The Art of Modern Persuasion & The Manosphere

Explicit content warning

11/15/24 • 60 min

The election in many ways confirmed what many had suspected: the information space has superceded and subsumed the traditional media world. Traditional media is now just one node, and perhaps more alarmingly its influence – and ability to persuade – has drastically declined.

We talk in this episode about the implications of this shift, particularly with the spotlight now on what’s being called the manosphere, a chaotic loose confederation of podcasters and YouTubers who have seemingly broken through to be a key node of persuasion for young men. Plus: Is CNN fixable?

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Winners and Losers

We run through the implications of the return of Donald Trump to the presidency after an election that saw the mainstream news media making way for new power brokers in unusual guises. The podcast election proved to be real – and a harbinger of changes to come as the Information Space subsumes the Fourth Estate.

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Neutering Google

This week on People vs. Algorithms, we unpacked London’s charm, the shifting dynamics of media and search, and why Google’s dominance feels both indispensable and fragile. Troy and I contrasted American and British publishing cultures—bigger isn’t always better, as UK publishers adapt to constraints with scrappy innovation. Search’s transformation, fueled by AI and shifts in Google’s strategy, dominated our discussion. While it offers consumers better tools, publishers are left scrambling, questioning their survival amid frictionless AI-driven content.

People vs Algorithms - The Art of Modern Persuasion & The Manosphere

Transcript

Brian00:00:01.000

someone actually brought up there, they think you guys are taking advantage of me.

Alex00:00:05.142

that is a wild take.

Brian00:00:08.127

I'm telling you, look, we all have our base. We're going to talk about modern persuasion today. And like, you know, you got to have your base and you got to build on your base. Okay. And you, you don't do that with facts. You do that with feelings. Yo