How the Internet Became Hell (with Whitney Phillips)
4/13/20261 hr 5 min
‘The Ambivalent Intent’ and ‘The Shadow Gospel’ author Whitney Phillips on how online got so bad Why does the internet feel like it’s getting worse every single day, and why does it feel like the political landscape is getting worse in response? The answer might seem obvious, especially if you read 404 Media on a regular basis, where we’ve been documenting this decline, but it’s important to occasionally zoom out and ask the big questions. That’s why this week on the podcast I’m joined by Whitney Phillips. Phillips is the author of several books about internet culture and ethics, including This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things and The Ambivalent Internet. She’s a professor of information politics and media ethics at the University of Oregon, and also one of my favorite people to talk to and listen to because she’s a genius when it comes to the kind of internet culture and platform dynamics we report on every day at 404 Media. I wanted to talk to Whitney today because it’s been a few years since we talked in depth about the state of the internet and so much has changed in that time, sadly for the worst, and I really wanted some help in understanding the current state of things, as bad as they are. We also spent quite a bit of time talking about her upcoming book, The Shadow Gospel: How Anti-liberal Demonology Possessed U.S. Religion, Media, and Politics. YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/gp_n6vDmFfc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
If you thought HBO's Euphoria was intense in high school, saddle up. Season three of Euphoria picks up five years later, and life looks very different.
Whitney Phillips· Guest0:08
Hello, Rue. You owe me money.
Speaker 00:10
No matter what they're chasing, money, love, or redemption, no one can escape their fate. The problem is, if you make a deal with the devil, there's no turning back. Don't miss the third season of Euphoria, starring two-time Emmy winners and Dave, now streaming on HBO and HBO Max, with new episodes every Sunday.
Whitney Phillips· Guest0:29
Marjorie Taylor Greene can become the liberal devil. That's the world that we live in. And so trying to apply existing frameworks, white Christian nationalism, to Trump, to MAGA, it's always gonna fall short because it's just fundamentally misdiagnosing what has happened.
Joseph Cox· Host0:46
[upbeat music] Hello and welcome to the Four Four media podcast, where we bring you unparalleled access to hidden worlds, both online and IRL. Four Four media is journalist-founded and needs your support. To subscribe, go to fourfourmedia.co. As well as bonus content every single week, subscribers get access to additional episodes where we respond to their best comments. Subscribers also get early access to our interview series. Gain access to that content at fourfourmedia.co. This week we're joined by Whitney Phillips. Whitney is the author of several books about internet culture and ethics, including This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things and The Ambivalent Internet. She's