
Offline with Jon Favreau
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S2024E35 - "Trump Tours the Manosphere, Russia Funds MAGA Influencers, and Hawk Tuah Girl Cashes In"
Yayinlandi: Sep 8, 2024, 12:00 PM
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Bölümler (3 Sezon · 116 Bölüm)
Dry January, Cali Sober, Soft Sober: Why Gen Z is Breaking Up With Booze
Maybe, your friend announced they're not drinking anymore, or your sister's now "California Sober," or maybe your entire office is participating in Dry January. It's not just you, going sober is the hot new thing, with 41% of Americans aged 18 to 35 saying they don't drink at all. Today, we explore the changes in drinking culture, in how we think about wellness and health, in how we socialize and spend our free time, and yes, changes in technology, that are converging to make America sober. Max interviews Crooked producers about their relationship with alcohol and then talks to Dr. Edward Slingerland, an expert on humanity's relationship with alcohol, about why humans drink and what changed about alcohol and our world to make more people choose sobriety.
Jan 7, 2024
67 dk
The Science of Achieving (and Enjoying) Your New Year's Resolution
When it comes to sticking to a New Year's resolution, willpower alone won't cut it.
Jan 14, 2024
52 dk
Were Trump's Opponents Too Online? Plus, R. F. Kuang on Her Twitter Era Novel
RF Kuang joins Jon to talk about Yellowface, her biting satire about the internet, publishing industry, and cultural appropriation.
Jan 21, 2024
63 dk
Are Algorithms Making You Boring?
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker staff writer and author of "Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture," joins Offline to expose how online feeds push us into the mainstream and away from each other.
Jan 28, 2024
52 dk
What's Really Behind the Media Apocalypse?
Peter Hamby, host of Snapchat's Good Luck America and a founding partner at Puck News, returns to Offline to discuss whether journalism is headed towards extinction. With the latest round of media layoffs hollowing out the industry more than ever before, how will people stay informed—and do they even want to? Has the news lost its primacy in the American mind? But first! Max and Jon break down Zuckerberg & co.â€Âs testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, why children's online safety is the social media moguls' achilles heel, and whether Universal Music pulling their catalogue from TikTok is actually a big deal.
Feb 4, 2024
63 dk
Authoritarians or A-holes? Kara Swisher on Tech's Biggest Egos
Kara Swisher, longtime tech reporter and author of the forthcoming memoir Burn Book, joins Offline to talk about the tech tycoons who think they're qualified to run our country. She and Jon break down Silicon Valley's ever growing self importance, whether its leaders are more or less fascist than we think, and how big tech ate the media industry alive. But first! Max and Jon explain why Apple's Vision Pro headset is the company's most impressive—and depressing—gadget to date, and how Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are saving American monoculture.
Feb 11, 2024
56 dk
The Neuroscience of Why We're Susceptible to Lies, Outrage, ad Fascism
Cass Sunstein, Harvard professor and coauthor of the forthcoming book, Look Again, joins Offline to discuss the dangers of habituation. When things become so commonplace that they blend into the background of our everyday lives, we stop appreciating the good and identifying the bad. Jon and Cass examine how authoritarian regimes are normalized, whether you can pay people to quit their social media addictions, and why repeating lies makes them more believable. But first! Max and Jon dive into Meta's decision to stop recommending political content on their platforms, President Biden's foray onto TikTok, and what a recent Selena Gomez deepfake means for the future of scamming.
Feb 18, 2024
63 dk
An Ex-Tucker Carlson Employee Tells All
Tina Nguyen, national correspondent at Puck News, joins Offline to talk about her new memoir, "The MAGA Diaries." The book sheds light on the conservative movement's college recruitment pipeline, and how it's propelled a new generation of alt-right leaders to the upper echelons of American politics, courts, and social movements. Tina chronicles how this shadowy network helped her start out in the world of right-wing journalism, what compelled her to eventually defect to the mainstream, and all the MAGA mad caps she met along the way.But first! Jon and Max take a look at Sora, the new AI model that can turn text into video, Jon Stewart, who's back to hosting the Daily Show after 9 years away from the desk, and Favs himself — when will Jon learn to stay out of Twitter fights?
Feb 25, 2024
82 dk
Woke AI, Libs of TikTok DESTROYED, and the Offline Reality of Long COVID
Zeynep Tufekci, sociologist and New York Times opinion columnist, joins Offline to discuss why long covid has unleashed so much online vitriol, united the Senate, and exposed just how little Americans trust institutions. Jon also sits down with his producer, Emma, to talk about her firsthand experience with the disease, and how she navigates an information environment rife with suffering and confusion—but also solidarity and hope.But first! Jon and Max weigh in on Google's new "woke" AI, which has been cooking up images of Asian founding fathers, Black Vikings, and, unfortunately, racially diverse Nazis. Then, they break down Taylor Lorenz's interview with the infamous founder of Libs of TikTok, and how the long-form, short-form, and print coverage of the conversation each land differently online.
Mar 3, 2024
72 dk
TikTok Ban Returns, AOC Hounded by Protesters, and Jon Ronson on the End of Public Shaming
Jon Ronson, author of So You've Been Publicly Shamed and host of the BBC podcast "Things Fell Apart," joins Offline to discuss culture wars—why do they originate in America? Are they going too far? Are we all becoming immune to the public-shaming superbug? But first! Max and Jon break down the latest bombardment of everyone's favorite algorithm (TikTok ban) and everyone's favorite politician (AOC being screamed at).
Mar 10, 2024
62 dk
Kate Middleton MIA, UFOs, and How Conspiracies Got Fun
Kate Middleton sightings have dipped below UFO sightings, and the internet is having a heyday! It's conspiracy theory week at Offline, with Max and Jon offering up their own takes on the missing Princess of Wales. Then, they break down the latest developments of the House's proposed TikTok ban––including content creators' ludicrous theories behind what's really going on. To cap it off, Max sits down with Vox Senior Correspondent, Dylan Matthews, to talk through a new UFO report from the Pentagon. They tell the story of how UFOs were mainstreamed by an otherworldly alliance between the drummer of Blink-182, a former Senate Majority Leader, and the New York Times.
Mar 17, 2024
79 dk
Is Trump Benefiting from Our 2020 Amnesia?
Eric Klinenberg, sociologist at New York University, joins Offline to discuss why our failure to process 2020 may lead to another disastrous Trump term. His newest book, 2020, breaks down the year that reshaped our politics, unveiled cracks in our society, and transformed the ways we live, work, and interact with each other. Eric and Jon unpack how Trump's Covid-era leadership politicized public health and left Americans to fend for themselves. They discuss how to best address widespread resentment and institutional distrust, and consider how to grapple with the lasting effects of a year we'd rather forget.
Mar 24, 2024
61 dk
How to Be Happy with Dr. Laurie Santos
Dr. Laurie Santos, Yale University's "Happiness Professor," joins Offline to lay out a scientific guide to finding happiness. On her podcast The Happiness Lab and in her course Psychology and the Good Life (the most popular in Yale's 300 year history), Laurie educates people on the way our brains lie about what makes us happy and helps them reorient their priorities to find genuine happiness. She sits down with Jon to talk about the root causes of declining happiness among young people, why in-person interaction is a crucial part of being human, and why putting others before ourselves makes us happier than fulfilling what we think we want. But first! Jon and Max are surprised to learn they agree with Ron DeSantis and break down the ridiculous conspiracy theories that have taken over Twitter after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore.
Mar 31, 2024
69 dk
Are You Treating Politics Like a Hobby?
Are college educated Democrats going to cost Joe Biden the election? Eitan Hersh, a Political Science professor at Tufts, joins Offline to take a closer look at "political hobbyists," aka people who think that getting involved in politics means following the news and forming political opinions. Eitan's book, Politics is for Power, lays out a roadmap for folks who are tired of online takes and ready to get involved in politics at the community level—where engagement could make a real impact. He and Jon talk about what organizing looks like in every day life, and how the most important activism is the kind you probably won't find on social media.
Apr 7, 2024
46 dk
Trump's Stock Crash, AI Gets Junkier, and Paying to Delete Social Media
Is FOMO the only thing keeping you on social media? Have we already reached peak artificial intelligence? And are Max and Jon too old to enjoy Glorb, a Spongebob Squarepants AI that's become the hottest rapper on the internet? The guys cheer on the nosedive of Trump's media company stocks, break down the latest research in why your friends want you to quit social media, and answer mailbag questions like "will Jon ever stop getting in Twitter fights?"
Apr 14, 2024
46 dk
Right Wing Media Collapse, Trump Trial's Repost King, and How To Live Like You're Not Dying
We did it folks! Jurors for Trump's hush money trial are getting to read their resistance tweets to his face as Meta's crackdown on news is slowly asphyxiating conservative media. Jon and Max celebrate the good news, and then dive into the much more somber topic of dating in the Internet Age. It turns out Gen Z is abandoning dating apps in favor of social media and the "old school" approach of meeting people in person. Then, Max interviews blogger Jenny Livingston about what it's like to learn you're going to live 50 more years, thanks to a new drug that's working miracles for her and many other people with cystic fibrosis.
Apr 21, 2024
73 dk
The Biden Campaign's Plan to Beat Trump Online
Can Biden outpost Trump in the run up to 2024? Why is the president on TikTok if he wants to ban it? Rob Flaherty, former White House Director of Digital Strategy and current Deputy Campaign Manager for Biden joins Offline to explain. Jon and Rob talk about the ways the media environment has changed since 2020, how the Biden campaign is cutting through the noise this time around, and the importance of acknowledging voters' frustrations.
Apr 28, 2024
46 dk
How Cognitive Bias Explains Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, and Internet Malaise
We all have a caveman brain—at least when it comes to navigating the internet. Amanda Montell, author of the new book The Age of Magical Overthinking, joins Offline to explain how the "cognitive biases" that we developed to make snap decisions in prehistoric times aren't well suited to handle the volume and pace of the information era. She and Jon talk about biases like the halo effect, zero-sum biases, and declinism, and identify how these biases have supercharged celebrity fandom, influenced our news media, and made Democrats nostalgic for the George W. Bush era.
May 5, 2024
52 dk
TikTok vs Biden, Kendrick vs Drake, AI vs Loneliness
Is it time for you to make an AI friend? Jon and Max weigh the pros and cons of robot affirmation, sink their teeth into a new study on smart phone bans in schools, and then turn their attention to something they're both very qualified to talk about: the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake that's reanimating Twitter. Plus, a new East vs. West feud takes shape as the guys face off for Vote Save America's "Organize…or else" campaign. Head to votesaveamerica.com/2024 to ally yourself with your favorite Offline host.
May 12, 2024
52 dk
AI's Flirty Upgrade, Facebook's Zombie Internet, and Why We May Be Doing Mental Health Wrong
ChatGPT has officially entered its "Her" era! Jon and Max talk about the flirty AI that debuted this week, whose husky voice and warm enthusiasm evokes Scarlett Johansson. But not all the tech titans are doing so hot; Facebook's noxious combo of AI-generated content and the real people who are falling for it has been coined the "zombie internet." The guys discuss Meta's spam problem, then take a look at how mental health curricula in schools can actually make things worse for students
May 19, 2024
44 dk
ScarJo v. AI, the Digital Guillotine, and Why We Play Make Believe with Misinformation
Do we treat political affiliation like a religion? Which parts of our identity are based off factual belief vs. imaginary belief? This week, Max talks to Professor Neil Van Leeuwen about the difference between thinking and believing, the power of groupish thought, and the similarities between religious creeds and political ideologies. But first! Jon and Max break down the drama between Scarlet Johansson and OpenAI, pick apart the TikTok blockout, and suspend their disbelief that a close friend of the pod is…on Survivor?! Will he love it or leave it?
May 26, 2024
70 dk
Trump's TikTok Edge and Why Birds May or May Not Be Real
Birds Aren't Real founder, Peter McIndoe, joins to talk about the impact of the satirical conspiracy that captured the imagination of Gen Z and what he learned about the appeal of false realities after spending years in character as one of the nation's leading conspiracy theorists.
Jun 2, 2024
69 dk
How the Right Won the Internet and How the Left is Fighting Back
Why are Republicans apologists for misinformation? How should campaigns respond to online trolls? Are Democrats still using an Obama-era digital strategy? Journalist Sasha Issenberg joins Offline to talk about his new book, The Lie Detectives, and to break down how to defeat conservatives in a truth-agnostic world. He and Jon discuss how today's political class is adapting to a tumultuous and Trumpy social media landscape, and why controlling today's narrative is more elusive than ever before.
Jun 9, 2024
67 dk
Have Smartphones Created an Anxious Generation? with Jonathan Haidt
The kids are not alright, and the culprit is their phones. That's the thesis of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt's new book, The Anxious Generation. He joins Offline to discuss why he thinks smartphones and social media are fueling a teen and adolescent mental health epidemic, the evidence behind his claims, and the criticism his anti-phone crusade has received. Then he and Jon dive into the four recommendations Haidt believes will lead us out of this crisis.
Jun 16, 2024
52 dk