64 episodes
Land of the Giants Vox Media Podcast Network
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- Technology
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4.7 • 179 Ratings
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Big tech is transforming every aspect of our world. But how? And at what cost? This season of Land of the Giants – The Twitter Fantasy – will tell the story of Twitter (X) at a crucial moment for the platform, exactly one year after Elon Musk took over. Hosted by Vox senior correspondent Peter Kafka, the four-episode season will survey the company's outsize influence on politics and culture. How did Twitter become the Internet’s town square, for better and for worse? And where is it heading, now that Elon’s in charge?
From Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
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What We All Got Wrong About Twitter
Twitter began life as an accident. In the beginning, even its founders weren’t sure what it was: the internet’s town square, a real-time information source, or the next Facebook, maybe? Twitter's power has always been misunderstood -- by its leaders, by its users, and lately, by the world's richest person.
Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka)
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A Million Different Twitters
Twitter was created by its users, who invented features like the retweet and hashtag. These features helped create vibrant communities like Black Twitter and Comedy Twitter, but eventually, some groups exploited Twitter’s virality in order to intimidate and harass others online. In this episode: how Twitter became the best and worst place on the internet.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This episode contains descriptions of sexual harassment and of graphic threats of violence. This section begins 9 minutes after the midroll break and lasts for about 5 minutes, or approximately 35:30 through 41:20.
This episode hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) and Lauren Goode (@laurengoode)
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Havoc On the Platform, and Off
Twitter employees had always imagined the platform would be used for social good. Their idea was that free expression on the internet would lead to good things. But after the 2016 U.S. election, that notion would be put under stress. And Twitter would have to grapple with the question: what happens when its powerful superuser - who also happens to be the most powerful person in the world - creates havoc on the platform?
Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka)
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Elon Saves Humanity
A little over a year ago, Elon Musk made the world’s most expensive impulse purchase. His reasons for buying Twitter were murky at best, but in the story he tells now, he’s saving civilization. In the final episode of this season, we look at Twitter today, inside Elon’s fantasy. What happens when the world’s richest man buys the global town square - and announces that we are doing it all wrong?
Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka)
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The Twitter Fantasy
A year ago, in what was essentially the world’s most expensive impulse purchase, Elon Musk bought Twitter. That made him Twitter’s most important user. But he’s certainly not the only one to fall for its spell - a spell that promises attention, connection, and power. This season will explore why Twitter’s cultural and political influence far exceeds its size, and how its biggest users shaped it, for better and worse.
Hosted by Vox senior correspondent Peter Kafka. Episodes drop every Wednesday beginning October 25th.
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The Electric Car Goes Mainstream
Before Teslas were everywhere, they were playthings for the rich and famous. Building its first affordable car made Tesla a breakout success, but it nearly bankrupted the company. This is the story of how the Model 3 changed Tesla and the entire auto industry.
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Customer Reviews
Land of the Giants - Google
Yet another brilliant episode from Land of the Giants.
These deep dives into the tech giants are podcasting at its best giving listeners the long view of how these giants developed over the past 2 decades.
Great Franchise but bias showing more
Fantastic overall storytelling over many series.
Clearly well studied and lays out in simple to understand language and analogies, great for mass audiences.
However, in more recent seasons the bias is extreamly strong and you can see the clear move away from objectivity/unbiased towards more politically driven analysis and bias. Unfortunate to see but it’s become far more obvious in later seasons
Boring
The most boring presenters I have ever listened to