Doomscroll with Joshua Citarella

My guest is comedian Peter James Fowler. He joins me to discuss his political meme account that he ran at age 11. I’ve spent the last few years interviewing young people who make radical posts online. Peter shares his journey from growing up in evangelical Christianity, to new atheism, and from Trump to Bernie. 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 artist and geographer Trevor Paglen. His groundbreaking work links new technological developments to larger political issues that are often secret or unseen. We discuss the emerging paradigm of "psyops capitalism", the history of the CIA's MK Ultra psychological operations and how magic shapes our perception of reality. These technologies culminate to form a new economic order of private surveillance, manipulation and financial extraction. 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 ‪JJ McCullough a YouTuber who was previously a TV political commentator and columnist at the Washington Post. We discuss generational shifts from the political left to right, explore the state of alternative media and debate the origins of right-wing populism. While we disagree on some core issues, we always grant each other the space to fully argue an idea. My analysis and understanding is strengthened through our on-going dialogues. 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 Jreg or Greg Guevara as he is known offline. Jreg is a popular YouTube creator who explores online radical politics. He joins me to discuss our shared fascination with incredibly niche ideologies that only exist online. We explore social atomization as a political project and agree that taking the friend pill is the best advice you can find. 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

In this chat, Catherine Liu, a professor at UC Irvine and author of 'Virtue Hoarders,' dives into the origins of trauma studies and the depoliticization of trauma in today’s narrative culture. She critiques the professional managerial class and its disconnect from the working class, examining how moral superiority shapes politics. Liu addresses the evolution of leftist thought, the impacts of neoliberalism, and the cultural implications of job precarity in the medical field. A fascinating exploration of class, authenticity, and the shifting landscape of American ideology!

My guest is Brace Belden, an organizer, an infamous shitposter and co-host of the TrueAnon podcast. I’ve spent the last few years interviewing young people who make radical posts online and later find their way into real world politics. Irony and humor play a huge role in this process. For the first episode, I wanted to talk to one of my favorite posters who has also lived his politics in the real world. 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

Max Read joins me to discuss "the Zynternet", a newly emergent online youth subculture. We explore the For-You-Pagification of social media, the revenge of the normies and the future of online subcultures.This kind of independent research and trend-casting is supported entirely by listeners and readers like you. If you enjoy this work, find these insights useful (or at least mildly entertaining) please consider becoming a monthly paid subscriber or get a discount for the full year:In the intro to this podcast we discuss tech’s recent pivot toward the Trumpian right and it’s national conservative agenda, alongside some new regulatory proposals that will shape our big platforms under the next administration.The majority of this episode is spent exploring a new and somewhat distasteful subculture of young men on today’s internet. We track some of the larger cultural and economic developments that have led up to this, including the legalization of online sports betting, TikTok’s impact on American platforms and the late adoption curve of social media.Max writes:Over the last ten years or so, a broad community of fratty, horndog, boorishly provocative 20- and sometimes (embarrassingly) 30-somethings--mostly but by no means entirely male--has emerged to form a newly prominent online subculture. This network is adjacent to the “sports internet” of 40something dads and the “hustle internet” of Miami crypto b******t and the “reactionary internet” of trad influencers, but is its own distinct community with its own distinct cultural referents--college sports, gambling, light domestic beers, Zyn nicotine pouches--and influential personalities and media outlets, among them Dave Portnoy, Pat McAfee, Antonio Brown, and Call Her Daddy, in addition to dozens of minor podcasters and hey-fellow-kids content creators who nearly all work for sports-betting concerns.Max is one of my favorite writers on Substack. I highly recommend checking out this important piece and following his newsletter: 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

Alex Hochuli is a co-host of the Aufhebunga Bunga podcast and a co-author of "The End of the End of History: Politics in the 21st Century". He joins me to discuss universalisms, organization and the difficult way forward.Follow:https://x.com/bungacasthttps://x.com/Alex__1789Joshua Citarella's Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber: 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

Otherworld presents Deep Research. This week, we’re covering “Tartaria”. Tartaria is a conspiracy theory that suggests the existence of a vast, advanced civilization that supposedly existed in ancient times but has been intentionally erased from historical records. Proponents of this theory often claim that Tartaria was a highly developed and technologically advanced empire with a global influence, surpassing the conventional understanding of history. They argue that evidence of Tartaria's existence is hidden or manipulated by a secretive global elite. The conspiracy theory often incorporates a variety of historical events, architectural anomalies, and symbols to support its narrative.Research links:https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria/comments/wggxfa/itsmorganfr_on_tiktok_explaining_tartaria/https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp78-02771r000200090002-6https://www.youtube.com/@jonlevichannelhttps://www.youtube.com/@MindUnveiledhttps://www.reddit.com/r/tartarianarchitecture/https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria/https://www.tiktok.com/@watch_the_rabbit_hole/video/7197053113310661890?lang=enhttps://www.tiktok.com/@auntytateana2/video/7161746777069145350?lang=enhttps://youtu.be/4N-GDmlDMts?si=LH4ot7FLSsgzdd3Yhttps://www.tiktok.com/@zacharydenman/video/7193705054363258117?lang=enhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-04-27/inside-architecture-s-wildest-conspiracy-theoryhttps://youtu.be/dtU_M0Sjd9Y?si=LOds3f6Nj-KXktMQ&t=332Follow:https://www.instagram.com/otherworldpod/?hl=enhttps://www.patreon.com/Otherworld 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

I sat down with Catherine Liu, author of Virtue Hoarders (2021) and professor of Film & Media Studies at UC Irvine, for her new series at Montez Press Radio. Catherine writes, “This series, Workers of the Culture Industry Unite! (LOL) tries to address the problems of artists' work in the age of finance capitalism… At a time when the corporations and institutions that support artists are suffering from endless crises of legitimacy, how can we have better conversations about what artistic and aesthetic freedom really look like.”Follow:https://www.instagram.com/montezpressradio 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