• Zuckerberg’s Capitulation, Rabbit Holes and the War on Attention
    Jan 10 2025

    This week, we discuss Mark Zuckerberg’s craven capitulation on content moderation, even if it was an inevitable decision; the upside of algorithmic rabbit holes vs the downside of the commodification of attention; and how creator culture is reshaping trust in media institutions. Plus: why the Ninja Creami and IVs are good products.

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • The Information Space in 2025
    Jan 3 2025

    This week, we discuss the outlook in 2025 for legacy media (not great), alternative media (much better), chat as a new media mode, X emerging as a critical power center, and culture wars morphing into class wars.

    • The Information Space in 2025 newsletter
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    56 mins
  • The End of Artifice
    Dec 20 2024

    Podcasting challenges late nite, lying in media, shopping as content, super consumers and Alex rediscovers America at Disney.

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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • The New American Power Center
    Dec 13 2024

    Tech has swallowed media, and is increasingly swallowing other industries and accruing power along the way. Plus: why adding a chatbot won’t save the article page, the real message of the big ad holding company merger, and an introduction to the new PvA companion product.

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Poly News
    Dec 6 2024

    Prediction market + news; media’s bifurcating star system; media’s management-labor divide; AI + browsers; car talk; LinkedIn cringe

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    • Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Age of Spectacle
    Nov 29 2024

    This week: The internet comes to life as spectacle, Elon proclaims you are the media, why publishers need to get to the transactional level, and an assessment of a new MAGA cultural aesthetic.

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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Neutering Google
    Nov 22 2024

    This week on People vs. Algorithms, we unpacked London’s charm, the shifting dynamics of media and search, and why Google’s dominance feels both indispensable and fragile. Troy and I contrasted American and British publishing cultures—bigger isn’t always better, as UK publishers adapt to constraints with scrappy innovation. Search’s transformation, fueled by AI and shifts in Google’s strategy, dominated our discussion. While it offers consumers better tools, publishers are left scrambling, questioning their survival amid frictionless AI-driven content.

    • What are the best Patagonia ski pants on a budget?
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    51 mins
  • The Art of Modern Persuasion & The Manosphere
    Nov 15 2024

    The election in many ways confirmed what many had suspected: the information space has superceded and subsumed the traditional media world. Traditional media is now just one node, and perhaps more alarmingly its influence – and ability to persuade – has drastically declined.

    We talk in this episode about the implications of this shift, particularly with the spotlight now on what’s being called the manosphere, a chaotic loose confederation of podcasters and YouTubers who have seemingly broken through to be a key node of persuasion for young men. Plus: Is CNN fixable?

    • Rise of the Under Toad: The Tragic Life of Joe Rogan
    • Dijon - Big Mike's (Live)
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    1 hr