Posting Through It

J.M. Berger wrote the book on extremism — literally. The internationally renowned expert discussed methods of defining “extremism” and whether a mainstream political movement, like MAGA, could be accurately labeled that way. Read J.M. Berger’s work: * Extremism (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series) * The Social Construction of Extremism (Dissertation) * Lawful Extremism (Series) A huge thank...

Max Read joins to talk about the online “ Soy Right ” and how the MAGA movement became everything it thought it hated about “soy boy” liberals. This episode pairs well with tofu. Programming note: We’ll be back on March 3. Check out Max Read’s newsletter, “Read Max.” Support the show and get access to weekly bonus episodes: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/PostingThroughIt⁠

Julia Carrie Wong joined the show to discuss her recent exploring comparisons between today’s Democratic Party and Vichy France: a short-lived rump state that capitulated to the German Nazi party in WWII. You can read Julia’s article here: Capitulating to Trump: why people are warning about ‘Vichy’ America . In the wake of recent political events, the trio would also like to encourage those who ar...

Matt Binder joins the show to talk about meme coins and AI chatbot romance. The trio discuss about how politicians of all stripes have cozied up to a scam economy built on false hopes about technology. Check out Matt’s newsletter Support the show and get access to weekly bonus episodes: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/PostingThroughIt⁠

Jared and Mike discuss a recent school shooting in Nashville, assess the vibe of Trump’s inauguration in DC, and debate investing their life savings in Trump’s cryptocurrency coin. They also review a column about a far-right DC inauguration party: “MAGA meme warriors take a victory lap with the Coronation Ball, celebrating the Trump-inspired cultural ascendancy.” Read Mike’s article about Inaugura...

Parker Malloy joins Jared and Mike to talk about the state of legacy media in the United States as the second Trump administration takes office. The trio also identifies a few “Winners and Losers” of modern right-wing media. Check out Parker Malloy’s Substack Support the show and get access to weekly bonus episodes: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/PostingThroughIt⁠ Transition music is “Space Song” by Bea...

Mike and Jared are joined by Kevin M. Kruse , a professor of history at Princeton University, to discuss historical parallels to the modern MAGA movement and whether today’s political perils really are as “unprecedented” as some people claim. They also revisit some of the first Trump era’s often-forgotten history. Check out Kevin Kruse’s Substack Support the show and get access to weekly bonus epi...

After more than a year away, Jared Holt returns to “Posting Through It” with a new co-host: Michael E. Hayden. The duo takes a brief look at the post-election political scene, explain why they brought the show back, and share their thoughts on the years ahead.

Six years and millions of downloads later, it’s now time for me to figure out what’s next. I don’t know what “next” means for me yet, but things will be quieter around here in the near future while I work through the details. Long live SH!TPOST. Long live Posting Through It. I'll talk to you again soon. Sign up for the free newsletter at postingthroughit.com   if you want to hear about new pr...

Jordan Uhl joins the show for a chat about the criminal indictment against Trump in New York. Then, Jared and Jordan talk about the Right's craven anti-LGBTQ+ response to a mass shooting at a Nashville school. Jordan's Twitter: @JordanUhl Listen to The Insurgents Support the show Subscribe to the Posting Through It newsletter This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this wi...

This episode was made in collaboration with Did Nothing Wrong , a podcast hosted by Jay McKenzie and Griff Sombke, and features a chat with mis/disinfo researcher and author Mike Rothschild . We talk about Jim Stewartson, a self-proclaimed 'anti-disinformation activist' who has some conspiracy theories about, well, conspiracy theories. Then, we talk to Mike about the prevalence of conspi...

Christopher Mathias joins the show to talk about his experience at the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference, a.k.a. CPAC. Jared and Chris talk about the event's lacking attendance, surrounding scandals, and attacks on trans people. Then, Chris tells us about the latest "Terrorgram" propagandist to have had their identity revealed. Chris' Twitter: @letsgomathias Chris&a...

Ed Zitron joined the show to talk about Microsoft and Google's planned rollouts of AI chatbots into their search engines and the risks of applying the technology across people's lives recklessly. Ed's Twitter: @EdZitron Ed's Newsletter: https://ez.substack.com/p/degenerative-ai Ed's favorite thing online: https://twitter.com/male_wife_/status/1626825132894199811 Support th...

Michael E. Hayden joins the show to talk about text messages the Southern Poverty Law Center obtained from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The messages reveal a conflict between the on-air persona that Jones embodies and the real Jones that lives in "hell." Mike’s favorite thing online: @goth_videos It's Gonna Be a Long Night newsletter Links: NYT: DeSantis/Trump poll Vanity Fair :...

Amanda Moore joins the show to talk about Steven Crowder's contract drama, her latest article for Talking Points Memo about Nick Fuentes and Ye, the conservative gas stove freak-out, and more. Amanda has spent extended time undercover in far-right MAGA communities and uses her first-hand observations from that time to inform her reporting and commentary. Follow Amanda on Twitter: @noturtlesou...

Jared opened up the Posting Through It voicemail and text message inbox for listener questions and comments. In this episode, he reacts to those messages. Support the show Subscribe to the Posting Through It newsletter 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

Meghan Conroy and Alex Newhouse worked for the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol as investigator and investigative analyst, respectively. They join Posting Through It on the second anniversary of the Capitol riot to talk about the work they did in the Congressional investigation, particularly related to the roles social media platforms had in the a...

Dr. Anthea Butler is a historian of African American and American religion who serves as the Chair of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She joins the show to discuss the influence of Christian nationalism in American politics and how it expresses itself online. Host Jared Holt and Dr. Butler discuss the uprising of the movement, its impacts on modern politics, and the white supr...

Kyle Spencer is an award-winning journalist and the author of "Raising Them Right: The Untold Story of America's Ultraconservative Youth Movement." Kyle explains how political activists like Charlie Kirk have risen to power in a new era of internet-forward youth outreach by the conservative movement, bringing with them increasingly radical messages. Follow Kyle Spencer on Twitter: @...

Max Rizzuto and Alyssa Kann are researchers at the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) who Jared used to work with. They join the show to talk about the anti-climactic passing of midterm elections. Is election denialism still as potent as it was in 2020? Were fears overblown? Have threats to democracy receded? They argue no to all of the above, even if things went better than expected. If every...

Adam Kovacevich is the founder and CEO of the tech-funded trade group Chamber of Progress, which encourages lawmakers to take pro-tech positions in their policymaking. He joins the show to offer a hopeful view for the future of Twitter under Elon Musk at a time where many others have forecasted the platform's demise. Follow Adam Kovacevich on Twitter: @adamkovac Chamber of Progress website: p...

Will Sommer is a reporter at The Daily Beast and the author of an upcoming book on the Qanon conspiracy theory. He also co-hosts the Fever Dreams podcast. Sommer joins the show to run down a few notable stories from right-wing internet land, including Kanye West's announced plan to buy Parler, an alt-right movie evaporating a million bucks, and more. Follow Will Sommer on Twitter: @willsommer...

Mike Rothschild is the author of a great book on the QAnon conspiracy theory and its cultural significance. He joins the show to discuss former President Donald Trump's promotion of content from the conspiracy theory's followers on Truth Social, what the movement has been up to in the last year or two, and what its believers have planned for midterm elections. Follow Mike Rothschild on T...

Molly White is the software engineer, Wikipedia editor, and independent researcher behind Web3 Is Going Just Great , a project that chronicles the not-so-fabulous drumbeat of disasters related to cryptocurrency and other web3 products. She joins the show to explain "web3" technologies and squash the hype around them. Molly and Jared talk about the political implications of web3 tech, and...

Robert Silverman is a reporter who has published some of the most definitive reporting on pro-Trump social media personality Tim Pool to date. As much as Tim Pool may sell his offerings as better alternatives to mainstream media, Robert Silverman explains how writers at his news blog have relied almost entirely on work done by mainstream news services. Some writers, he found, have even engaged in...