Radio Live - Podcasts - Keen On America - Big Brother Down Under: Is it 1984 Already in Australia?

Big Brother Down Under: Is it 1984 Already in Australia?

Author: Andrew Keen December 14, 2025 Duration: 37:31

Big Brother Down Under: Is it 1984 Already in Australia?

Podcast episode

Big Brother Down Under: Is it 1984 Already in Australia?

Keen On America

Society Commentary Culture News

Keen On America is a sharp, fast-moving podcast hosted by author and commentator Andrew Keen. Known for asking impertinent questions, Keen cross-examines some of the world’s most thoughtful voices on politics, economics, history, culture, the environment, and technology. Each episode digs beneath headlines and hype to uncover what is really shaping America today and how those forces connect to global change. Listeners can expect challenging conversations rather than easy talking points, as Keen presses guests to explain not just what is happening, but why it matters and what might come next. Whether you are trying to make sense of polarized politics, rapid technological disruption, or shifting social norms, this show offers a bracing, critical lens. Tune in and listen episodes of Keen On America to hear Andrew Keen interrogate the ideas and assumptions that define contemporary American life.

It’s been quite a week in tech. The Australian social media ban, the Netflix vs Paramount fight over Warner Bros & the Disney-OpenAI deal. That Was The Week’s Keith Teare and I try to explain all this in the broader context of the future of media in 2026 and beyond. Has Australia really gone Orwellian in its teen social media ban, who should own Warner and will movie theaters & serious journalism have a future in the AI age? Our answers aren’t always what you’d expect.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

More episodes

The End of the Silicon Valley Myth: Why Big Tech now faces a Reckoning

The End of the Silicon Valley Myth: Why Big Tech now faces a Reckoning

21.01.2023 Duration: 33:38

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the tech journalist, Brian Merchant, author of the recent Atlantic feature "The End of the Silicon Valley Myth". Brian and Andrew discuss the future of Google, Meta, Apple and Ama…

Episode page

01.20.23: That Was The Week in Tech

01.20.23: That Was The Week in Tech

21.01.2023 Duration: 19:44

In his weekly round up of tech news with Keith Teare, the author of the That Was The Week newsletter, Andrew imagines the possible "dawning of a new era" in Silicon Valley. For the week of January 20, 2023, Keith and And…

Episode page

GEORGE KENNAN: A Life Caught Between the United States and the Soviet Union

GEORGE KENNAN: A Life Caught Between the United States and the Soviet Union

20.01.2023 Duration: 36:04

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Frank Costigliola, author of KENNAN; A Life Between Two Worlds. They discuss the life of the 20th century American diplomat George Kennan with a focus on:-- Kennan's role in the o…

Episode page

Curtis White on Transcendence: How Art and Dharma Can Save Us in a Time of Collapse

Curtis White on Transcendence: How Art and Dharma Can Save Us in a Time of Collapse

20.01.2023 Duration: 35:08

Andrew talks to Curtis White, author of "Transcendent: Art and Dharma in a Time of Collapse" about Western Buddhism, Dharma and a Transcendent Counterculture.

Episode page

Can an Updated Version of Dale Carnegie's 20th Century Help Us Fix Our 21st Century Future

Can an Updated Version of Dale Carnegie's 20th Century Help Us Fix Our 21st Century Future

20.01.2023 Duration: 34:19

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Joe Hart, author of "Take Command: Find Your Inner Strength, Build Enduring Relationships, and Live the Life You Want."

Episode page

Why the Best Lessons in Life are Experienced rather than Learned

Why the Best Lessons in Life are Experienced rather than Learned

20.01.2023 Duration: 28:57

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Soren Kaplan, author of Experiential Intelligence: Harness the Power of Experience for Personal and Business Breakthroughs".

Episode page

The Revolt against Humanity: Adam Kirsch Imagines a Future Without Humanity"

The Revolt against Humanity: Adam Kirsch Imagines a Future Without Humanity"

20.01.2023 Duration: 32:44

In this KEEN ON podcast, Andrew talks to Adam Kirsch, author of "The Revolt Against Humanity: Imagining a Future Without Us"

Episode page

LIFE ON MARS: IMAGINING THE FIRST CITY ON THE RED PLANET

LIFE ON MARS: IMAGINING THE FIRST CITY ON THE RED PLANET

19.01.2023 Duration: 30:11

Tufts University's Justin Hollander talks to Andrew about his new book, The First City on Mars: An Urban Planner's Guide to Settling the Red PlanetIf you want to live on Mars, this one is for you. Enjoy, Martians!

Episode page

Jacqueline Jones: What Does the Plight of Boston's Black Workers in the Civil War Era Tells Us About the Struggle Today of All Americans For an Honest Living?

Jacqueline Jones: What Does the Plight of Boston's Black Workers in the Civil War Era Tells Us About the Struggle Today of All Americans For an Honest Living?

09.01.2023 Duration: 33:18

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now.In this episode,…

Episode page

Jayne Ann Krentz: Genre Fiction Matters Because It Enables Writers to Address Perennial Moral Issues Like Honor and How to Distinguish Between Right and Wrong

Jayne Ann Krentz: Genre Fiction Matters Because It Enables Writers to Address Perennial Moral Issues Like Honor and How to Distinguish Between Right and Wrong

07.01.2023 Duration: 27:10

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now.In this episode,…

Episode page

Pico Iyer: Why Travel Writing is a Form of Memoir and How Covid Has Changed How We See the World

Pico Iyer: Why Travel Writing is a Form of Memoir and How Covid Has Changed How We See the World

06.01.2023 Duration: 42:26

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now.In this episode,…

Episode page

Jared Yates Sexton: Midnight in America? Why the Coming Crisis in the Republic Offers Hope For a Better Future

Jared Yates Sexton: Midnight in America? Why the Coming Crisis in the Republic Offers Hope For a Better Future

05.01.2023 Duration: 32:08

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now.In this episode,…

Episode page

Angela Stent: Why 2023 Probably Won't Bring An End to the War in Ukraine and Other Unpalatable Truths From the Putin World

Angela Stent: Why 2023 Probably Won't Bring An End to the War in Ukraine and Other Unpalatable Truths From the Putin World

05.01.2023 Duration: 28:42

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now.In this episode,…

Episode page

Corinne Sawers: Why the Pro-Market American Model of Confronting Today's Climate Emergency Might Offer the Most Realistic Way to Get to Net Zero

Corinne Sawers: Why the Pro-Market American Model of Confronting Today's Climate Emergency Might Offer the Most Realistic Way to Get to Net Zero

05.01.2023 Duration: 22:35

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now.In this episode,…

Episode page

Jim Campbell on the Ponzi Boys: What Makes Bernie Madoff and Sam Bankman-Fried the Same Type of Monstrous Human-Being?

Jim Campbell on the Ponzi Boys: What Makes Bernie Madoff and Sam Bankman-Fried the Same Type of Monstrous Human-Being?

04.01.2023 Duration: 31:17

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now.In this episode,…

Episode page

Logo

Select station

—

VOL