Renée DiResta, a technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory, tackles the evolving landscape of media manipulation. She discusses the dual nature of podcasts, revealing how they can impact thought and opinion while also risking audience capture. Delving into misinformation's role in shaping public perception, Renée emphasizes the ethical responsibilities of influencers and highlights the importance of open communication across polarized ideologies. She also explores the emotional challenges of confronting harmful ideas, providing strategies for effective discourse.
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Audience Capture in Podcasting
Podcasting, like newsletters, presents a different form of audience capture.
The desire to maintain an audience can lead podcasters to avoid challenging their listeners' views.
question_answer ANECDOTE
RFK Jr.'s Podcasting Strategy
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leverages podcast dinners to spread his ideas and gain followers.
He targets podcasters, pays them, and seeds ideas, demonstrating how certain actors exploit new mediums.
insights INSIGHT
Influencers Prioritizing Engagement over Truth
Some podcasters and influencers prioritize audience engagement and reactions over truth or responsibility.
This behavior, driven by a desire for attention and influence, resembles professional wrestling with real-world consequences.
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The Brass Check, published in 1919, is a critical analysis of American journalism, focusing on its commercialization and political biases. Sinclair critiques newspapers and the Associated Press for serving the interests of their owners rather than the public. He proposes reforms to address these issues, including laws to ensure accuracy and the unionization of journalists.
Trust Me, I'm Lying
Confessions of a Media Manipulator
Ryan Holiday
In 'Trust Me, I'm Lying,' Ryan Holiday exposes the inner workings of the online media system, detailing how rumors and false information can quickly spread from low-level blogs to major news outlets. The book highlights the role of marketers and media manipulators in this process, driven by the toxic economics of the news business. Holiday shares his own experiences as a media manipulator and provides insights into the social science behind why this system is so vulnerable to manipulation. He also offers advice on how to spot and combat these manipulative tactics[1][3][5].
Invisible Rulers
The People Who Turn Lies into Reality
Renee DiResta
Renée DiResta’s investigation reveals how power and influence have been transformed by a virtual rumor mill of niche propagandists. These propagandists, despite positioning themselves as trustworthy, wield significant reach, influence, and economic power, undermining the legitimacy of institutions and reshaping politics, culture, and society. The book exposes the machinery and dynamics of the interplay between influencers, algorithms, and online crowds, and offers strategies for leaders to adapt and counter these forces.
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
Neil Postman
In this book, Neil Postman argues that the contemporary world is more akin to Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' than George Orwell's '1984'. Postman contends that television's emphasis on entertainment has led to a decline in rational discourse and the trivialization of politics, education, and religion. He contrasts the print-based culture of the 19th century with the televisual culture of the 20th century, highlighting how the medium of television inherently promotes incoherence and triviality, turning serious information into a form of entertainment.
How information (and misinformation) spreads online continues to change with the media landscape. Renée DiResta and Ryan continue their conversation on the role of podcasts as a medium, the pitfalls of audience capture, and the dynamics of social media silos. They talk about the ethical responsibilities of influencers and podcasters, the influence of personal relationships in media, and the impact of counter speech.
Renée DiResta is a technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory and has briefed world leaders, advised Congress, the State Department, and a myriad of organizations on how online manipulation can take different forms.
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