E25: Jon Askonas on 2nd Order Effects of AI, the Media Ecology of Reality, and Conservatism

Erik Torenberg sits down with Jon Askonas to look at the impact of disruptive technology in important areas like the media, religion, culture, and politics. Jon is an assistant professor of politics at Catholic University, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation and a writer for publications like The New Atlantis and Compact. We are proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/upstream

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TIMESTAMPS:

(01:00) Episode Preview

(03:00) Jon’s thesis: The end of consensus reality

(04:20) What people have underestimated and overestimated since the 70s

(06:00) What comes after the nation state?

(07:00) The role of military technology in the next era

(09:45) What inputs are most important in determining a country’s dominance

(11:00) Countering Bali’s theory of the decline of the US dollar

(13:00) What has happened to our consensus reality? 

(16:49) Sponsors: Mercury, Vanta, and NetSuite

(18:50) Social Media is a red herring. The internet itself was the disruptor

(21:30) Why solving the problems of social media won’t return the world to sanity

(26:20) Fragmentation is a good thing

(29:25) 2nd order effects of AI

(30:30) E/acc vs EA 

(32:50) Creating a religion out of AI

(40:00) The problem with conservatives and technology

(46:25) Conservatives ignoring the culture

(52:00) Future of the right?

(57:00) How do we make sense of a world where we can’t determine a fact?

(59:10) Believing science, experts, and Sam Harris

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X/ TWITTER:

Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenberg

Jon’s Twitter: @JonAskonas

Podcast Twitter: @Upstream__Pod

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This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].