The Atlantic Launches New Weekly Video Podcast, Galaxy Brain With Charlie Warzel
Today, The Atlantic is excited to announce the launch of its new video podcast, **Galaxy Brain**, hosted by staff writer **Charlie Warzel**. This innovative series aims to navigate the overwhelming flow of information in our digital age, addressing the complex interplay between online culture and human behavior. Each episode will feature a different guest, leading to thought-provoking discussions about the challenges and nuances of our online experiences. The inaugural episode, now available, features YouTuber **Hank Green**, who shares insights from his 26 years of surviving the internet. Together, Warzel and Green explore the current state of the internet, its evolution into what they describe as a “misery machine,” the erosion of trust in institutions, and potential pathways to restore that trust. Their conversation delves into the pervasive frustration of being manipulated by algorithms and what individuals can do to reclaim agency in their online interactions.
In the show’s introduction, Warzel emphasizes the disorienting nature of modern digital life, where people are ensconced in algorithmically curated realities that distort their perceptions of the world. He articulates the podcast’s mission to serve as a “grounding force,” offering listeners a space for meaningful conversations and explanations that help anchor them in reality, despite its many absurdities. Warzel’s commitment to high-quality, insightful content is evident in his previous work for The Atlantic, where he has tackled pressing issues in digital culture, including the implications of AI on creativity and the dynamics of contemporary political campaigns. With **Galaxy Brain**, he aims to continue this critical exploration, providing a platform for discussions that engage with the complexities of our online lives.
**Galaxy Brain** is The Atlantic’s second video podcast, following the launch of **The David Frum Show** earlier this spring. This addition to The Atlantic’s growing podcast portfolio reflects the publication’s commitment to exploring vital cultural and political issues through diverse formats. New episodes of **Galaxy Brain** will be released every Friday, inviting viewers to subscribe and engage with the content on various platforms. For those eager to make sense of the chaotic digital landscape, this podcast promises to be an invaluable resource, blending humor, insight, and a commitment to clarity in an age of overwhelming information.
Today
The Atlantic
is launching
Galaxy Brain
, a new video podcast hosted by staff writer
Charlie Warzel
about making sense of the online fire hose of our information ecosystem. In new episodes released every Friday, Charlie will be joined by a different guest each week to ask big questions about the intersection of online culture and human behavior. The first episode,
which is now available
, features the YouTuber Hank Green on what it means to survive online for 26 years. In their conversation, Charlie and Hank look at where the internet stands today—how it became a misery machine, how institutions lost trust, and how they might begin to win it back. The pair discusses the universal frustration of being online and knowing you’re being manipulated by algorithms—and what, if anything, we can do to push back.
In an
introduction
to the show, Charlie writes: “People everywhere are ensconced in their own, algorithmically tailored realities. Social media is warping our perception of the world, while artificial intelligence threatens to remake it entirely. It all feels ridiculous and unmooring.” He continues, “
Galaxy Brain
will aim to be a grounding force—a space for conversations, explanations, and tangents that anchor you to reality, however strange it may be. No slop, bots, or spam.”
The podcast builds upon Charlie’s acclaimed
reporting
for
The Atlantic
, which orients people to a fast-changing digital culture and examines how online life is shaping and warping offline behaviors. He has recently written the articles “
The Dumb Truth at the Heart of the Epstein Scandal
,” on how the newly released documents are a skeleton key for understanding the dynamics of Donald Trump’s America; “
The Opposite of Slop Politics
,” about the success of Zohran Mamdani’s online campaign; “
A Tool That Crushes Creativity
,” looking at how it feels to live in the golden age of AI slop; and “
I’m Running Out of Ways to Explain How Bad This Is (Again)
.”
Galaxy Brain
is
The Atlantic
’s second video podcast, following the launch of
The David Frum Show
this past spring. Earlier this year,
The Atlantic
launched the second season of
Autocracy in America
and the eighth season of its
How To
franchise,
How to Age Up
, and this summer it published
No Easy Fix
, a three-part podcast series from
Radio Atlantic
.
Episodes of
Galaxy Brain
will be released each Friday; viewers can subscribe to watch
here
, or listen wherever they get podcasts. Please reach out with any questions or requests.
Press Contacts:
Paul Jackson and Quinn O’Brien |
The Atlantic
press@theatlantic.com
