Critical Media Studies

Barry and Mike discuss the main ideas in Michael Miller's article. They specifically hone in on three of his main arguments:1. That as it is often utilized on social media, (T)heory functions more as a means of accruing social capital than as a foundation for debate 2. That what he calls "weak theory" becomes anti-intellectual" in its attempt to create moral superiority3. About the public value of "progressive punitivism" as a means of achieving a moral high ground.In addition to playing with the way that these ideas work on social media, Barry and Mike look at how these ideas work in our analog existences as well.

As a follow up to their previous discussion on Deleuze, Barry and Mike look at William Burroughs' 1975 essay, "the Limits of Control" and discuss how his arguments hold up, nearly 50 years later in a (much more) digital world.

Barry and Mike discuss Deleuze's "Postscript on the Society of Control" to investigate all of the ways that he argues societies have been kept in line. As Deleuze argues that we currently inhabit two separate but related control rubrics simultaneously, there is a bit to tease out. The guys trace the history of social control according to Foucalt and Deleuze with the aim of understanding what our technologically enabled freedoms actually cost and why the freedom to do what we'd like might not be much of a freedom at all.

In this episode Barry and Mike discuss the idea of Techno-Fatalism as it pertains to Robert Christgau's response to the Ted Gioia article from The Atlantic where Gioia posited that the streaming of old music was killing new music. As both Barry and Mike are lovers of music (though not all of it "good"), this one has a bit of a personal feel to it. As such, there are new terms coined, ideas for t-shirts, and maybe* a bit of optimism. This was a fun episode. We think you'll enjoy it.

In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Baudrillard's 1985 essay "The Implosion of the Social in the Media", in which he offers a very thought-provoking thesis. Baudrillard asks what if, rather than enslaving and manipulating the masses, the media actually empowers, or emancipates them? What if all of the freedom and choice and desire that we fear might be manipulated or taken from us were the problems in the first place? These, and other "What If's", are the subject of this episode. We hope you enjoy!

In this episode Barry and Mike look at Roland Barthes' 1964 Essay "Rhetoric of the Image" and discuss his theories of advertising against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Spread across multiple foci, the discussion touches on the ways that images, despite their obvious curation, create manufactured senses of what is natural or authentic and are then used to send and sustain powerful rhetorical appeals.

The hosts discuss Marshall McLuhan's book 'Culture is Our Business' and the challenges of reading it as a collage incorporating advertising. They explore the tension between form and content in media environments, the blurring of boundaries with immersive media, and the importance of impact in advertising. They also reflect on the tension between pathos and logos in relation to McLuhan's ideas.

In this episode Barry and Mike take a look at the top 10 albums of all time according to Wikipedia. As with virtually all Top 10 lists, they take issue with what the numbers seem to say, noting some curious omissions and inclusions. However, rather than trying to rewrite history, they take a shot at explaining how and why the list looks the way that it does.

In this episode Barry and Mike take a different approach to Heidegger's The Question Concerning Technology. Rather than a traditional "what does all this mean" approach grounded in historical context, they look at the essay with a specific eye towards understanding what Heidegger can teach us about our current digital media culture and the essay's relevance for our interactions in the age of the internet and near total interconnection.

Barry and Mike look at Heidegger's "The Question Concerning Technology." They attempt to provide a little context on the work with the aim identifying his core position on technology and an explanation for it. This is not a comprehensive dive into either Heidegger or this particular essay. Rather, it is an attempt to make Heidegger's argument accessible so that it can be brought into conversation with the other thinkers they approach in addressing critical media studies.