JRE Episode 911: Declining Media, Rising New Platforms, and The Allure of Conspiracies
Joe Rogan‘s podcast has become one of the most popular talk shows on the planet, with each episode routinely garnering millions of listens. His unconventional long-form interviews often veer into controversial terrain, welcoming guests who challenge mainstream narratives. Episode 911 with radio host Alex Jones and comedian Eddie Bravo was classic Rogan fare.
The over 3-hour discussion touched on everything from the decline of big media and the rise of YouTube stars to claims of secret pedophile rings among global elites. Rogan gives Jones space to share his most conspiratorial notions, with Bravo along for color commentary. Below we break down three major themes that emerged.
The Decline of Mainstream Media and Rise of Online Insurgents
Recent surveys illustrate declining trust in legacy media. A 2021 Gallup poll showed only 36% of Americans have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in newspapers, with TV news garnering an equally measly 36% confidence rating [1].
Meanwhile Netflix reached 74 million subscribers in 2020 [2], YouTube boasts over 2 billion monthly logged-in users [3], and Joe Rogan‘s podcast alone draws nearly 200 million downloads per month [4]. This erosion of mainstream media and corresponding rise of on-demand digital upstarts fueled much of Jones and Rogan‘s conversation.
They discussed how the democratization of production and distribution of information empowered by internet platforms allows independent creators to challenge big media‘s pre-eminence as national storytellers. Rogan himself is Exhibit A – the former TV host built a media empire reaching tens of millions each week, operating entirely outside traditional channels.
While many bemoan fake news and conspiracy theories that spread on platforms like Facebook, Jones and Rogan contended that the public‘s growing skepticism about what they hear on CNN or read in The New York Times is warranted. Recent errors in reporting on pivotal stories like the Hunter Biden laptop scandal, the Trump-Russia probe, and more lend some validity to those critiques.
Secret Plots and The Rise of "Breakaway Civilizations"
The conversation took a turn toward the conspiratorial when Jones began unraveling his latest theories about the world‘s real power brokers. He described a secretive group of global elites who actually call the shots behind the scenes while maintaining a human appearance to the public.
Jones believes figures like George Soros, Bill Gates, and the Rockefellers are privy to exotic technologies covertly acquired through reverse engineering crashed alien vessels under military control. He claims these billionaires and their allies in politics and Silicon Valley plan to merge with advanced AI and transcend humanity, establishing what‘s known in fringe circles as a "breakaway civilization" [5].
While that notion may strike critics as outlandish, the concept of a globally dominant technocratic elite class disengaging from the masses under their control is shared well beyond conspiracy websites. Historian Yuval Noah Harari writes in his bestseller Sapiens about tensions that could arise:
"As algorithms push humans out of the job market, wealth might become concentrated in the hands of the tiny elite that owns the all-powerful algorithms, creating unprecedented social inequality."
This aligns with warnings from the likes of Elon Musk about AI representing an "existential threat" if not properly regulated. The breakaway civilization conspiracy theory takes those logical fears to paranoid extremes however.
Rise of Anti-Globalism and Empowered Populist Leaders
Jones repeatedly touched on the threats posed by "globalism," echoing Trumpian rhetoric about the importance of nationalism. He sees sinister experiments happening in Europe with waves of immigration welcomed by leaders whose true allegiance lies not with their people, but with a cosmopolitan, universalist political project managed by elites at institutions like the United Nations and World Bank.
He believes leaders like Donald Trump and Hungary‘s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán represent a populist challenge to these globalist schemes. Where the world‘s Klaus Schwabs (founder of the World Economic Forum) dream of a world unified under a set of common principles and shared sovereignty, Trump demands fairer bilateral trade policies that benefit American workers.
Of course, critics argue this viewpoint reflects a naive zero-sum mentality where one nation‘s gain must mean another‘s comparative loss. Greater interdependence between nations in our highly globalized world can promote broader prosperity. However, the past failures of top-down schemes to spur growth abroad like IMF structural adjustment programs lend some weight to anti-globalist worries [6].
The rise of populism across the Western world signals many share concerns about too much power amassing in the hands of bureaucrats seated in distant BRUSSELS instead of representatives rooted in local communities. Dismissing worries about eroding sovereignty as delusional conspiracy theories may only worsen the populist divide.
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Joe Rogan‘s podcast has proven successful because he shirks the constraints of traditional media gatekeepers. He lets guests speak their minds without edits, no matter how unconventional their views may be. Alex Jones certainly took full advantage.
While critics understandably take issue with the spread of misinformation or biased attacks on their favored public figures, these long-form discussions still have value. They challenge preconceived assumptions for listeners on all sides.
The takes may be hot. The theories may be fringe. But the desire to break free from narratives placed upon populations by those in power is eminently reasonable.