Big Tech wants you to think resistance is futile. Apologists claim platforms are inevitable, lack of privacy is the price of connection, and enshitification can’t be stopped. But @doctorow says they’re wrong. Full episode out now.

This week, @doctorow joins @rabble to talk about the enshitification of social media, the fight for online privacy, and strategies for a better internet. As a bestselling author and activist, Cory shows how the imagination of sci-fi connects to the imagination of activism.

It’s understood that anything new is often feared, and blamed for societal issues. Even landline telephones once caught the blame. While this sounds absurd, as @TaylorLorenz points out, we’re living through a similar moral panic about social media.  Full episode out now.

Social media platforms promised a public square. Instead, corporations control free speech online, deciding who's heard, who monetizes & who grows. As @TaylorLorenz tells @rabble, the Far Right innovates faster than the left, while both parties push laws on online speech.

Content creators & moderators are the backbone of community platforms, yet most aren’t fairly compensated, if at all. @rabble and @TaylorLorenz unpack how curation, moderation, & community-building are undervalued, often because it’s work done by women. Do you agree? Watch now.

YouTube’s first slogan was “Tune In, Hook Up”. Yep, it launched as a dating site. As @TaylorLorenz notes, @YouTube thrived not because of that vision, but because it adapted to what users wanted: a place to share, archive & watch videos. Full episode out now.

Had such a great time chatting with @rabble about free speech, social media, and civil liberties on the internet!!

The hard truth about today’s creator economy? Platforms promise free expression, but profit always comes first. This week, @TaylorLorenz tells @rabble how that plays out, from reproductive justice activists in Texas to Elon Musk’s X complying with censorship abroad. Ep out now.

This week's guest, @TaylorLorenz, joins @rabble to talk about free speech, the challenges of getting paid on platforms, and how algorithms shape who gets heard. She argues that “moral panic” laws sold as protection often end up as censorship. Full episode out now.

Everyone loves to armchair quarterback social media apps. But as @chrismessina points out, most of the “fixes” and ideas that people call for have already been tested. The challenge isn’t coming up with the ideas to improve platforms, it's getting people to use new features.

From Discord to Reddit, community moderators have a lot of influence over the communities they oversee. The concern is many of them have limited understanding of good governance. @chrismessina, argues that moderation deserves to be treated as more than casual work. Ep out now.

Every generation thinks new tech is ruining kids. Novels, video games, and now algorithms. @chrismessina points out that today's youth don’t need to invent ways to mobilize online, platforms do it for them. Is community-building being lost? Full episode out now.

Online communities shouldn’t have to game the algorithm to keep people together. But, that’s exactly what platforms force them to do. Hashtag inventor Chris Messina calls out @X as the worst offender. As @chrismessina puts it, “It’s AOL all over again.” Full episode, out now.

Today hashtags get a bad rap. They can be spammy, overused, and stray far from their original purpose. @chrismessina, who was the first to advocate for hashtag use on Twitter, notes the problem wasn’t the hashtag itself, but the incentives that corrupted their use. Ep out now.

Back in the day, @tonystubblebine and @rabble both worked at Odeo, one of the 1st podcasting platforms. Solid product, but too early. It didn’t last long. Tony reflects that even great ideas flop if the timing is off. And now, as @Medium's CEO, he sees hype waves differently.

CEO of Medium, @tonystubblebine, called @Rabble a cicada. His point? The best writers are “cicadas”: living a full life offline then showing up with something meaningful to share. That’s why @medium gives writers an audience without forcing burnout or low-quality content.

Trans hate can be loud online, so loud it drowns out other voices. As @tonystubblebine told me, @Medium is more aggressive about moderating trans hate, which in turn helps everyone, not just the trans community. Because smart moderation makes space for better content to shine.

Most people blame trolls and fake news for what’s wrong with the internet. But as @tonystubblebine told me, the real issue is an ad-driven business model. That's why @Medium ran experiments to find a model that serves readers and writers. Full Ep out now.

No surprise, everyone is worried about AI slop flooding the internet. My guest, @tonystubblebine, CEO of @Medium, explained the issue isn’t that content is AI-generated, it's that most of it’s junk. And the answer Medium has found is… drumroll please.. humans! Ep out now.

Have you voted yet? @rabble, @BridgetMarie & Rudy Fraser are teaming up for “Escaping Algorithmic Binds: Creators & Users vs. Corporate Social Media” at @sxsw 2026. To hear their conversation, vote now via #SXSW Panel Picker (closes Aug 24): https://t.co/G6pPQzeZZY