Max Fisher is a New York Times investigative reporter, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and author of the vitally important book: 'The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World'—a referendum on Big Tech and the social media platforms that that have come to monopolize our attention, foment division and fracture our world.Today's conversation covers Max’s journey to reporting on social media and politics, the specific ways social media changes its users’ morality, and how algorithms can make users more prone to violence.We also dive into cutting-edge research on how social media inculcates a super-exaggerated feeling of outrage and intolerance, making users more likely to believe misinformation and the complicated role offree speech in it all.Finally, we discuss the implications of data harvesting human behavior—and why social media addiction is so terrifying.Watch: YouTube.Read: Show notes.This is an admittedly scary but crucial conversation about how social media’s reach and impact run far deeper than we have previously understood.I hope you learn as much as I did—and adjust your screen time accordingly.Peace + Plants,Rich

As 2022 comes to a close and a new year beckons, we are presented with an opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months. Explore new aspirations. And set intentions for the year to come. Allow me to indulge this truth by introducing Part Two of my annual yearbook—an auditory anthology of the year’s most compelling conversations. Enjoy the best of the year.Guest List + Full Episode Links: RRP 692: Malcolm Gladwell RRP 723: Mel Robbins RRP 715: Casey Neistat RRP 718: Whitney Cummings RRP 695: Peter Attia, MD RRP 678: Gemma Newman, MD RRP 702: Dr. Gabor Maté RRP 714: Robynne Chutkan, MD RRP 703: Max Fisher RRP 660: Sylvia Earle RRP 701: Ken Rideout RRP 694: Colin O’Brady & Jenna Besaw RRP 705: Paul Conti, MD RRP 670: Earthling Ed Winters RRP 681: Chip Conley Show notes + MOREWatch on YouTubeNewsletter Sign-UpPeace + Plants,Rich

Ben Smith, Semafor founder and former Editor-in-Chief of Buzzfeed News, joins Offline to discuss what the shuttering of newsrooms at Buzzfeed and Vice means for the future of journalism. Ben’s new book, Traffic, traces the rise and fall of the digital media era. He and Jon talk about the personalities and publications that caused this phenomenon, the value of clickbait, and how the race to go viral was doomed from the start. Then, Jon and Max Fisher reunite to recap their week without iPhones and introduce next week’s Unplug Challenge. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. 

Jon welcomes Max Fisher, Crooked’s newest team member, to the Offline family! Max, former New York Times reporter and author of The Chaos Machine, joins the show as a recurring contributor, bringing fresh commentary, segments, and even interviews to Offline. This week he and Jon put their heads together to decode AI hysteria, the TikTok ban, and whether big tech has passed its prime. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. 

Max Fisher, New York Times reporter, explains how social media rewired our minds and offers strategies to break free. Topics include the manipulative power of social media platforms, the impact of social media on outrage and well-being, and the need to understand its influence and decrease usage.