Dave Karpf

Brooke Harrington, an economic sociologist known for her work on wealth and offshore finance, teams up with Dave Karpf, a tech policy expert at George Washington University. They delve into the rise of 'network states,' where tech billionaires seek to replace democratic governance with their own power structures. Their conversation highlights the threats posed by AI-driven governance and the concentration of wealth among elites. They also emphasize the importance of citizen activism and storytelling as resistance against encroaching tech authoritarianism.

Paris Marx is joined by Dave Karpf to discuss Meta’s misguided attempt to turn Facebook into a metaverse company, how Wired Magazine has evolved, and why the tech billionaires are destroying the world.Dave Karpf is an Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University. He’s also the author of The MoveOn Effect: The Unexpected Transformation of American Political Advocacy and Analytic Activism: Digital Listening and the New Political Strategy. Follow Dave on Twitter at @davekarpf.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode: Dave wrote about the history of WIRED Magazine’s future predictions and why VR never dies. People Make Games made a video looking at what’s going on in VRChat. Meta’s legs demo wasn’t real. Douglas Rushkoff’s new book Survival of the Richest looks at how the rich are trying to protect themselves from the crises they’re making worse. Science fiction books mentioned: Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, and William Gibson’s The Peripheral. Support the show

Dave Karpf, a political scientist and insightful blogger on tech politics, dives into Silicon Valley's surprising rightward shift. He discusses how extreme wealth distorts reality for tech elites and critiques their absurd ambitions, like colonizing Mars. Karpf explores the intersection of self-awareness, social media, and branding among billionaires, and examines the implications of regulatory changes under the Biden administration on venture capital. He also highlights the rise of meme stocks and how ridicule plays a role in public accountability, particularly for figures like Elon Musk.

Dave Karpf, a professor of media and public affairs, discusses the chaotic scene in Chicago as ICE agents disrupted a children's Halloween parade, evoking terror among families. Karpf highlights Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's alarming warning about the impact on children and his challenge to the Trump administration to pause raids. The conversation dives into the importance of effective messaging for Democrats, the need for a strong media infrastructure to counter misinformation, and learning from historical protest strategies to engage inattentive voters.

Dave Karpf, a professor of media and public affairs, joins the discussion to detail the chaos initiated by Trump’s ICE raids at a children's Halloween parade in Chicago. He highlights the alarming response from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who warns that children are being terrorized. Karpf argues for the necessity of provocative strategies in political communication to engage low-attention voters. He connects historical civil rights tactics to contemporary movements and stresses the importance of progressive media investment to counteract conservative narratives.