

Revolution.Social
Rabble a.k.a. Evan Henshaw-Plath
A podcast about the future of social media and reclaiming our digital communities.Revolution.Social is hosted by technologist and community advocate Rabble, a.k.a. Evan Henshaw-Plath — who was Twitter’s first employee and hired Jack Dorsey. In weekly interviews, Rabble will interview thought leaders, technologists, academics, and more about the need for a new social media "bill of rights." Just as the original Bill of Rights protected individual freedoms from government overreach, we need fundamental protections from corporate control and surveillance capitalism. This is the start of a conversation about what developers are building, how they're building it, and what consumers need to be asking for. Guests will include Jack Dorsey (former CEO & co-founder of Twitter); Kara Swisher (host of On with Kara Swisher, co-host of Pivot); Cory Doctorow (science fiction author & former editor of Boing Boing); and Taylor Lorenz (founder of User Mag, host of Power User).
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 21, 2025 • 1h 12min
Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine on AI Slop, Quality Content & Social Media Fragmentation
After the introduction of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, the blogging platform Medium got ten times busier, says CEO Tony Stubblebine — and that was not a good thing.
"Most of it was slop," he says. "Our job got a little bit harder on the filtering side. Actually, a lot harder on the filtering side."
Luckily, Medium had already built human-run systems to combat spam, and began deploying them to filter out AI slop. Under Tony, the company has worked to focus on high-quality writing for humans, by humans.
Today on Revolution.Social, he and Rabble talk about the enduring human need for storytelling, the role of incentives in shaping online communities, and empowering busy experts to start writing. Tony also explains why podcasting resisted monopolization while other Web 2.0 formats were captured, and why the post-Elon fragmentation of Twitter into smaller platforms is actually good for users.
Follow Rabble:
YouTube
Bluesky
This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm, and executive produced by Alice Chan from Flock Marketing.
To learn more about Rabble’s social media bill of rights, and sign up for our newsletter, visit https://revolution.social/

Aug 14, 2025 • 1h 17min
"Invisible Rulers" author Renee DiResta on Propaganda, Disinformation, & Online Abuse
Renee DiResta has spent a decade tracking how small groups can hijack global conversations — and why the same tactics still work today. The author of "Invisible Rulers" and a leading academic researcher on online influence, she joins Rabble on Revolution.Social to unpack the hidden forces shaping what we see — and believe — on social media.
Drawing on years of work investigating the history of propaganda, election interference, and networked movements, Renee shares how fringe ideas can be made to look like majority opinion on social media platforms.
She traces the evolution of propaganda from the printing press to the algorithmic age, and explores why content moderation, whether on massive platforms or decentralized networks, is so complex.
Renee describes her experiences being doxxed, harassed, and intimidated online when she joined the vaccine debate, and they discuss what it might take to build healthier, more resilient online spaces.
Follow Rabble:
YouTube
Bluesky
This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm, and executive produced by Alice Chan from Flock Marketing.
To learn more about Rabble’s social media bill of rights, and sign up for our newsletter, visit https://revolution.social/

Aug 7, 2025 • 56min
Substack CEO Chris Best on Democratizing Media, Content Moderation & Freedom of Speech
Chris Best, CEO of Substack and a driving force behind independent online writing, dives into intriguing discussions about media and free speech. He tackles the 'Nazi bar' problem and highlights the challenges of content moderation while advocating for democratized writing. The conversation explores Substack's unique business model compared to traditional media and delves into the transformative impact of AI on content creation. Best emphasizes the value of meaningful engagement over passive consumption, promoting a future where diverse voices thrive on independent platforms.

Aug 2, 2025 • 21min
Why We Need a New Social Media Bill of Rights
Delve into the concept of a social media bill of rights, recognizing its importance in the digital age. Explore the need for user ownership and algorithm transparency, contrasting the motives of big tech with user needs. Learn about the 'right to be forgotten' and the significance of personal identity ownership. Discover innovative protocols like Noster that prioritize private communication. This conversation sparks a call for a social media revolution, emphasizing the need for a more user-friendly online environment.

Jul 31, 2025 • 57min
Yoel Roth on Banning Trump, Battling Bots & the Difficult Job of Trust & Safety
"Content moderation decisions are like assholes," says Yoel Roth, the former head of trust & safety for Twitter. "Everybody's got one."
The underrated challenge of working in trust and safety is that every decision could affect millions of users, and the reasons for those decisions are often opaque. Today on Revolution.Social, Yoel and Rabble talk about what goes on behind the scenes when a platform like Twitter wants to do something like ban President Donald Trump; how moderation best practices can work on decentralized protocols; and the fallout of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.
" The most striking thing to me from a lot of that work was how a lot of the Russian accounts that we identified on Twitter weren't posting lies."
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
03:42 Yoel's Origin Story
06:25 How Content Moderation Starts
08:56 Banning Trump
11:22 The Future of Social Media Protocols
16:12 Trust and Safety on Decentralized Platforms
21:12 Inauthentic Activity and Bots
28:22 The Arms Race Against LLMs
29:47 Community Self-Governance
38:28 No, You Need Moderation
42:09 The Homogeneity of Tech Founders
46:20 Should Twitter Promote Democracy?
48:59 Why Spam Really, Really Matters
51:31 Who Else Should Be on the Podcast?
Follow Rabble:
YouTube
Bluesky
This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm, and executive produced by Alice Chan from Flock Marketing.
To learn more about Rabble’s social media bill of rights, and sign up for our newsletter, visit https://revolution.social/

Jul 24, 2025 • 49min
Kara Swisher on Tech Founders' Flaws & Why Social Apps Are the New Cigarettes
In this insightful discussion, Kara Swisher, a seasoned tech journalist and co-host of Pivot, critiques the motivations of social media founders, claiming their focus has shifted from ideals to profit. She compares tech giants to the Borg, emphasizing their relentless expansion. Swisher also advocates for user-driven community moderation, urges schools to ban cell phones, and reflects on the mixed outcomes of Elon Musk's Twitter takeover. With a keen eye on platforms like Bluesky, she emphasizes the need for healthier online spaces.

5 snips
Jul 17, 2025 • 50min
Jack Dorsey on Selling Twitter, Leaving Bluesky & What He's Building Next
Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter and Block, delves into his vision for a decentralized future for social media. He discusses the misguided trajectory of Twitter as a traditional tech company and passionately advocates for open protocols like Nostr. Dorsey reflects on his encouragement for Elon Musk to buy Twitter and addresses why he left Bluesky. He emphasizes the challenges of centralized AI firms and articulates Bitcoin's revolutionary potential in reshaping financial systems. Community engagement is key to evolving user-driven technology.

Jul 11, 2025 • 4min
The Internet Doesn’t Have to Be Like This
Dive into a transformative discussion on reshaping social media into inclusive spaces. Examine the origins and intentions behind social platforms while learning from their histories. Hear insights from notable guests, including former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, on how we can reclaim our digital communities. The conversation challenges the status quo and inspires visions of a better internet experience.