Author David Wolinsky talks about whether the internet is helping or hurting more, AI destroying movies and TV, dopamine addiction, The Onion, going cold turkey on social media, the email monster, and the idea that asking questions without having the answers is better than trying to figure it out. Bio: He's a former Onion editor best known for once interviewing the watermelon-smashing comedian Gallagher turned oral historian, author, and documentary researcher. Now, he's very much in the "serious" business. His journey into oral history began with an independent initiative following Gamergate in 2014, where he recognized a gap in traditional journalism's ability to address emerging issues in digital communities. In response, he conducted interviews, launched a website, and began publishing these conversations online to highlight diverse perspectives on serious issues facing media, workers in "cool" industries, and fan subcultures. He's not an academic, but Stanford wound up stepping in to preserve all the 500+ hours of interviews this entailed. This continuum of work has resulted in a book, The Hivemind Swarmed, which will be published August 2024 by Beacon Press. The oral history, which received advance praise by Ken Burns, exemplifies his ability to take initiative, conduct in-depth research, and produce insightful interviews without external funding or institutional support. (And also, his ability to get household names to take the work of a non-household name—me—seriously.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices