Coming soon: Lights, Cameras, Memes!
Coming soon: Lights, Cameras, Memes!
Matt Laslo's a WIRED magazine contributor & political comms prof. at Johns Hopkins University (MA)
This is Lights, Cameras, Memes!—a newsletter tracking tech, Big Tech and AI’s influence on today’s politics, pulling the veil back on both politicians and today’s piranha-like press corps.
We’re not the revolutionaries we think we are. Sure, these days, novelties abound—faster, shinier, faster, sleeker, faster—but there’s nothing new under the sun; if Solomon is to be trusted.
Thing is, no one’s trusted today—especially not the self-righteous press. And the Washington press corps, myself included, are the worst. At some point we stopped reading and selfied ourselves to irrelevancy.
If anything, today’s press corps has devolved into a mirror image of our belligerent forebearers. Dripping quills penned sharp barbs before typewriter ink dislodged a president. Video killed the radio star before endorphin-pumping screens killed reality.
‘Debates’ have morphed into dunking. Algorithms turned us all asinine. Duels replaced with doxing.
Who needs bullets when we have memes?
Not all is bleak, though. Technology is exciting, as I write about in WIRED magazine. Even as it’s scary, as I also write about for WIRED.
At Johns Hopkins University (MA), I lecture on how technology has impacted politics over time, especially with an eye towards how political rhetoric has adapted to new mediums.
I know it often feels like we’re in hyperdrive—with AI already outpacing itself while lapping humanity—but it doesn’t have to.
I hope to—and plan to—make you rest a little easier. History helps us understand things aren’t worse than ever: They’ve always been terrible!
Now, please, come along with me; let me show you behind-the-scenes of how the reality show we call contemporary American politics is produced.
Knowledge is power. And transparency is what I do.
Cheers,