Douglas Rushkoff, an author and professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics, tackles the profound impact of technology on society. He discusses the evolution of media, highlighting the polarization and misinformation plaguing today's discourse. Rushkoff offers insights on cultivating empathy amid divisive ideologies and the importance of community engagement. He also explores how digital platforms affect personal expression and creativity, while advocating for mindful communication and kindness as pathways to personal peace.

Douglas Rushkoff joined TrueAnon for a conversation about AI hype cycles and human connection in a digital future. Provided as a special bonus for Team Human Podcast supporters. Originally published July 13, 2023. About TrueAnonTrueAnon is a podcast about your enemies made by your friends. Join unlicensed private investigators Liz Franczak, Brace Belden, and Yung Chomsky for a show that will drive you insane.Support TrueAnon on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TrueAnonPodSubscribe to TrueAnonApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trueanon/id1474001390Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LYHwc0D2JbZGvd4dyKsizGoodPods: https://goodpods.com/podcasts/trueanon-36098🌍 You can support Team Human on Patreon to unlock access to a number of great perks including an ad-free feed of Team Human beginning June 21, access to the Team Human Discord community where we record monthly Q&A sessions with Rushkoff, special perks like free tickets to live events, Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist and author known for his insights on technology and society, joins the conversation to explore weighty topics. He discusses the importance of real-life connections over digital interactions and critiques how online platforms shape our reality. The conversation dives into algorithmic influences, mental health, and the challenges of navigating social media. Rushkoff also emphasizes the significance of genuine self-expression and community engagement in a world driven by technology, urging listeners to find purpose amidst societal changes.

Jim talks with Douglas Rushkoff about the ideas in his essay series, "What's a Meta For?" They discuss Facebook's renaming to Meta, the semantic web, ChatGPT, a Turing test recalibration period, Rocco's Basilisk, the conversion of the real world into a meta-world, Elon Musk as techno-monarch, the limitations of his understanding of free speech, returning Twitter to the people who use it, Zuckerberg's Caesar obsession, Rushkoff's criticisms of GameB, the dangers of an abstracted "omega point," understanding the complex binding energies of GameA, dominant political isms as a result of industrialism, GameB's schism over personal vs institutional change, the need to actually deliver, coherent pluralism, what being a member of GameB will mean, dangers of a totalizing narrative, not knowing what GameB is, cultivated insecurity, rejecting the metaverse, GameB's resilient response to critiques, and much more. Episode Transcript Douglas Rushkoff (website) "What's a Meta For?" by Douglas Rushkoff (part 1 and 2) Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, by Douglas Rushkoff Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus: How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity, by Douglas Rushkoff JRS Currents 051: Douglas Rushkoff on the Once and Future Internet Character.AI "If I Were CEO of Twitter," by Douglas Rushkoff "The Liminal Web: Mapping An Emergent Subculture Of Sensemakers, Meta-Theorists & Systems Poets," by Joe Lightfoot Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior, by Christopher Boehm The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, by David Graeber & David Wengrow Doomer Optimism JRS Currents 049: Ashley Colby & Jason Snyder on Doomer Optimism Named one of the “world’s ten most influential intellectuals” by MIT, Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include the just-published Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, as well as the recent Team Human, based on his podcast, and the bestsellers Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Program or Be Programmed, Life Inc, and Media Virus. He also made the PBS Frontline documentaries Generation Like, The Persuaders, and Merchants of Cool. His book Coercion won the Marshall McLuhan Award, and the Media Ecology Association honored him with the first Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity. Rushkoff’s work explores how different technological environments change our relationship to narrative, money, power, and one another. He coined such concepts as “viral media,” “screenagers,” and “social currency,” and has been a leading voice for applying digital media toward social and economic justice. He is a research fellow of the Institute for the Future, and founder of the Laboratory for Digital Humanism at CUNY/Queens, where he is a Professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics. He is a columnist for Medium, and his novels and comics, Ecstasy Club, A.D.D, and Aleister & Adolf, are all being developed for the screen.

On this episode, Author and Professor Douglas Rushkoff joins Nate to discuss how human behavior interacts with technology and how we have arrived at a place with enormous wealth and income inequality just as society is rapidly approaching biophysical limits.  Rushkoff unpacks parts of his new book, Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, on the need to collectively break away from a top-down mindset to embrace circularity and resiliency. About Douglas Rushkoff: Named one of the “world’s ten most influential intellectuals” by MIT, Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include the upcoming Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, as well as the recent Team Human, based on his podcast, and the bestsellers Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Program or Be Programmed, Life Inc, and Media Virus. He also made the PBS Frontline documentaries Generation Like, The Persuaders, and Merchants of Cool. His book Coercion won the Marshall McLuhan Award, and the Media Ecology Association honored him with the first Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity. For Show Notes and Transcript visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/36-douglas-rushkoff  

Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist and internet legend, dives deep into the evolution of media and its impact on society. He questions if true media exists today, discusses the dichotomy of digital utopias and dystopias, and explores the relevance of myth in shaping identity. Rushkoff highlights the importance of Universal Basic Income and grassroots movements, advocating for a more interconnected approach to societal issues. Throughout, he intertwines themes of magic and emotional awareness in our shared realities—an enlightening conversation with a visionary!

Sean Illing talks with technologist, media theorist, and author Douglas Rushkoff, whose new book Survival of the Richest explains how the ultra-wealthy are obsessed with preparing for the end of the world — and the troubling mindset that leads many rich and powerful people down this road. They discuss the blend of tech utopianism and fatalism behind this doomsday prepping, how Silicon Valley and "tech bro" culture have incentivized a kind of misanthropy, and why the world's billionaire class can't see that the catastrophes they fear are of their own making.Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray AreaGuest: Douglas Rushkoff (@rushkoff), author; professor, media studies, CUNY Queens CollegeReferences:  Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires by Douglas Rushkoff (W.W. Norton; 2022) "Epson boobytrapped its printers" by Cory Doctorow (Medium; Aug. 7) "Cosmism: Russia's religion for the rocket age" by Benjamin Ramm (BBC; Apr. 20, 2021) The Selfish Gene (1976) and The God Delusion (2006) by Richard Dawkins Francis Bacon, Redargutio Philosophiarum (1608), tr. by Benjamin Farrington in The Philosophy of Francis Bacon (1964): "Nature must be taken by the forelock . . . lay hold of her and capture her" (p. 130). "Power changes how the brain responds to others" by Jeremy Hogeveen, et al., Journal of Experiential Psychology (Apr. 2014) What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill (Basic Books; 2022) Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff (W.W. Norton; 2021)  Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app.Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcastsThis episode was made by:  Producer: Erikk Geannikis Editor: Amy Drozdowska Engineer: Patrick Boyd Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi Klein and Douglas Rushkoff discuss her new book, Doppelganger, exploring the mirror world. Rushkoff shares a white supremacist's rejection of economic common sense. They delve into controversial ideas, the tragedy of the commons, conspiracy culture, identity politics, and the role of art in addressing urgent predicaments.

Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist and futurist, dives into the apocalyptic tendencies of the ultra-wealthy. He discusses their investments in farmland and underground bunkers while questioning the motivations behind their tech-driven survival strategies. Rushkoff highlights the absurdity of relying on military protection, critiques the isolationism of the affluent, and emphasizes community resilience over luxury preparations. With a mix of insights and humor, he urges us to confront the disconnect between wealth and societal realities.

In this episode we sit down with Douglas Rushkoff, a media scholar, journalist, and professor of digital economics who has a new fire in his belly when it comes to the world of billionaire preppers, which comes across in his new book Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires – inspired by his invitation to consult a group of the world’s richest people on how to spend their money now to survive an apocalypse they fear is coming within their lifetimes.Live Event at Caveat: https://caveat.nyc/event/how-minds-change-9-20-2022How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehomeShow Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.comNewsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.comDouglas Rushkoff's Website: https://rushkoff.com