Why does the internet feel like its getting worse every single day, and why does it feel like the political landscape is getting worse in response? The answer might seem obvious, especially if you read 404 Media on a regular basis, where weve been documenting this decline, but its important to occasionally zoom out and ask the big questions.Thats why this week on the podcast Im joined by Whitney Phillips. Phillips is the author of several books about internet culture and ethics, including This is Why We Cant Have Nice Things and The Ambivalent Internet. Shes a professor of information politics and media ethics at the University of Oregon, and also one of my favorite people to talk to and listen to because shes a genius when it comes to the kind of internet culture and platform dynamics we report on every day at 404 Media.I wanted to talk to Whitney today because its been a few years since we talked in depth about the state of the internet and so much has changed in that time, sadly for the worst, and I really wanted some help in understanding the current state of things, as bad as they are. We also spent quite a bit of time talking about her upcoming book, The Shadow Gospel: How Anti-liberal Demonology Possessed U.S. Religion, Media, and Politics.404 Media is a journalist-founded company and needs your support. To subscribe, go to 404media.co. As well as bonus content every single week, subscribers get access to additional episodes where we respond to their best comments. Subscribers also get early access to our interview series. Gain access to that content at 404media.co.Listen to the weekly podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.Become a paid subscriber for early access to these interview episodes and to power our journalism. If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player.