Doomscroll with Joshua Citarella

In this lively discussion, Will Menaker, host of Chapo Trap House, dives into the unraveling of the left-liberal alliance and the Democratic Party's challenges. He takes a critical look at partisan identities and media's role in shaping youth engagement. With a witty touch, Menaker explores the impact of humanitarian crises, like the situation in Gaza, on electoral politics. The conversation also critiques radical rhetoric and its disconnect from public sentiment, while humor is posited as a tool for uncovering truths in today's turbulent landscape.

Carmelo Pampillonio, an artist and acoustics expert, joins the discussion to reveal fascinating insights about the Monroe Institute and its groundbreaking binaural beats technology. They dive into the mysterious intersections between military research and altered states of consciousness, including Project Stargate. The conversation explores infrasound's effects on perception and health, and the potential impacts of binaural beats on brainwave activity. Pampillonio even touches on the esoteric aspects of sound, hinting at cosmic connections with lunar communications.

My guest is Dasha Nekrasova, an actor, director and host of the Red Scare podcast. We discuss Trump’s historic win, Luigi Mangione and Dasha's political journey from a Bernie Sander’s supporter in 2016 to a Trump voter in 2024. What happens to political consensus when all narratives have now become alternative? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

Mike Pepi is the author of “Against Platforms”, a bold critique of the hidden costs of digital life – and a manifesto for a better future. He is also one of my best friends and someone I have been in conversation with for over a decade.In this episode, we discuss our shared history in working to develop a new institutionalist critique of emerging technologies and platforms. The vast expansion of platforms during the 2010’s, which now encompass nearly all aspects of social life, represented a blindspot for the political left. To understand how this happened, we need to retrace the history of the 60’s counter-culture and the embrace of libertarian philosophies amongst the New Left.Since 2011, Mike Pepi, Brad Troemel, myself and other artists and writers have been engaged in an on-going dialogue that explores the ideological roots and design of platform technologies. Mike writes:“We have been taught that digital technologies are neutral tools, transparent, easily understood, and here to serve us. The reality, is that they are laden with assumptions and collateral consequences – ideology, in other words. And it is this hidden ideology that must be dismantled if we are to harness technology for the fullest expression of our humanity.”Get the book:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/761644/against-platforms-by-mike-pepi/If you’re all caught up on last week’s episode of Doomscroll, there is a subscribers only episode that can tide you over until next week. Below you can watch part 2 of my conversation with Dasha Nekrasova:We’re already moving full speed ahead, shooting and editing new episodes. You can expect to hear a lot from us in the coming weeks and months. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is Daniel Keller, an artist whose work and research has inspired me for over a decade. We discuss tech monopolies and their cozy relationship to state power, the artificial intelligence race, the chips war, network states and geopolitical competition between the US and China. These are the defining conflicts of the 21st century. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is Jack Wagner, a writer & director, host of the Otherworld podcast and one of my all time favorite posters. We discuss his experience of creative life on the internet and explore the many esoteric belief systems that have grown out of social media. We see a trend of increasing irrationality in a complex world. At the end we pay homage to one of the greatest memes ever made. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is Caleb Cain or Faraday Speaks as he is known online. In 2019, Caleb Cain posted a video on YouTube called “My Descent into the Alt-Right Pipeline”. In the video, he described his first person experience of online radicalization. It quickly went viral. Soon after, Cain was profiled in The New York Times in a piece titled “The Making of a YouTube Radical”. In 2020, he was featured again by the New York Times in the popular Rabbit Hole podcast. Today, he joins us to tell his side of the story. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

Amber A'Lee Frost, a writer and co-host of the Chapo Trap House podcast, dives into the complexities of today's political landscape. She critiques the dysfunctional left and explores how online culture influences youth political identities. Frost challenges perceptions of labor and generational responsibility, discussing the romanticization of past movements. The conversation also touches on building authentic communities and the impact of differing ideologies in personal spaces like therapy, all while advocating for practical solutions to societal issues.

My guest is musician Matty Healy of The 1975. He joins me to discuss internet culture and the strange aesthetics of our time. We explore the inspirations behind his work, including the writing of cultural theorist Mark Fisher. Matty describes the "slow cancellation of the future" by comparing distinct styles of pop music across various decades. Fisher links these cultural moments to larger economic shifts that are often felt but rarely seen. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

Yung Chomsky is the producer of the TrueAnon podcast, creator of the mobile app Phomo, and a natural athlete with 16 years of experience. We discuss his personal journey of learning to lift online while exploring exercise subcultures via forums and message boards. We sort the facts from fictions and discuss the tenuous connections between weight lifting and far right politics. This is the lifting episode. We’re all gonna make it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe