Join Jia Tolentino, a staff writer at The New Yorker and bestselling author of *Trick Mirror*, as she dives deep into the complexities of our digital age. She explores the erosion of online privacy, the potential TikTok ban, and her experiment with self-surveillance during her hidden pregnancy. Tolentino reflects on how data is monetized, the unsettling realities of screen time on children, and shares her experiences growing up in Houston. The conversation swings between optimism and pessimism, ultimately celebrating the liberating power of writing.
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insights INSIGHT
Brain Rot
"Brain rot" is the feeling of declining cognitive function and attention span.
It's often attributed to excessive social media consumption, especially among younger generations.
insights INSIGHT
Gen Z vs. Gen Alpha
Gen Z recognizes brain rot in younger generations (Gen Alpha) due to constant exposure to short-form viral content.
This algorithmic content stream aims to maximize screen time, potentially hindering cognitive development.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Combating Brain Rot
Jia Tolentino combats "brain rot" by prioritizing pleasurable activities offline.
She uses apps like Freedom and SelfControl to limit her social media access.
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Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion is a New York Times-bestselling book of essays by Jia Tolentino. The book delves into various aspects of modern life, including identity, culture, and the human condition. Tolentino examines topics such as the sexual revolution, social media, and the complexities of personal identity, offering insightful and thought-provoking reflections on the world we live in today.
Poverty, by America
Matthew Desmond
In 'Poverty, by America', Matthew Desmond uses history, research, and original reporting to expose how affluent Americans, both knowingly and unknowingly, contribute to the persistence of poverty. The book details how corporate and governmental policies exploit the poor, driving down wages and forcing them to overpay for essential services like housing, cash, and credit. Desmond argues that the root of poverty lies not in the behavior of poor people but in the systemic exploitation by the wealthy. He also emphasizes the intersection of race and poverty, particularly affecting Black Americans, and calls for readers to become 'poverty abolitionists' to build a more economically just society[1][3][4].
How to Blow up a Pipeline
Andreas Malm
Writer Jia Tolentino (The New Yorker) became a literary sensation in 2019 upon the release of her best-selling essay collection, Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion. She joins us this week to ring in 2025.
We start by discussing the erosion of privacy online (11:26), the potentially forthcoming TikTok ban (13:32), and how she circumvented self-surveillance technology in her Hidden Pregnancy Experiment for The New Yorker (15:28). Then, we unpack how data is monetized online (18:00), as depicted in an unsettling scene from Succession (21:50), the harmful effects of screen time on children (26:10), and her writerly upbringing in Houston (31:48).
On the back-half, Jia recounts a formative summer in Venice (41:55), her subsequent decade working at The Hairpin and Jezebel (50:43), the trad wife phenomenon (55:00), how she swings between pessimism and optimism (1:12:19), and why writing still retains the power to liberate (1:17:00).
Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso 
