Episodes
-
Birds Arenât 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 nationâs leading conspiracy theorists. But first: Is TikTok helping Trump win? Why is Google telling people to eat rocks? And whatâs the story behind the âAll Eyes on Rafahâ image going viral across Instagram? Jon and Max break it down.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
Are we all living in The Matrix? Eh, probably not. But our tech obsessed, social media driven world is a lot closer to the reality The Matrix posed in 1999 than the Wachowskis probably ever dreamed of! New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie and host of Hysteria Erin Ryan, join Max to watch the beloved sci fi film and break down the ways The Matrix inspired a generation of tech bros and why so many people â from the online right to the LGBTQ+ community to recovering tech journalists â see themselves in its allegory.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
Episodes manquant?
-
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 isâŠon Survivor?! Will he love it or leave it?
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
Ezra Klein joins Offline Movie Club to discuss âHer,â the movie that more or less incited this weekâs Scarlett Johansson v. OpenAI drama. Back in 2013, when ChatGPT was just a twinkle in Sam Altmanâs eye, no one thought a writer falling in love with his sentient virtual assistant was a near-term scenario. But here we are! Ezra, Max and Jon debate what AIs mean for relationships, how âHerâ introduced emotional stakes that are absent from AIs in real life, and why Altman definitely copies Johanssonâs husky voice in the latest GPT-4o.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
ChatGPT has officially entered its âHerâ 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; Facebookâs noxious combo of AI-generated content and the real people who are falling for it has been coined the âzombie internet.â The guys discuss Metaâs spam problem, then take a look at how mental health curricula in schools can actually make things worse for students.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
Leave it to Tom Hanks to make internet catfishing seem so darn charming! This week, Offlineâs Movie Club is watching âYouâve Got Mail,â the cozy, capitalist, and kind of creepy 90s classic. Remember when being online was a choice? When online dating was stigmatized? When Meg Ryan flounced around with unparalleled charisma? Max is joined by Jon Lovett and Crooked Executive Producer Kendra James to soak up the nostalgia of AOL, a roaring economy, and a time before Amazon.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
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 theyâre both very qualified to talk about: the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake thatâs reanimating Twitter. Plus, a new East vs. West feud takes shape as the guys face off for Vote Save Americaâs âOrganizeâŠor elseâ campaign. Head to votesaveamerica.com/2024 to ally yourself with your favorite Offline host.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
Bo Burnhamâs comedy has long captivated and caricatured the internet, but the era his songs skewer the best is the hyperactive, blood-thirsty, online world of peak-pandemic lockdown. Max, Jon and comedian Jamie Loftus discuss âBo Burnham: Inside,â in which a child of the internet breaks it down and breaks down. Was 2021 the peak of performative virtue signaling? Which host impersonated a flamingo on stage with Bo himself? Is apathy a tragedy and boredom a crime? Find out on this weekâs Offline Movie Club.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
We all have a caveman brainâat 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 âcognitive biasesâ that we developed to make snap decisions in prehistoric times arenât 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.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
When did we collectively agree that a hoodie-clad coder could wreak havoc on our society? Probably not long after âThe Social Networkâ came out. This week weâre kicking off a new bonus series: the Offline Movie Club! The hosts will dive into one of their favorite films about the internet and technology to discuss what the movie gets right and wrong, and how it shapes our understanding of the digital era. This week Max, Jon and Halle Kiefer, host of the "Ruined" podcast, break down David Fincher and Aaron Sorkinâs 2010 biographical drama. What did it get right and wrong about Offlineâs second favorite disruptor, Mark Zuckerberg? What creative liberties did the filmmakers take in retelling the story of Facebookâs founding? And has Sorkin ever given a female character a last name?
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
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 votersâ frustrations.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
We did it folks! Jurors for Trumpâs hush money trial are getting to read their resistance tweets to his face as Metaâs 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 âold schoolâ approach of meeting people in person. Then, Max interviews blogger Jenny Livingston about what itâs like to learn youâre going to live 50 more years, thanks to a new drug thatâs working miracles for her and many other people with cystic fibrosis.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
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 thatâs become the hottest rapper on the internet? The guys cheer on the nosedive of Trumpâs media company stocks, break down the latest research in why your friends want you to quit social media, and answer mailbag questions like âwill Jon ever stop getting in Twitter fights?â
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
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 âpolitical hobbyists,â aka people who think that getting involved in politics means following the news and forming political opinions. Eitanâs 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 levelâwhere 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 wonât find on social media.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
Dr. Laurie Santos, Yale University's âHappiness Professor,â 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 Yaleâs 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.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
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 Trumpâs 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 weâd rather forget.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
Kate Middleton sightings have dipped below UFO sightings, and the internet is having a heyday! Itâs 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 Houseâs proposed TikTok banââincluding content creatorsâ ludicrous theories behind whatâs 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.
Tour dates & cities: crooked.com/events
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
Jon Ronson, author of So Youâve Been Publicly Shamed and host of the BBC podcast âThings Fell Apart,â joins Offline to discuss culture warsâwhy 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 everyoneâs favorite algorithm (TikTok ban) and everyoneâs favorite politician (AOC being screamed at).
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
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 confusionâbut also solidarity and hope.
But first! Jon and Max weigh in on Googleâs new âwokeâ AI, which has been cooking up images of Asian founding fathers, Black Vikings, and, unfortunately, racially diverse Nazis. Then, they break down Taylor Lorenzâs 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.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
-
Tina Nguyen, national correspondent at Puck News, joins Offline to talk about her new memoir, âThe MAGA Diaries.â The book sheds light on the conservative movementâs college recruitment pipeline, and how itâs 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, whoâs back to hosting the Daily Show after 9 years away from the desk, and Favs himself â when will Jon learn to stay out of Twitter fights?
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
- Montre plus