In this episode of the Outrage Overload podcast, host David Beckemeyer interviews communication expert Dannagal G. Young, author of the books “Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the United States” and “Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation.”

Young discusses the surprising similarities and differences between late-night comedy shows and far-right talk shows, including:

• How both types of shows can have a similar impact on their viewers, influencing their understanding of political events and setting the agenda for certain issues.
• How both audiences tend to be confident in their political beliefs, passionate about politics, and have strong social and cultural ideologies.
• Why we don’t tend to see late-night comedy style shows targeted to a right-leaning audience, and vice versa.

Young also offers insights into how the media we consume influences our thinking and our appetite for misinformation. She discusses how media companies and politicians exploit our social and cultural identities to divide us and keep us engaged, often by enraging us.

Listen to the episode to learn more about:

• The ways in which late-night comedy shows and far-right talk shows shape our political understanding.
• The shared characteristics between the audiences of these two types of shows.
• How media companies and politicians exploit our social and cultural identities to divide us and keep us engaged.
• How the media we consume influences our appetite for misinformation.
• How we can be more critical consumers of information in today’s polarized political climate.

You don’t want to miss this engaging conversation!

Links

Dannagal G. Young, Ph.D. UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE

Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laugher in the U.S.

Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive our Appetite for Misinformation