RSA Conversations

Have feelings taken over the world? Have we lost our collective grip on rationality? And what can a panic about nothing at Oxford Circus last year tell us about our relationship with the truth? With author of 'Nervous States', William Davies. Plus a recommendation for another podcast (because we're generous like that) about social network theory. Links Nervous States - Penguin Books How feelings took over the world | Culture | The Guardian Dastardly Cleverness episode featuring Mirta Galesic Produced by James Shield. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). www.thersa.org

Anger is all the rage, but is anger itself the problem? Some people say we need to push back against anger in our politics, and respond with tranquil civility. But what if anger is the only rational response to a crisis in our democracy, and crumbling political norms? Claire Fox, director of the Academy of Ideas and author of 'I Find That Offensive!', joins Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie to discuss anger, snowflakes, and inevitably, Brexit. Links Martha Nussbaum's piece, 'Powerlessness and the Politics of Blame' David Adler in the New York Times: 'Centrists Are the Most Hostile to Democracy, Not Extremists' Claire Fox on Twitter Ian Leslie on Twitter Matthew Taylor on Twitter Produced by James Shield. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). www.thersa.org

Is it really true that we all live in our own echo chambers? Fake news and the filter bubble, post-truth and alternative facts… Are we all, as President Obama put it, ‘absorbing an entirely different reality’? In this episode we’re asking: Is our sense of a shared reality becoming even more fragile? And is fragmentation of the media the cause – or just the symptom – of our polarised politics? With guest Sílvia Majó-Vázquez, Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford. Links The Leave case for a second referendum - Matthew Taylor Getting a second referendum right - Matthew Taylor Guardian: Justine Greening endorses second Brexit referendum Dr Sílvia Majó-Vázquez, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Quillette: Political Moderates Are Lying Abilene paradox - Wikipedia Twitter: Sílvia Majó-Vázquez on Twitter Ian Leslie on Twitter Matthew Taylor on Twitter Produced by James Shield. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). www.thersa.org

Are economic divides to blame for everything else that’s broken in our politics? Does 'economic anxiety' explain the Trump and Brexit votes? And what deeper cultural undercurrents are at play in unequal societies? Ian and Matthew speak to Faiza Shaheen, director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) about inequalities in the UK and the US. And Matthew interviews the Emmy-winning director and photographer Lauren Greenfield, whose new documentary 'Generation Wealth' (out in the UK on 20th July) looks back at her career, and tells the story of how the American Dream came to be corrupted. ###Links### Full Disclosure: The Atlantic: People Voted for Trump Because They Were Anxious, Not Poor Understanding the Social and Cultural Bases of Brexit New York Times: Trump Voters Driven by Fear of Losing Status, Not Economic Anxiety, Study Finds RSA report: Addressing economic insecurity Faiza Shaheen interview: Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) Gini coefficient CLASS factsheet: How unequal is the UK? CLASS report: 'Minority Report: Race and Class in post-Brexit Britain', edited by Omar Khan and Faiza Shaheen Podcast: CLASS on Class miniseries hosted by Faiza Shaheen Lauren Greenfield interview: Generation Wealth trailer Wikipedia: Lauren Greenfield RSA Event: How inequality gets inside our heads, with Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, authors of 'The Spirit Level' and 'The Inner Level' The Provocation: Centre for Social Investigation: People’s Stated Reasons for Voting Leave or Remain A Tale of Two Houses: The House of Commons, the Big Brother House and the People at Home Twitter: Faiza Shaheen on Twitter Lauren Greenfield on Twitter Ian Leslie on Twitter Matthew Taylor on Twitter Produced by James Shield, with production help from Jade Vowles. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). www.theRSA.org

Is it inevitable that the internet and social media drive us to the extremes? Or do they just hold up a mirror to an already divided culture? And we explore the dark side of the internet – trolls, racist memes, hate-filled comment sections and increasingly virulent culture wars – and ask whether it hijacked the White House. Guest Whitney Phillips, Assistant Professor of Communication, Culture, and Digital Technologies at Syracuse University, and author of ‘This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture’ Links Whitney Phillips on Twitter Whitney's May 2018 report for Data & Society: The Oxygen of Amplification: Better Practices for Reporting on Extremists, Antagonists, and Manipulators Online Whitney's 2016 article for Slate: 'Donald Trump Is Not a Troll' Ian Leslie on Twitter Matthew Taylor on Twitter Produced by James Shield. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). www.theRSA.org

By now, lots of us have heard at least part of the story of the Facebook election scandal. Cambridge Analytica, the company in the eye of the storm, has closed its doors and is under investigation. But how effective were its methods? Can ‘psychographic microtargeting’ really swing elections and referendums? And is it already driving a wedge in our politics? Guests Chris Sumner, research director of the Online Privacy Foundation Martin Moore, director of the Centre for the Study of Media, Communication and Power at King's College London Links 'Who's zoomin' who?' – Ian's short piece on Cambridge Analytica, March 2018 Wikipedia: Big Five personality traits and OCEAN Amazon: The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard Vox: A massive new study reviews the evidence on whether campaigning works. The answer's bleak. YouTube: Rage Against the Weaponized AI Propaganda Machine - Chris Sumner's talk on the Online Privacy Foundation's psychographic microtargeting research, at the DEF CON hacker conference, October 2017 Wikipedia: Social proof Martin Moore's blog Martin's forthcoming book: Democracy Hacked: Political Turmoil and Information Warfare in the Digital Age Fisher, M., & Keil, F. (2014). The Illusion of Argument Justification. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Ian's newsletter, The Ruffian Ian Leslie on Twitter Matthew Taylor on Twitter Produced by James Shield. Artwork design by Emily Power. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). www.theRSA.org

Commentators have written at great length about left vs right, the young vs the old, ‘somewheres’ vs ‘anywheres’. But what if there’s one big divide they’re missing? Are we now a nation of liberals vs authoritarians? Divides in politics are nothing new – but are they deepening? And does the old left/right split still apply, or are there newer, different splits in British politics? The political sociologist Paula Surridge from the University of Bristol joins the RSA’s Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, to discuss. Links Paula's Medium post on the liberal-authoritarian divide The Authoritarian Dynamic by Karen Stenner 'The thing about the “gap in British politics” is it exists, but it ain’t where most commentators think it is.' - Stephen Bush from the New Statesman on Twitter, using Paula's analysis Why are there fewer election posters in people's windows? - Benedict Pringle in Political Advertising Matthew Taylor on Twitter Ian Leslie on Twitter Paula Surridge on Twitter Produced by James Shield, with production help from Alex Atack in Bristol. Artwork design by Emily Power. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). www.theRSA.org