E383. Big Tech Owns Society Now - Jacob Siegel

E383. Big Tech Owns Society Now - Jacob Siegel

Author: Conversations with people from all walks of life. March 26, 2026 Duration: 1:38:22
Jacob Siegel returns to talk about his new book The Information State: Politics and the Age of Total Control, which explains why the war on disinformation is a continuation of the War on Terror using repurposed counterinsurgency tools, and the replacement of bottom-up civic institutions with top-down algorithmic control. They cover how Obama's administration built the censorship infrastructure that defined the Trump era, the role of the CIA in fabricating Russiagate through the Intelligence C...

There’s a certain kind of honesty that only comes from a good conversation, the kind where people stop performing and start talking. That’s the space Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy occupies each week. Host Bridget Phetasy brings a deep appreciation for grit and raw authenticity to every discussion, whether she’s unpacking the beautiful failures and frightening successes from her own life or sitting down with a guest from a completely different world. You won’t find formal interviews here; instead, you’ll hear genuine, meandering conversations with real people about the real struggle-the messy, complicated, and often hilarious work of being human. This podcast operates on the belief that we can laugh in pain and cry in joy, but the true mistake is hiding from the full spectrum of experience. By embracing all of it-the doubt, the triumph, the absurdity-these talks celebrate the shared threads in our stories. It’s a blend of society, culture, and commentary, often funny, always candid, that reminds you you’re not alone in the chaos. Tune in for a podcast that feels like a long talk with a brutally honest friend who helps you make sense of it all.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy
Podcast Episodes
E356. Foreign Influence In Higher Education - Sarah McLaughlin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:35
Senior Scholar at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Sarah McLaughlin sits down with Bridget to discuss her book, Authoritarians In the Academy: How the Internationalization of Higher Education a…
E355. They're Sterilizing Gay Kids - Helen Joyce [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:35:43
Original Air Date - 10/19/23 Revisit a Walk-Ins Welcome classic Helen Joyce, author of Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality, sits down with Bridget for an in-depth conversation about the trans activist movement, what inspi…
E353. Why Free Speech Is Dying and How to Save It - Greg Lukianoff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:36
Greg Lukianoff returns to the podcast as he and Bridget spotlight the battle for free speech and why it’s dying in many areas of the world. They discuss suing the Trump administration over a shady deportation policy, AI’…
E352. Authentic Writing Still Matters in the Age of AI - Kevin Ryan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43:32
Kevin Ryan joins Bridget to discuss the ups and downs of a career in freelance writing. With AI churning out soulless content, they defend the gritty, human struggle of writing, why writing should be hard, and breaking t…
E351. Why Your Doctor Might Be Wrong About Menopause - Amy Alkon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:11
Amy Alkon, investigative science author, returns to the podcast for a fascinating and frank conversation about her new book, Going Menopostal - What You (and Your Doctor) Need to Know About the Real Science of Menopause…
E350. Drink Your Way Sober - Katie Herzog [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:40
Katie Herzog, co-host of the Blocked & Reported podcast, returns to Walk-Ins Welcome to discuss her new book Drink Your Way Sober. She and Bridget have a frank conversation about alcoholism, the steps you take to hide it…
E349. Epstein Probably Killed Himself - Ted Frank [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:37:10
Attorney Ted Frank joins Bridget for a frank conversation about the multitude of conspiracies about Jeffery Epstein swirling around the internet. He and Bridget tackle why it's so hard to find any non-conspiracy related…
E348. Finding Truth in a Sea of Slop - Nancy Rommelmann [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:50
Nancy Rommelmann returns to Walk-Ins Welcome fresh from reporting on ICE raids for Reason Magazine. She and Bridget discuss LA's unprecedented triple crisis—immigration crackdowns, devastating wildfires, and Hollywood's…
E347. How the Internet Killed Journalism - Meghan Daum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:25
Meghan Daum sits down with Bridget to discuss her latest book, The Catastrophe Hour, and the conversation covers everything from aging on camera, to modern existential dread, to the death of quality journalism (RIP, actu…