016: How X Became 'Unusable for Normal Humans' feat. Hannah Gais & Steven Monacelli
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04/28/25 • 66 min
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Hannah Gais and Steven Monacelli join for a wide-ranging discussion about the state of Twitter (now called “X”) three years after Elon Musk first moved to purchase it. Since then, Musk has transformed the platform into a self-serving MAGA machine that is crowning a new generation of right-wing media royalty. Monacelli walks us through his reporting on one of the platform’s newer standouts — “Captive Dreamer” — as an example of who’s benefiting from the new status quo.
Links for Steven Monacelli:
Daily Dot: “A Hitler-quoting ‘Aryan’ has the attention of JD Vance and Elon Musk—who is @captivedreamer7?”
Bluesky: @stevanzetti.bsky.social
Contact/Work: linktr.ee/Stevanzetti
Links for Hannah Gais:
Bluesky: @hannahgais.bsky.social
Newsletter: postsfromunderground.ghost.io/
Transition Music: “California Magic” by Goose
Subscribe for emails about new podcasts and occasional newsletters. It’s free:
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit postthroughit.substack.com
Hannah Gais and Steven Monacelli join for a wide-ranging discussion about the state of Twitter (now called “X”) three years after Elon Musk first moved to purchase it. Since then, Musk has transformed the platform into a self-serving MAGA machine that is crowning a new generation of right-wing media royalty. Monacelli walks us through his reporting on one of the platform’s newer standouts — “Captive Dreamer” — as an example of who’s benefiting from the new status quo.
Links for Steven Monacelli:
Daily Dot: “A Hitler-quoting ‘Aryan’ has the attention of JD Vance and Elon Musk—who is @captivedreamer7?”
Bluesky: @stevanzetti.bsky.social
Contact/Work: linktr.ee/Stevanzetti
Links for Hannah Gais:
Bluesky: @hannahgais.bsky.social
Newsletter: postsfromunderground.ghost.io/
Transition Music: “California Magic” by Goose
Subscribe for emails about new podcasts and occasional newsletters. It’s free:
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit postthroughit.substack.com
Previous Episode
015: Pardon My Riot feat. Teddy Wilson
Teddy Wilson, a journalist and researcher, joins to discuss developments within the Radical Right since Trump issued pardons and commutations for every one of his supporters involved in the 2021 riot at the US Capitol Building — including extremist movement members and supporters — at the start of his second term. Mike and Jared take a trip down memory lane to reflect on the ways Republicans have come to embrace what happened that day.
Links:
Teddy’s newsletter: radicalreports.org
Teddy’s tracking of Capitol riot defendants: capitolriotmap.com
Teddy’s account on Bluesky: @reportbywilson.bsky.social
Transition Music: “head empty blues” by Ekko Astral
Subscribe for emails about new episodes and infrequent newsletters.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit postthroughit.substack.com
Next Episode
017: Who the Hell is Candace Owens? feat. Madeline Peltz
Candace Owens soared to right-wing media superstardom within weeks of posting her first YouTube videos in 2017. This episode reviews Owens’ life and career arc, exploring how someone who was victimized by racial hatred in high school became one of the MAGA movement’s most prominent — and most divisive — political commentators. This episode features exclusive comments from Candace Owens, provided through a spokesperson, and includes previously unreported details about her life story.
Madeline Peltz, a longtime researcher of right-wing media, joined Mike and Jared on this episode. Peltz’s first book “PICK ME: The Right-Wing Siege of Gender and Gen-Z,” will be published by Sourcebooks next year.
Links for Madeline Peltz:
Bluesky: @peltzmadeline.bsky.social
X/Twitter: @peltzmadeline
Transition Music: “Pharmacist” by Alvvays
This episode took weeks to produce and involved many hours of reporting and fact-checking, which we do on our personal time. If you found value in the show, please consider tossing a few bucks into this online tip jar:
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Programming Note: We’re taking next week off. We’ll be back on May 19.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit postthroughit.substack.com
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