Social Media, Attention Economy, and Distance

Jay examines how attention commodification creates distance, churn, and parasocial closeness to creators.

Play episode from 01:07:03

chevron_right

Transcript

chevron_right

Transcript

Episode notes

I sat down with Jay Heinrichs, best-selling author of Thank You for Arguing, to explore the lost art of rhetoric and why Americans should relearn these skills. Most of us have forgotten how to persuade one another, and in an algorithmically optimized social media era, we’re increasingly vulnerable to constant manipulation. We dig into how, from Gavin Newsom to Donald Trump, our politicians use rhetorical tactics to greater and lesser effect. The ancient Greeks treated argument as a civic virtue—a tool for building relationships and solving problems. In the modern era, where political tribes talk past each other and rely on logical fallacies, elevating our public discourse is long overdue.

_____________________________________

Learn more about Jay’s work: https://www.jayheinrichs.com/

Read Jay’s work on Substack: https://substack.com/@jayheinrichs?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page

Purchase a copy of Jay’s latest book: https://a.co/d/5BV8IEF

_____________________________________

Outline:

[0:00] What is “rhetoric” and why did we forget it?

[8:17] The collapse and rebirth of public debate

[17:28] Inoculate your kids against manipulation

[24:59] Disinterest vs “lived experience” in debate

[34:51] Arguing about the past, present, and future

[42:51] How to apply these tactics in a job interview