Critical Media Studies

Barry and Mike begin a two-part discussion of Rose Horwitch’s investigation into post-literacy.In this episode we discuss her November 2024 article in The Atlantic Monthly, “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” Our next episode will discuss her more recent article from the July 2026 issue of The Atlantic, “The Age of Reading is Over.”

In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Ted Gioia’s “What You Won’t Learn About the Odyssey From the Movie.” They debate the significance of the “magical mystery song” at the heart of literature.

In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Daniel Roher’s 2026 documentary, The AI Doc: Or, How I Became An Apocaloptimist. They apply Bernard Stiegler’s concept of the pharmakon to understand the various positions on the development of artificial intelligence presented in the film.

Link to Lawrence Lessig’s 3/29/26 Substack review

In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Louis Theroux’s “Inside the Manosphere” (March, 2026) and address the question: What does the Manosphere tell us about our current media environment?

In this episode Barry and Mike discuss the idea of “frictionless” relationships in the age of artificial intimacy.
ErikaHayasaki – “What Would a Real Friendship With A.I. Look Like? Maybe Like Hers?
The New York Times Magazine
7/20/2025

TED Radio Hour -- How our relationships are changing in the age of “artificial intimacy"
Friday, August
2, 2024