ScarJo v. AI, the Digital Guillotine, and Why We Play Make Believe with Misinformation
Do we treat political affiliation like a religion? Which parts of our identity are based off factual belief vs. imaginary belief? This week, Max talks to Professor Neil Van Leeuwen about the differenc...
26 Touko 20241h 10min
Why "Her" Reveals How We Really Feel About AI (with Ezra Klein)
Ezra Klein joins Offline Movie Club to discuss “Her,” the movie that more or less incited this week’s Scarlett Johansson v. OpenAI drama. Back in 2013, when ChatGPT was just a twinkle in Sam Altman’s ...
23 Touko 20241h 5min
AI’s Flirty Upgrade, Facebook’s Zombie Internet, and Why We May Be Doing Mental Health Wrong
ChatGPT has officially entered its “Her” era! Jon and Max talk about the flirty AI that debuted this week, whose husky voice and warm enthusiasm evokes Scarlett Johansson. But not all the tech titans ...
19 Touko 202444min
How “You’ve Got Mail” Explains '90s Internet Culture
Leave it to Tom Hanks to make internet catfishing seem so darn charming! This week, Offline’s Movie Club is watching “You’ve Got Mail,” the cozy, capitalist, and kind of creepy 90s classic. Remember w...
16 Touko 20241h 6min
TikTok vs Biden, Kendrick vs Drake, AI vs Loneliness
Is it time for you to make an AI friend? Jon and Max weigh the pros and cons of robot affirmation, sink their teeth into a new study on smart phone bans in schools, and then turn their attention to so...
12 Touko 202452min
How Bo Burnham’s “Inside” Inspired Offline
Bo Burnham’s comedy has long captivated and caricatured the internet, but the era his songs skewer the best is the hyperactive, blood-thirsty, online world of peak-pandemic lockdown. Max, Jon and come...
9 Touko 202454min
How Cognitive Bias Explains Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, and Internet Malaise
We all have a caveman brain—at least when it comes to navigating the internet. Amanda Montell, author of the new book The Age of Magical Overthinking, joins Offline to explain how the “cognitive biase...
5 Touko 202452min
How “The Social Network” Explains Silicon Valley
When did we collectively agree that a hoodie-clad coder could wreak havoc on our society? Probably not long after “The Social Network” came out. This week we’re kicking off a new bonus series: the Off...
2 Touko 20241h 4min
