. That's why I was so excited to see that Chime has added airport lounge access to its travel card. But that's not even the best perk. They offer the Chime Travel Concierge to help schedule flights, book hotels and plan entertainment on your next trip. I can totally see how useful that will be on our upcoming big trip. Chime is changing the way people bank. They offer the most rewarding fee free banking. Chime members can benefit from up to $1,150 in annual rewards fee free. They're not like traditional old banks that charge you overdraft and monthly fees built for you, not the 1%. Chime is not just smarter banking. It is the most rewarding way to bank. Join the millions who are already banking fee free today. Head to chime.comhelpwanted that is chime.com helpwanted it only takes a few minutes to sign up.

Chime Disclaimer Voice (1:13)

Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services for MyPay and Chime card provided by Chime's bank partners. Optional products and services may have fees or charges, stated annual percentage yield and cash back for Chime prime only. No minimum balance required. Checking account ranking based on a J.D. power survey published October 20, 2025. For more information on APY rates, MyPay, Spot Me and travel perks, go to

Nicole Lapin (1:27)

Chime.com disclosures We've had some big wins at my company this year. The wins that mean it's time to expand. Bringing new people onto the team isn't something I take lightly. These people are going to help shape the content that goes out into the world with my brand and my name attached to it. So when I'm hiring, I need to make sure my job listing lands in front of the best possible people. Not just good, the best. Which means this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results when you need the right person to cut through the chaos. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com podcast just go to Indeed.com podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. This isn't Your job. This is a job for indeed sponsored jobs.

Jason Pfeiffer (17:04)

You know what would be amazing, actually? Well, here's a. Here's, here's a appropriately or not appropriately, I suppose, which is a anecdote that is related to a house fire that is not your house fire. But too soon. Maybe too soon, but I don't know, I'm going to go for it anyway. And then you tell me. Stick around. Help Wanted. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Help Wanted. Let's get to it. So about a year ago. Have I told you this story? About a year ago. Won't remember. I. Well, then neither will our listeners. I was at work in my office, my home office, and Jan, my wife, she's like, there's a fire. I'm calling 91 1. And I was like, there's a fire. And I ran upstairs where she's looking out the window. And so just picture it that we live on. We live on a Brooklyn street, and we live in a. It's like a standalone house. And if you look in the back of our house, you just see the house behind us, right? Like, it's just one of these tight urban cores. And so in the house behind us, on the street behind us, two houses down, so like three houses away from us is a house that is on fire. And, and so Jen spotted this super early, and she called 911. And she's got 911 on the phone, and she doesn't know the address of the house to tell them. So she's like, run over to that house and find the address of the house. So I run over to the house, and I find the address of the house, and I call Jen. But by this point, it doesn't matter because someone else had called 911, and the fire department is just showing up. And so. So I now, to show my family, I film the very, very beginning of this, which is the fire. Firefighters, the very first firefighters are running to the house. Like, it is incredible to see these people. Like, they don't know what's going on. They just showed up. They're running into the house, and, like, some of them get. Some of them, like, start with a hose, and some of them are running into the house, and. And I filmed this for, like, a minute, and, you know, I kind of pan up to see the smoke, and. And then I stand there for another minute. I watch them, and then I. And then Jen calls, and she's like, you should get into the back of our house with a hose in case the fire, like, comes towards us. And I said, that's a good idea. So then I run home, and that's what I do. And so now I'm standing out there with a hose. And. And while I'm standing there and watching these, what ultimately happened was two fire. Two houses were burned. I. I tweet that video, and I tweet the video, and I just say, you know, the fire near my home in Brooklyn, very scary. That's it. And people respond appropriately. And then there's one guy who does not, and that one guy says something to the effect of those firefighters are disorganized and. And, like, not up to the task. And this is why things burn or something. Something crazy like that. And, yeah, it was crazy, but, you know, that's the thing, is if you put something on the Internet, like, somebody will find a way to be upset by it. So, anyway, I saw that, and I was really angry at that tweet. And I know that people say dumb stuff, but, like, I am currently watching these houses burn, and I'm watching my neighborhood get full of more and more and more firefighters. And they were like, it. I mean, it was an incredible response, right? Like, they swarmed the area, and they saved the block. This fire would have spread across the whole block. My house would have been destroyed. And I thought, what would have happened if this guy who saw that video asked himself a Simple question. And that simple question was, what don't I know about this situation? Because if he had asked, what don't I know about this situation? There were a lot of answers. I don't know how long this fire has been burning. I don't know if those were the first firefighters on the scene or if they've been there for an hour or two. I don't know anything about this neighborhood or what. How close other houses are. There's so many things that you don't know. And as soon as you recognize all the things that you don't know, it becomes preposterous to say something like that. Because the thing was that those firefighters weren't disorganized as he was saying it. They were the first guys on the scene, and they were just sussing it out. They didn't know how dangerous the situation. They didn't know anything. And they were figuring it out to make an assessment that, like, this was the fire response. Like, if that was it three hours later, it was like, you know, guys weren't sure what was going on. Well, that I guess brought. But, like, that's not what you saw and you didn't know.

Jason Pfeiffer (26:27)

Although, in that case, I feel like she's. She's playing the hand that was dealt her, you know, like, she. She wasn't looking for this, presumably, and. And yet it happened. And, you know, if I were her, I would look at the situation. I'd say, well, what do I. What do I have now? I have a lot of people yelling at me online, but I probably also have a lot of people who like me, and. And now I got a lot of Instagram followers, and I think there's a way to make money off of that. You know, I don't begrudge for that. Right. No, you try to. Try to take the good with the bad. All right. Finally, I will offer a rule, a proposed rule, a middle ground culturally and social media ishly. And you can tell me if this is a fine rule or not. The rule is this. If you see some crazy thing happening and you want to share it and you want to film it, then just do it in a way in which nobody's face is shown. Like, that feels. Because, like. So I was on an airplane a couple weeks ago, and there was a dude with long black hair sitting directly sitting in the seat in front of me. And he kept, like. He kept, like, running his hands through his hair and then his hair. He wasn't aware of this clearly, but his hair would then be draped over the back of his seat. So it was, like, in front of me, like, in front of the screen that would be in front of me. So I had to look at his gross hair and, like, I didn't like this. But the only. The only good that I could draw out of this, because I certainly wasn't going to tap him on the shoulder and be like, excuse me, sir, your hair. I guess I could have done that, but I didn't. Instead, what I did was I took a photo of the hair in the seat and I posted it to Instagram. And I was like, well, this is disgusting. And, you know, I enjoyed the responses that I got. Now, this would follow my rule because he is not identified at all. There's no way that Any repercussion comes to this guy, all we see is his hair. And I feel like that's a fine middle ground. Like, capture the thing in the moment, capture the thing that you're seeing. Just put nobody else in harm's way. What do you think?

Jason Pfeiffer (31:06)

or here's how to. Here's how to stay cool under pressure. Like, I understand how the Internet works now. And whatever it is, like, there's. There's always, like, every bad thing that happens to you is. Is also an insight that you can use and tell your story in a different way. But I. I did at a previous job, I. We got an application by a guy who. I don't know if you remember this, but in the 10, 15 years ago, when. When aggregation, like news sites started to aggregate heavily, which, for people who don't know what that means, basically, like news sites, all news sites, every publication, they would hire a team of very young journalists whose job was to just see what was what stories were trending online, and then as fast as possible, write their own versions of these stories. So. And the idea was just to, like, chase traffic. And then a bunch of these reporters and a bunch of these young journalists then would have these explosive situations where somebody would discover that they've been plagiarizing, and then it would ruin their careers. You know, this person is plagiarizing for the Washington Post. This person is plagiarizing for. For the Atlantic. And, you know, I saw those stories, and I always felt bad for these kids because they're being put in an impossible situation. They're basically asked to write, like, 10 stories a day. They have no resources. Nobody is overseeing them, and they're moving so fast. And frankly, their job is to not do original work. Their job is to be copying and pasting stories and then just, like, rewriting them. Why? For this? Because that, you know, sometimes they just, like, accidentally let some of the original language from the Associated Press story slip in when they wrote their Washington Post story. And should they have not done that? Yeah, but, like, also, they're given no resources, and what they're being asked to do is ridiculous and impossible. And so anyway, one of those people who had a. It was like a whole big thing. There were all sorts of stories applied for a job at a magazine that I was working at, and we had a conversation about it internally, and I said, I think that this candidate looks very qualified, and I think that this thing that happened to them was unfair, and it's worth talking to them. And, you know, they were great, and we hired them, and they were great. We should be looking past these little moments where we don't know everything.