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We discuss online media strategies and the political movements taking place in Latin America. The region is shaped by neoliberal trade agreements, a resurgent Pink Tide and an uncanny mix of pro-US right-wing nationalism.

My guest is David Adler, a general coordinator of the Progressive International. Adler was aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to bring life-saving humanitarian aid to the shores of Gaza. Forty-two nautical miles from the coast, the flotilla was intercepted by Israeli naval forces. Flotilla crew members were kidnapped, imprisoned, subjected to physical abuse and psychological torture. D...

Back in Berlin to show their new film work “ The End of Theater ” at Isabella Bortolozzi Gallery, artists Calla Henkel & Max Pitegoff drop by New Models to chat about that film’s primary set: New Theater Hollywood , the DIY theater they opened on Santa Monica Boulevard after decamping to LA in 2023. We discuss their layered process — creating a space that generates a scene, which produces its...

Gideon Jacobs returns to NM with his third essay in a trilogy for the LA Review of Books that tracks, in real-time, the American Political machine’s delamination from everyday life through runaway story-drive. In “ MAGA as Fan Fiction, ” Gideon shows US politics both left and right as having become a read-write medium for collective creative expression more than material governance—a kind of kayfa...

I no longer saw the highway, I felt it, viscerally, overwhelmed by the colossal, conquering thrust of capital. The velocity of the vehicles became tangible, massive aggregations of steel, plastic, glass, rubber, precision electronics, combustion engines and gasoline in violently accelerating streams of headlights and taillights... — LIL INTERNET A psyche-delic meditation by Lil Internet on what it...

We explore World of Warcraft’s influence on crypto libertarianism, the Habermasian digital public sphere, and US private ownership of social media. Where does democratic legitimacy come from?

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.

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.

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.

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.

You’ve heard us reference the work of Jay Springett (aka @thejaymo ) on nearly every pod this year — so with his new book Slop Machines of Loving Grace near completion, we invited Jay on the show to chat through some of its themes. The book takes 2008 as a breaking point, a moment where the late-20th century financial system imploded and, in its place, society was given a new operating system: one...

For Part 2 of this “Neo-Orality” edition of NM Reads, Lil Internet reads excerpts from Jacqueline Fendt, “ Beyond Wicked: Vibocratic Problems in the Post-Truth Era ” International Journal of Social Science Studies , Vo. 13, No. 2, (Redfame, Jun 27, 2025) [Copyright: CC BY 4.0] To the best of our knowledge Jacqueline Fendt is the first to define “neo-oral” in the way that we’ve come to use it. She...

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...

“Neo-orality” has been an important term in the New Models zone this year — but what exactly do we mean by it?  With this two-part episode of NM Reads, we bring you two papers by the scholar Jacqueline Fendt , who is Emeritus Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at ESCP Business School in Paris, and — to the best of our knowledge — the first to define “neo-oral” in the way that we’ve co...

With their latest video essay, Welcome to Jankspace, Babes (2025) now streaming on DIS.art, Daniel Felstead & Jenn Leung come on the show to speak about what happens to the world and critically, all of us, our bodies, as capitalism lifts off from the human layer.  Daniel Felstead leads the MA Fashion Media & Communications program at the London College of Fashion. Jenn Leung, also a l...

Olivia Kan-Sperling on her recent work, Little Pink Book: A Bad Bad Novel (Archway Editions, 2025). “It’s like girl, China, sex, postmodernism, conceptual romance—a book that sells itself to you over and over and over again as you read it,” she remarks. Published in parallel English/Chinese, the novel was originally written to accompany a piece by Diane Severin Nguyen show at the Rockbund Art Muse...

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?

Earlier this month, New Models, together with Becoming Press , hosted the Berlin launch of Marek Poliks and Roberto Alonso Trillo’s Exocapitalism: Economies with absolutely no limits at Trust in Berlin.  In lieu of a regular episode this week, we bring you a Lil Internet-crafted video-essay version of the talk Marek & Roberto delivered live that evening (Oct. 6, 2025). Subscribers can acc...