Abstract
On November 7th, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter announced in a headline that President-Elect Donald J. Trump had “won the first influencer election” (Lorenz, 2024). Other commentators followed suit and observed that the second Trump administration would be the first “podcasting” presidency (Chap Trap House #880). With such developments in mind, this paper reviews the rise of podcasting’s influence on social movements over the last ten years with a particular focus on the American right and the proliferation of conspiratorial discourses. More precisely, this essay aims to undercut the romantic connotations of DIY and other spreadable practices by homing in on how the podcasting medium and related forms contribute to the viral circulation of conspiratorial cultures. I demonstrate the specific contours of what has been characterized as a “cultic milieu” and how the podcast is an ideal form for the generation and circulation of stigmatized knowledge claims that have energized white nationalism in recent years. I further argue that the manner in which conspiracy theories of the Right have crisscrossed the dark corners of the web as well as the bully pulpits of popular influencers is indicative of the spreadability of digital media cultures in general and podcasting in particular. Ultimately, I articulate the emergence of a sonic cultic milieu in which “whisper media” lends itself to virality and appeals to alienated audiences whose experience of their social order is increasingly groundless, precarious, and contingent in a post-COVID environment.
Presenters
Stephen CharbonneauProfessor of Film Studies, Communication and Multimedia, Florida Atlantic University, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—From Democratic Aesthetics to Digital Culture
KEYWORDS
Democracy, Digital Media, Conspiratorial Cultures, White Nationalism
