Doomscroll with Joshua Citarella

My guest is Ro Khanna, a congressional representative from California’s 17th district. We discuss Khanna's political and philosophical vision for American democracy, the crisis of runaway inequality and tech’s fair share in the social contract. You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarella

David Adler, co-general director of the Progressive International, joins me to unpack the complex history of corporate colonialism in Latin America. The United States has a long history of intervention into the affairs of Latin American countries. After the recent abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, Trump openly invoked the Monroe Doctrine, or as he calls it “the Donroe Doctrine”, to...

Liz and I discuss the early accelerationist blogosphere that overlapped with certain music scenes of the 2000s - 2010s. We touch on the work of Simon Reynolds, Mark Fisher, Nick Srnicek and an uncertain meth addicted psychopath who spends too much time on Twitter. You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarella

My guest is Liz Franzcak, a co-host of TrueAnon. We discuss conspiracy theory, Lacan’s psychoanalytic insights and the influence of the early blogosphere. Is techno-capitalism a rogue AI retroactively assembling itself from the future? No, this will not be explained later. You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarella

Vivek and I get in the weeds about strategy and economy. We discuss how the Marxist theory of declining rates of profit will impact the 21st century struggle for social democracy. Our conversation touches upon voucher systems, nationalization and state-led investment programs. Most importantly, we compare the right and left populist visions to tackle American inequality and explore why only one of...

My returning guest is Vivek Chibber, a professor of sociology at New York University. He is the author of several books including Confronting Capitalism. What do we mean by the word “socialism” in 2025? Vivek Chibber answers foundational questions for political struggle in the 21st century. Unlock the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarell...

We discuss the legacy of the Gravel Institute, the “Felix Biederman to Marc Andreessen pipeline” and the “Bernie to New Right” culture of Dimes Square (RIP). Later, we explore Felix’s background in internet culture and online politics. I laugh so hard I spit.

My guest is Felix Biederman, a co-host of Chapo Trap House. We discuss Zohran Mamdani’s historic victory in NYC. After the 2024 presidential election, progressive media focused on the rightward swing of young men. However, in 2025, Zohran carried young men (ages 18 - 29) with an overwhelming +40 margin. These historic outcomes shatter many previous interpretations and force us to reframe certain n...

Grimes and I map the possible future horizons for a politics beyond western-style liberal democracy and explore the deep philosophical impacts of AI. We discuss post-enlightenment thinking, the crisis of digital art, artist compensation and the aesthetic stagnation of creative work today.

My guest is Grimes, an artist and musician. We discuss the profound impacts of social media and AI, her new album and the role of art during periods of political transformation. In the 20th century, artists served as an avant-garde. Movements on both the left and right, such as the Bauhaus or Italian Futurism, offered radical new visions for a modernizing society. In the 21st century, we see a sim...

Dr. Mike joins me to explore the “enhanced games”, a Peter Thiel backed Olympic-style competition that allows athletes to use performance enhancing drugs. We discuss tariffs, US competition with China and Dr. Mike’s philosophical background and influences.

My guest is Dr. Mike Israetel, a PhD in Sport Physiology and a co-founder of ‪Renaissance Periodization‬. We discuss RFK, seed oils, endocrine disruptors, xenoestrogens and every other “based” twitter health meme in your news feed. We explore Dr. Mike's background growing up in the crumbling Soviet Union and his life-changing encounter with libertarian philosophy. Later, we investigate the so-call...

We explore Taylor’s background, how she became politicized and her vision for a free and open internet. I am playfully trolling about the techno-deterministic teleological inevitability of StateBook — its monarchy vs WeChat and there’s nothing in between. I don’t make the rules.

My guest is ‪TaylorLorenz‬, a journalist and content creator. She is the author of “Extremely Online”. We discuss social media influencers, the Democratic party and dark money. How does today’s memetic landscape help to shape real world politics? Can we preserve freedom of speech in an increasingly authoritarian environment? You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becomin...

We discuss the darker elements of the New Right and a variety of niche thinkers and ideologies. We explore the woke black lash, tariffs and the brewing conflict between crypto and nationalism. Later, we speculate about 21st century exit politics and the “internet driver’s license”.

My guest is Emily Jashinsky, a political commentator and a co-host of Breaking Point s. We discuss the shifting factions of the America right; Fusionism, Populism, Monarchy, Trad, MAHA, Catholicism, Crypto-anarchy and more. Many viewers will be familiar with the infamous “Bernie to Trump” pipeline but less will be aware of the Trotskyite origins of certain canonized thinkers on the New Right. You...

We discuss Kyle’s early origins on YouTube, the New Atheism movement and his formative encounters with the work of Noam Chomsky and Richard Dawkins (this is real). Later, we explore the peculiar landscape of YouTube and how platforms shape political factions today.

My guest is Kyle Kulinski, a YouTuber and political commentator. He is the host of the Kyle Kulinkski show. We discuss the success of the online right and ask what the left might learn from right-wing shitposters. We explore the breakdown of liberal norms and the shattering of the Overton window. American politics has become increasingly radical in the last eight years. We ask; what new formation...

We explore the looming threat of AI, transhumanism and solve “the Elon Musk situation”. We ask; what is the left-wing version of tariffs? And why should the left support economic protectionism? You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarella

My guest is Krystal Ball, a political commentator and a co-host of ‪ Breaking Points. We discuss the seismic shift of American politics and our hard breaks to the right and left. We explore Zohran Mamdani's historic win in NYC and the ways in which the internet become real life. How do online audiences correlate to real world political coalitions? You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscr...

My guest is Ana Kasparian. We dive into Ana’s background and formative experiences on TYT. We discuss the horseshoe theory meme and I float a strategic argument: “the neoliberal case for single payer healthcare” lol. You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarella

My guest is Ana Kasparian, a host and executive producer of ‪ The Young Turks. We discuss her political journey from progressive to "independent and unaligned". Last year, Kasparian’s commentary took an editorial turn away from left echo-chambers and towards a generalized populism. We pay respect to the political genius and lasting influence of Michael Brooks. You can get access to the full catalo...

My guest is Yancey Strickler. We discuss the theory and practice of content moderation on big platforms. Today, the “terms of service” also necessarily set the parameters of debate and have profound downstream effects on political reality. Later on, we discuss Yancy’s background as a music critic, his early online record label and his unconventional path to becoming a co-founder of Kickstarter. We...

My guest is Yancey Strickler, an author and former music critic. He is a co-founder of Metalabel as well as a co-founder and previously the CEO of Kickstarter. We discuss the new shape of online culture. Dark Forest spaces are gated digital communities, often curated around a specific niche or field of expertise. They represents a retreat from open social media into private spaces, where users may...

This is a subscribers only episode. My guest is Tim Heidecker. We discuss his background in music and DIY creative scenes as well as our shared admiration for artist and documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis.