Sudhir Breaks The Internet Podcast Explores Role Of Big Tech In Capitol Riot

This week, new podcast Sudhir Breaks the Internet releases the third and final episode of its kickoff series exploring the role that tech companies played in the events surrounding the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, and where social media is headed in the future.

On April 13, the Freakonomics Radio Network launched a new podcast, Sudhir Breaks the Internet, adding to its growing slate of hugely popular podcasts exploring “the hidden side of everything.” Hosted by Columbia sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh, the podcast offers an insider’s look at the problems and promises of our digital world.  

 

 Venkatesh, after dedicating most of his professional life to studying the urban underworld — gangs, sex workers, gun runners — took a detour into the hard-to access corridors of Silicon Valley. He spent three years at Facebook (2017-2019) leading a team combating bullying and misinformation and then two at Twitter (2019-2021) managing a team of researchers who were responsible for cleaning up the platform and providing a safe user experience. 

Listen to the first three episodes below, and stay tuned for what comes next for Sudhir Breaks the Internet.

Ep. 1: Designed to Tear Us Apart
When online anger turned to offline violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, the big social media companies responded by kicking some users — including the president himself — off their platforms. What led to that decision? Was it an overreach? And what role did they really play in the events that took place? Sudhir explores how social media is built to encourage bad behavior, and why one afternoon of unrest can't overcome a decades-old mindset in Silicon Valley that blinds them to this reality.
Listen here

Ep 2: The Garbage Can Model of Decision Making
What’s it like to try and police millions of pieces of abusive content every day? Sudhir takes us inside Facebook, as he and his former colleagues recall how hard it was to encourage civility at a company obsessed with growth — especially when that growth was often driven by some of the most toxic behaviors.
Listen here

Ep 3: “Someone Needs to Save the World from Silicon Valley”
If the big social-media companies are unable or unwilling to make major changes from within, it may be up to outsiders to create better, healthier digital communities. Whether it’s smaller platforms for like-minded people, a publicly owned social network, self-policing by user groups, or activist campaigns to pressure Twitter and Facebook to improve, Sudhir explores what’'s next for social media — and what makes societies function or fail.
Listen here

 Sudhir Breaks the Internet will draw from Venkatesh’s experience and connections to interview the people who are building and running the digital world, digging deep into their motivations and challenging their priorities.