Three years ago, Mike Brock joined us on the podcast to discuss a decentralized web project, and more recently we've published several cross-posts from his Substack about the horrifying goings-on in American politics and media. Today, Mike joins the podcast once again for a far-ranging conversation about the state of democracy and what recent elections can tell us about how to save it from fascism.
Mike Brock's posts on Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/user/mike-brock/
Techdirt Podcast Episode 325: https://www.techdirt.com/2022/07/12/techdirt-podcast-episode-325-what-is-web5/
"Notes From The Circus" Substack: https://www.notesfromthecircus.com/
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Social Media Is Always Changing
For two decades, the landscape of social media has been constantly changing, and the discourse about "free speech" has been changing alongside it. This week, we've got a bit of an open-ended discussion with TechFreedom's Corbin Barthold, host of the Tech Policy Podcast, about social media's history and future, and the question of what people really want out of it.
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Venture Capital Is Eating The World
It was nearly 400 episodes ago when Catherine Bracy joined the podcast for a two part discussion to talk about Silicon Valley culture and what investors are willing to fund. Now, more than a decade later, Catherine has released a new book, World Eaters: How Venture Capital Is Cannibalizing The Economy, which takes even closer look at the basic incentives of venture capital today. So this week, Catherine is back on the podcast to talk about her book and the ways venture capital is shaping tech innovation for the worse.
The book: https://catherinebracy.com/world-eaters
Previous Appearances:
Episode 39 - https://www.techdirt.com/2015/08/25/techdirt-podcast-episode-39-technologys-impact-democracy/
Episode 40 - https://www.techdirt.com/2015/09/01/techdirt-podcast-episode-40-is-silicon-valley-only-building-tech-rich/
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An Insider's View Of Decentralized Social Media
As you know, we talk a lot about decentralization and protocols over platforms. When it comes to decentralized social media in particular, one person who has been working on it since the earliest days is developer Rabble, who was around at the very beginning of what would become Twitter and has worked on many decentralized social media efforts, and recently proposed a new Social Media Bill of Rights in a post here on Techdirt. This week, Rabble joins the podcast to talk all about the history and present state of decentralized social media.
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The New Generation Of Independent Journalists
Techdirt recently passed its 28th anniversary as an independent online media outlet. Once, it looked like such outlets might take over, but then most were scooped up by traditional media or grew into more traditional companies themselves. But now we're seeing a new generation emerge, especially via newsletters on platforms like Substack, and one such journalist is Marisa Kabas, creator of The Handbasket. This week, Marisa joins the podcast to talk about the modern rise of independent online journalism.
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