The Dark Subcultures of Online Politics - Joshua Citarella

Joshua Citarella is an artist, writer, and cultural researcher focused on internet subcultures and online politics. We’ve all doom-scrolled our fair share of online politics, some of it funny, some unsettling, and some surprisingly insightful. But which internet subcultures are actually shaping political ideas, how serious are they, and do they truly influence real-world policy? Expect to learn what’s happening with young people and politics at the moment and why it’s qualitatively different than the past, the weirdest subcultures on the internet that move politics, how online radicalisation actually happens, how internet subcultures actively produce or accelerate political beliefs and identity formation, why Joshua thinks “conservatism is the new punk rock” and much more… - 0:00 The Impressionable Minds That Decide Our Destiny 5:31 The Radicalisation Train is Speeding Up 19:04 How Radicalisation Evolves 26:13 How Small, Strange Communities Control Beliefs 37:33 What Memes Reveal About Modern Ideology 49:06 The Most Important Ideas to Watch Out For 53:24 How Dark Does the Left Go? 01:04:14 Power, Authority and the Trump–Mamdani Showdown 01:09:08 Do Environmental Protests Do More Harm Than Good? 01:20:15 Does the Left Have Space for Men? 01:31:55 How Chris’s Health Has Impacted His Worldview 01:52:38 Staying Informed in Uncertain Times - Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostJoshua Citarellaguest

Dec 13, 20251h 53mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: December 13, 2025
Duration: 1h 53m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Joshua Citarella is an artist, writer, and cultural researcher focused on internet subcultures and online politics. We’ve all doom-scrolled our fair share of online politics, some of it funny, some unsettling, and some surprisingly insightful. But which internet subcultures are actually shaping political ideas, how serious are they, and do they truly influence real-world policy? Expect to learn what’s happening with young people and politics at the moment and why it’s qualitatively different than the past, the weirdest subcultures on the internet that move politics, how online radicalisation actually happens, how internet subcultures actively produce or accelerate political beliefs and identity formation, why Joshua thinks “conservatism is the new punk rock” and much more… - 0:00 The Impressionable Minds That Decide Our Destiny 5:31 The Radicalisation Train is Speeding Up 19:04 How Radicalisation Evolves 26:13 How Small, Strange Communities Control Beliefs 37:33 What Memes Reveal About Modern Ideology 49:06 The Most Important Ideas to Watch Out For 53:24 How Dark Does the Left Go? 01:04:14 Power, Authority and the Trump–Mamdani Showdown 01:09:08 Do Environmental Protests Do More Harm Than Good? 01:20:15 Does the Left Have Space for Men? 01:31:55 How Chris’s Health Has Impacted His Worldview 01:52:38 Staying Informed in Uncertain Times - Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Joshua Citarella
guest
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Joshua Citarella, The Dark Subcultures of Online Politics - Joshua Citarella explores inside Gen Z Meme Politics, Radicalization Pipelines, And Power Vacuums Chris Williamson interviews artist and internet culture analyst Joshua Citarella about how fringe online political subcultures among young people prefigure mainstream politics. Citarella explains his ethnographic work tracking teen meme communities from harmless shitposting into extremist eco‑terrorism and how these spaces forecast trends like right‑wing populism and anti‑establishment sentiment. They discuss the collapse of the post‑1989 liberal consensus, the explosion of hyper‑niche ideologies, and the role of memes, irony, and ‘pipelines’ in shaping belief. The conversation also covers the left’s failure to engage young men, the politicization of masculinity, and how alternative media now rivals or eclipses legacy outlets in real political influence.

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