Listening to Douglas Rushkoff, who is listening… A recent addition between his usual “Interviewing an author, artist or activist” episodes, these “Kibbitz” ones are less overwhelming. Like call-in-radio for people who have read his books and Medium articles, stumbled onto his website, followed his Twitter feed and Team Human podcast, subscribed with some cash, maybe watched his PBS documentaries…
Topics in this episode range from bitcoin and billionaire “preppers” to overcoming cynicism, and the role of kindness… face to face encounters with people you have no rapport with. Structural analysis… “Denaturalization…” Media studies… How to read deeply…
Great critique of colleges’ online education platforms in response to one of his callers. Long term thoughts of “teaching in public a la carte forums.”
Another caller crossreferences another podcast, “Your undivided attention,” with a recent critique of TikTok, to ask about how we find hope. (I went out and found it, but haven’t listened yet.)
Rushkoff has abandoned Facebook (or so I read on Twitter) for its lack of ethical tech support when accounts and data are stolen or hacked, including a “fan” account related to his work…. but in answer to that caller he mentions his daughter using Tik-Tok, which I hope he goes into more in a future podcast… Or maybe he has already.
I guess I’ll have to search his archives. Maybe it’s time to become a paying member? He still talks so fast with so many ideas that my head spins. Maybe he has an article about that somewhere too… Possible title: “I am not a cult: How to join.”
Any Team Human members out there?
Anyone else trying to figure out how much money to contribute to it and how much to contribute to Get Up in the Cool ?
(Or Old Gods of Appalachia, another podcast I just became aware of, but one so deep and dark that I do not think I will be joining myself, although I did enjoy the live show the cast put on at Radford University last weekend… and I might tempt myself with a few episodes in the spirit of Halloween. If there were only more hours in a day, days in a week, etc.)
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Footnote: I think I need a Dumber telephone to put on my bedside table, maybe one that can play MP3 files but does not have a full range of smartphone apps. This entire blog post, and a Facebook version that precedes it, was created on my Android phone without getting out of bed. I really should get out of bed. But kudos to the WordPress app for Android on making all of this embedded linkage and cross-posting possible!
mild-mannered reporter who found computers & the Web in grad school in the 1980s (Wesleyan) and '90s (UNC); taught journalism, media studies, Web production; retired to write, make music, photograph sunsets & walks in the woods.
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