Episode 94: The AI Dystopia Acid Test with Douglas Rushkoff

The internet and drugs are deeply intertwined in a way that isn’t glib or always obvious. Being online is a deeply conscious experience that can change your perception and yeah, be pretty habit-forming. The slow dopamine drip of doom scrolling isn’t a 1-to-1 analog to doing a line of meth, of course. But it’s worth noting that both the internet and drugs are just technology.

But now the modern internet is often a dark place controlled by billionaires intent on destroying free speech, ramping up mass surveillance and massacring the environment, all while selling us this idea that psychedelics are somehow the answer to all this. As technofascism embeds itself deeper into our world, both digital and physical, what the hell do we do about it?

This episode of Narcotica is a little unusual in that it’s about tech and culture a bit more so than drugs, though there’s plenty of that. Troy Farah interviews Douglas Rushkoff, an author of some 20 books, a mass media theorist, and so much more. He also hosts a podcast called Team Human. His most recent book, “Survival of the Richest,” is about how billionaires are planning for societal collapse at the expense of regular people.

Learn more about Douglas at his website and watch his SXSW presentation here—but after you listen to this one! :p

Purchase “Survival of the Richest” and browse other books in Narcotica’s reading library.

That Rolling Stone article Troy mentioned is here.

If you liked this episode, here are others you might enjoy:
Episode 35: Holding Space — The Values of Trip Sitting with Michelle Janikian
Episode 64: LSD And Psilocybin For Physical Pain? with Greg McKee and Dr. Johannes Ramaekers
Episode 9: Speed Up, Slow Down Pt. 3 — The Cocaine Fentanyl Blues

Follow Narcotica on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and support us on Patreon. We just opened a shop where you can order Narcotica merch: narcocast.myshopify.com Help keep this podcast ad-free! Your support is appreciated!

We’re on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher and more. Tell your friends about us! Rate us! And thanks for your support!
Producers: Troy Farah, Aaron Ferguson
Music: Glass Boy / Nomad1 / Organisms by Chad Crouch
Intro voice: Jenny Schaye
Image: ArtGrafx / Flickr

The post Episode 94: The AI Dystopia Acid Test with Douglas Rushkoff appeared first on Narcotica.