Hank Green, a science communicator and YouTuber known for SciShow, discusses his methods for making the truth go viral. He shares insights on audience connection and the challenges of misinformation. Renée DiResta, an expert on online manipulation, uncovers how influencers reshape media dynamics in today's news landscape. Douglas Rushkoff delves into the surreal survival fantasies of tech billionaires, critiquing their isolation and exploring the implications of wealth disparity in a potential dystopian future.
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insights INSIGHT
Influencer News Consumption
More people get their news from social media, perhaps because influencers seem less compromised than legacy press.
A Pew Research report found 20% of Americans and 37% of adults under 30 get news from content creators.
insights INSIGHT
Chomsky's Propaganda Model
Chomsky and Herman's propaganda model explains how systemic biases function within corporate mass media.
Five filters narrow perspectives: ownership, funding, sourcing, flack (negative responses), and a common enemy.
insights INSIGHT
Chomsky's Model Outdated?
Chomsky's model might be outdated because the press no longer controls information like before.
New gatekeepers and incentives have emerged with social media, empowering individuals.
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Published in 1957, 'Atlas Shrugged' is Ayn Rand's magnum opus and her longest novel. The story is set in a dystopian United States where increasingly burdensome laws and regulations strangle innovation and productivity. The plot follows Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive, and Hank Rearden, a steel magnate, as they struggle against 'looters' who exploit their work. A mysterious figure named John Galt leads a strike of productive individuals, persuading them to abandon their companies and disappear. The novel culminates with Galt's three-hour radio speech explaining his philosophy of Objectivism, which emphasizes rational self-interest, individual rights, and the importance of the human mind. The book explores themes of capitalism, property rights, and the failures of governmental coercion, presenting a provocative vision of a society in collapse and the potential for a new capitalist society based on Galt's principles.
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.
Manufacturing consent
Edward S. Herman
John Pruden
Noam Chomsky
Survival of the Richest
Douglas Rushkoff
A recent report from the Pew Research Center finds that 1 in 5 Americans get their news from influencers. On this week’s On the Media, YouTuber and science communicator Hank Green explains how he makes the truth go viral. Plus, hear how tech billionaires plan to escape the end of the world.
[01:00] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Renée DiResta, researcher studying online manipulation and professor at Georgetown University, about what the data tells us about how news consumption is changing. Plus, how news influencers are rewriting the power dynamics of media.
[17:04] Host Micah Loewinger interviews science communicator, YouTuber, and entrepreneur Hank Green about how he makes the truth go viral, how he connects with his audience of many millions, and how he chooses what topics to cover.
[33:44] Host Brooke Gladstone talks with Douglas Rushkoff, whose many books probe the practice and philosophy of digital technology, about whether the apocalypse survival fantasies of tech billionaires are actually viable.
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