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WEEK OF AUGUST 31, 2025


** This Week on Social Media and Public Discourse
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** The Past and Present of Privacy and Public Life ([link removed])
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In this episode of EconTalk, host Russ Roberts and author Tiffany Jenkins explore the shifting lines between privacy and public life. Drawing from her book Strangers and Intimates, Jenkins explores how our willingness to share personal details with strangers coexists uneasily with growing concerns about surveillance and exposure.
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** How is social media reshaping public discourse—and what habits can we develop to engage more thoughtfully in digital spaces?
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** “Let us then have a discussion. For it is not by force but by reason that we should persuade each other.” — Plato, Republic
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Social media has transformed the way we participate in public discourse—amplifying voices, accelerating debate, and reshaping the norms of civic life. As digital platforms increasingly serve as arenas for individual expression and collective decision-making, the habits we bring to them matter. This week’s featured resources explore how social media is reshaping public discourse and offer insights into how we can engage more thoughtfully, responsibly, and constructively in these shared spaces.


** Articles
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** When Social Media Obscures Truth ([link removed])
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Tori Tinsley, Law & Liberty ([link removed])

When social media shapes public discourse, we risk losing the thoughtful engagement and truth seeking that are vital to democracy. Education and individual responsibility remain essential to navigating digital spaces wisely.

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** Macbeth in Early Social Media ([link removed])
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Susan Carlile, Online Library of Liberty ([link removed])

Charlotte Lennox’s groundbreaking Shakespeare criticism used the 18th-century magazine—an early form of mass media—to reshape how readers understood grief, power, and war in Macbeth. Her work reveals how accessible, widely circulated platforms can deepen public discourse and challenge dominant interpretations, a lesson still relevant in today’s social media age.


** The Alternative to Rage Bait ([link removed])
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Kevin Corcoran, The Library of Economics and Liberty ([link removed])

In a digital landscape dominated by outrage, Kevin Corcoran argues that awe—not anger—is a more powerful and lasting force for shaping public conversation. His essay challenges us to rethink how we engage online, urging a shift from reaction to reflection in how we share ideas and build discourse.


** Mandeville’s Social Toyman and Social Media ([link removed])
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Garth Bond, Adam Smith Works ([link removed])

Comparing the rhetoric of Bernard Mandeville and Adam Smith, this essay explores how satire and scorn—though attention-grabbing—often hinder meaningful dialogue. In an age of social media echo chambers, it reminds us that lasting influence in public discourse comes not from mockery, but from empathy and thoughtful persuasion.


** Surviving Social Media ([link removed])
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Ryan Streeter, Law & Liberty ([link removed])

Social media often amplifies emotion and division while leaving little room for the moral habits that shape thoughtful, respectful public discourse. This piece explores how nurturing moral sentiments through everyday community life may offer a path toward healthier civic engagement.


** Social movements, diversity, and corporate short-termism ([link removed])
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Akshaya Kamalnath, The Library of Economics and Liberty ([link removed])

Social media-driven social movements have pushed companies to act quickly on diversity issues, but short-term responses often fall short of meaningful change. Sustainable progress requires genuine, long-term efforts rooted in internal culture rather than reacting to online pressure.


** Podcasts
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** Katherine Mangu-Ward on Journalism and the State ([link removed])
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The Future of Liberty ([link removed])
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** Keeping it Real ([link removed])
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The Law & Liberty Podcast ([link removed])


** Videos
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** Arnold Kling on Twitter, FTX, and ChatGPT ([link removed])
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EconTalk ([link removed])

Economist Arnold Kling joins EconTalk host Russ Roberts to explore the tech upheavals of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, the FTX collapse, and the rise of ChatGPT. They discuss how these shifts impact public discourse, free speech, and the challenges of content moderation in today’s digital landscape.
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