The Digital Void Podcast
85 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -The Digital Void Podcast features critical and empowering conversations about how technology, media, and creators shape our world. Hosted by Dr. Jamie Cohen and Josh Chapdelaine.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
Arthur Jones & Giorgio Angelini "Feels Good Man"
April 05, 2021 11:00 - 54 minutes - 75.1 MBFeels Good Man filmmakers Arthur Jones and Giorgio Angelini discuss how they told the story of Pepe The Frog from Boys Club to misappropriation by the far-right after the 2016 election, what it meant for Pepe the Frog to enter the U.S. Capitol building, and why we need to broaden the scope of our conversations around NFTs and digital art. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tom Syverson "Reality Squared"
March 29, 2021 11:43 - 40 minutes - 55.8 MBTom Syverson, author of Reality Squared: On Reality TV and Left Politics, explores how reality television shapes our social and political lives, and explains how we can confront today’s postmodern condition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Holding Tucker's Harassment Machine to Account
March 22, 2021 11:55 - 38 minutes - 52.6 MBJamie and Josh explore Tucker Carlson's targeted harassment campaign against Taylor Lorenz and his cycle of creating mainstream boogeymen, a brief history of digital culture journalism and why it's essential, and leveling power so we can all negotiate meaning, together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Legacy Russell "Glitch Feminism"
March 15, 2021 11:00 - 40 minutes - 55.4 MBArtist, curator, and author of Glitch Feminism, Legacy Russell explores the relationship between gender, technology, and identity, finding liberation through the glitch, the complex history of virality, and her forthcoming book, Black Meme. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Matt Klein "Memes and Meta Trends"
March 08, 2021 12:00 - 41 minutes - 57 MBCultural theorist, CyberPsychologist, and marketing strategist Matt Klein discusses the most frequently reported cultural trends for 2021, explores how the momfluencer aesthetic is being used as a gateway to QAnon and other widely believed conspiracies, and calls for a Rosetta Stone for Generation Z to help different generations understand the emotionally affective features of memes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Lucas Rizzotto "Lucas Builds the Future"
March 02, 2021 12:00 - 35 minutes - 48.3 MBCreative, futurist, and mad scientist Lucas Rizzotto explains how he's building the future through augmented and virtual reality, looks at how people can get started creating their own AR, VR, and MR projects, and explores how AR helps us reclaim what we already possessed as children. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brett Wisniewski "Language and Social Reality"
February 22, 2021 12:00 - 40 minutes - 55.7 MBEducator, musician, Classics PhD and first-year law student, Brett Wisniewski joins us to discuss how our language isn’t always able to meet the challenge of describing our social reality, the difficulties pre-digital institutions face in a digital media environment, and the forms of human expression that lay outside of commodified spaces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
David Ryan Polgar "All Tech is Human"
February 15, 2021 12:00 - 43 minutes - 60.2 MBAll Tech is Human founder, TikTok Content Advisory Council member, speaker, and writer David Ryan Polgar explores how he’s connecting the dots between individuals, industries, and universities to build the responsible tech pipeline. Polgar explains how we can create a diverse, inclusive, and healthy tech ecosystem to tackle the thorniest issues facing us today. From Section 230 to the storming of the U.S. Capitol, nothing is outside of digital tech — and it’s up to humans to create a respo...
Aidan King "Bread and Roses"
February 08, 2021 12:00 - 46 minutes - 63.4 MBPrincipal of Bread and Roses Digital and Executive Council at Campaign Workers Guild Aidan King shares his journey as a digital strategist from founding r/SandersforPresident in 2013 to launching Bread and Roses Digital, a democratically-owned digital agency working to support leftist causes, organizations, candidates, and nonprofits. King explores productive ways to battle conspiracy theories that fuel so much of popular discourse, what people can do to push through the noise of trolls, an...
Aisha Shillingford & Terry Marshall "Intelligent Mischief"
February 01, 2021 12:00 - 37 minutes - 51.6 MBIntelligent Mischief Founder and Creative Director Terry Marshall and Artistic Director Aisha Shillingford explain how they've successfully integrated satire into their civic media projects. How can we begin to address institutional injustice and tragedy when reality is absurd? Further, Marshall and Shillingford explain Nation X, their massive multi-platform immersive story world, and show how fiction can create a new reality that benefits humans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for ...
Lacking Agency and Lured into Unreality
January 25, 2021 12:15 - 32 minutes - 44.8 MBHow does QAnon evolve after President Biden's inauguration? What does the GOP's embrace of QAnon supporters mean for the future of the party? How did YouTube's algorithm change in 2014 create a community of pseudo-experts that altered objective reality? Jamie and Josh explore how a lack of agency is central to conspiracy theories, the commodification of extremism and nostalgia, and the fictions that bookend the last half-decade of electoral politics in the United States. Hosted on Acast. S...
Reed Berkowitz "A Game That Plays People"
January 18, 2021 12:00 - 38 minutes - 53 MBDirector of Curiouoser Institute and writer of, "A Game Designer's Analysis of QAnon," Reed Berkowitz explains how QAnon is similar to an experience fiction (XF) game — and how the designers of QAnon created a game that plays people. Further, Berkowitz explains his experience designing XF games, how people look for patterns where patterns don't exist, and how Q evolves from one platform to another. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
David Neiwert "Red Pill, Blue Pill"
January 11, 2021 12:00 - 40 minutes - 55.3 MBJournalist and author of "Red Pill, Blue Pill: How to Counteract the Conspiracy Theories That Are Killing Us," David Neiwert explains how the process of learning on digital platforms enables people to become radicalized and fall into conspiracy thinking, the limits of conspiracies, and how we can begin to address a national crisis. In his opening monologue, Jamie explains how the insurrectionists that sieged the U.S. Capitol building did everything for the clout of the message boards their ...
Copium, God Emperors, and the Memescape
January 04, 2021 12:00 - 44 minutes - 61.6 MBWhat is behind the Trump God Emperor meme, and how can we use it to interpret the grief that his supporters are feeling in the wake of an electoral defeat? How does Pepe the Frog represent Trump supporters in popular memes and artwork ahead of "Trump's Last Stand" on January 6? A look at how authentic and organic memes fuel movements and help win elections, and the implications of corporate memes on electoral politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Raphael Zaki "The Chaos Factory"
December 21, 2020 12:00 - 23 minutes - 32.2 MBMedia theorist Raphael Zaki and Dr. Jamie Cohen discuss whether each generation discusses the same memes in different cultural environments. From the Satanic Panic of the 1980s to Qanon today, Raphael and Jamie explore fascism, memes, and the occult. Resources: QAnon, Blood Libel, and the Satanic Panic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Michael D'Antonio "What Comes Next"
December 14, 2020 12:00 - 57 minutes - 79 MBAward-winning author and CNN contributor Michael D'Antonio explores what comes next for the United States at the borderlands of media, internet, and politics. How do we coexist in a country so deeply divided by big tech? This conversation was recorded live on December 9, 2020 in partnership with Civic Hall, as part of the Digital Void Salon Series. Click here to access the archived event video. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Grafton Tanner "The Circle of the Snake"
December 07, 2020 12:00 - 48 minutes - 47 MBAuthor of "The Circle of the Snake: Nostalgia and Utopia in the Age of Big Tech," Grafton Tanner explains how big tech’s predictive algorithms are locking us in nostalgic feedback loops and envisions a more radical nostalgia that serves the needs of the many, not just the privileged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Marc Weinstein "Satoshis and Super Spirals"
November 30, 2020 13:39 - 1 hour - 66.2 MBInvestor, start-up advisor, yoga instructor, and host of the “Look Up!” Podcast, Marc Weinstein shares strategies for us to consider how to balance a digital environment with mindfulness and spirituality, looks at the empowering potential of cryptocurrency and digital art, and the importance of true gratitude for others. This conversation was recorded a day before the 2020 US Presidential Election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From Covington to Kenosha
September 02, 2020 14:06 - 47 minutes - 86.1 MBHow did Covington High School student Nick Sandmann’s vilification by mainstream media outlets help to create a narrative that allowed for the glorification of Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse? How can we understand historical memes and their context in perpetuating an extremist ideology, and what role does Facebook play in it? What are ways for us to connect over shared human values when we’re so deeply siloed into our digital communities? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...
Nothing is Normal in the Groverhaus
August 26, 2020 11:00 - 47 minutes - 87 MBDr. Jamie Cohen explains how QANON tricks people into believing they are participating in civic behavior, why The Grover House explains the internet's structural issues, and how to have conversations with people who have been radicalized. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sherrell Dorsey "Leave It Better Than We Found It"
August 13, 2020 15:38 - 31 minutes - 57.4 MBCEO & Founder of The Plug Sherrell Dorsey joins us to discuss how understanding traditionally marginalized histories helps bring people closer together, the importance in finding joy in work and its centrality to our collective success, and what we can all do to help support each other during our current crises. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Anthony Padilla "From Comedy to Curiosity"
August 06, 2020 11:00 - 39 minutes - 72.2 MBAnthony Padilla joins us to discuss his evolution from Smosh to creating his hit YouTube series, "I spent a day with..." Here, Padilla reveals how he learned to take conversations with misunderstood and misrepresented communities seriously and describes how he's contributing to a positive change in how YouTube's algorithm works. Plus, Dr. Jamie Cohen and Josh Chapdelaine discuss the early-YouTube environment that Smosh grew to fame in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...
Gunn Enli "Mediated Authenticity"
July 29, 2020 14:36 - 46 minutes - 84.9 MBGunn Enli is the author of Mediated Authenticity: How the Media Constructs Reality and a professor of media studies at the University of Oslo. Enli discusses the paradox of mediated authenticity, why anti-establishment attitudes can appear to be more authentic than attitudes that align with accepted standards of a particular time, and challenges moralistic stances about how populism spreads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sarah Frier "The Inside Story of Instagram"
June 17, 2020 14:00 - 55 minutes - 95.1 MBHow have Instagram's corporate decisions changed the way people interact with the world? What are the ways Instagram serves as a lens into contemporary society? What's behind the social media platform's battle for attention? How can we weigh the decisions of a corporation to better understand the environment is creates? Sarah Frier is the author of "No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram" and a reporter covering social media for Bloomberg. Dr. Jamie Cohen is the founder of the New Media ...
Mitch Horowitz "The Occult in the Moment"
June 08, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBWhere are occult themes hidden in everyday discourse, culture, and media? How did writers like Norman Vincent Peale influence President Donald Trump? Which famous esoteric and occult writers influence contemporary political strategies? Mitch Horowitz is a historian of alternative spirituality and one of today’s most literate voices of esoterica, mysticism, and the occult. He is a 2020 writer-in-residence at the New York Public Library, lecturer-in-residence at the Philosophical Research Soc...
Ron Kim "The Caring Economy"
June 04, 2020 13:59 - 34 minutes - 62.6 MBNew York Assemblyman Ron Kim discusses how he's working to create a decentralized, equitable, and secure way for people to exchange value that has gone untapped for centuries. How would the Inclusive Value Ledger empower people during this moment? Plus, Kim looks at effective ways for an elected official to communicate with the public in a media environment that favors disinformation. Follow Ron Kim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rontkim/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rontkim Inclusiv...
Dr. Charlton McIlwain "The Internet and Racial Justice"
June 01, 2020 12:51 - 53 minutes - 97.1 MBJoining the Digital Void Podcast today, NYU Vice Provost, Professor of Media Studies, and author of "Black Software: The Internet & Racial Justice, from the AfroNet to Black Lives Matter," Dr. Charlton McIlwain. How did big tech become an engine for inequality? What are the limits and possibilities for using technology to push racial justice? This discussion was recorded live on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. You can view the full archived livestream of this podcast on YouTube. Dr. Jamie Cohen ...
David Starr "Us Vs. Them"
May 20, 2020 16:51 - 24 minutes - 45.2 MBToday, professional wrestler and We The Independent Co-Founder David Starr discusses how he's working to create a more financially equitable professional wrestling environment for performers. To what degree are professional wrestlers exploited? How does aspirational labor hurt professional wrestlers? How has COVID-19 affected the professional wrestling industry, and how can fans support performers? Show resources: William Cooling's article about PROGRESS' finances: https://pwtorch.com/si...
Joe Toscano "No Implementation Without Representation"
May 18, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBJoining the Digital Void Podcast Today, BEACON founder and author of “Automating Humanity” Joe Toscano. Joe and Dr. Jamie Cohen look at how people protect themselves and their data. What are ways technology can work for human interest, instead of against it? How can we imagine a better future through technology? Joe Toscano is an award-winning experience designer, international speaker, founder of BEACON and author of “Automating Humanity." Dr. Jamie Cohen is the founder of the New Media ...
Dr. André Brock, Jr "Distributed Blackness"
May 12, 2020 12:22 - 59 minutes - 108 MBDr. André Brock Jr, author of Distributed Blackness, discusses how issues of race and ethnicity are inextricable from and formative of contemporary digital culture in the United States and how digital media have reconfigured the meanings and performances of African American identity. This discussion was streamed live on YouTube on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Dr. André Brock, Jr is the author of Distributed Blackness and an Associate Professor of Black Digital Studies at Georgia Institute of Te...
Bill Loundy "Incentivizing Deep Reading"
May 04, 2020 11:00 - 59 minutes - 108 MBReadUp CEO & Co-Founder Bill Loundy discusses how ReadUp incentivizes deep reading in order to create a healthy digital community. How can a social media platform can work for humans, instead of humans working to serve the needs of a platform? This discussion was streamed live on YouTube on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Bill Loundy is the CEO and co-founder of Readup, the world's first digital platform that incentivizes deep reading and thoughtful, meaningful human interactions. Dr. Jamie Co...
Nathan Jurgenson "The Self in the Moment"
April 27, 2020 12:21 - 58 minutes - 107 MBThis week, Real Life Mag editor in chief & author of Verso Books' "The Social Photo" Nathan Jurgenson and Dr. Jamie Cohen explore identity during a pandemic. How do we view our physical selves in relation to our digital identities? What effect does Covid-19 have on the convergence of the two? What ethical considerations should we account for when migrating the majority of our work to digital spaces? This discussion was streamed live on YouTube on Wednesday, April 22, 2020. Nathan Jurgenson...
Ryan Broderick & Julia Alexander "The Streaming Wars"
April 20, 2020 12:19 - 1 hour - 118 MBBuzzfeed Senior reporter Ryan Broderick, The Verge reporter Julia Alexander, and digital media culture expert Dr. Jamie Cohen take a deep dive into the ongoing battle between streaming companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ as they battle for our attention, look at the consequences of what declining advertising rates mean for content creators on YouTube at a time when more people than ever are consuming content, and consider how human connection may fuel our interaction with digit...
Leah Williams "Affective & Authentic Storytelling in a Digital Age"
March 19, 2020 13:36 - 50 minutes - 93 MBMarvel Comics writer Leah Williams and Dr. Cohen discuss the writing process of meta texts, incorporating fan feedback into official canon, representing marginalized voices, and a writer's responsibility to their audience. Follow Williams on Twitter: @mymonsterischic Follow Dr. Cohen on Twitter: @newanddidigtal Mentioned in this show: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/10/how-the-west-was-lost/502850/ https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/27288/gwenpool_strikes_back_2...
Issie Lapowsky & Dr. Jamie Cohen "Digital Disinformation in an Election Year" - Live Salon from Civic Hall
February 20, 2020 12:00 - 42 minutes - 77.2 MBHow do we talk about digital disinformation when its systems are opaque? How can populations be ready to defend themselves from memetic and information warfare when it comes from both international as well as domestic agents? Protocol senior report Issie Lapowsky joins Dr. Jamie Cohen for a conversation about what it means to talk about disinformation in an election year, look back at the types of memetic and information warfare that occurred on social media platforms in 2016, what's happen...