Outrage Overload: Rethinking politics, division, and media

Bridging Divides
  • 5.0 (11)
  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

If politics and media leave you feeling angry, overwhelmed, or exhausted, Outrage Overload is for you. In about 30 minutes every few weeks, we explore how outrage spreads, how polarization distorts perception, and how media and technology amplify emotional extremes. Through conversations with leading scientists, researchers, and authors, we unpack the psychology, incentives, and systems shaping today’s political climate — and offer practical tools to think clearly, stay grounded, and respond constructively. Outrage Overload helps listeners with critical questions about outrage culture, political polarization, misinformation, and media manipulation—offering science-based insight, expert interviews, and practical tools to stay grounded in a divided world. If you’ve ever asked yourself… • How can I stay politically informed without feeling outraged or exhausted all the time? • Why is political polarization getting worse, and what can we do about it? • What exactly is outrage culture, and how does it manipulate us? • How do I talk about politics without it turning into a fight? • Am I being misled by the media? How can I tell? • What’s the psychological toll of living in an outrage-driven media environment? • How can I build critical thinking skills to make sense of today’s news? • What role does social media play in fueling outrage and misinformation? • Is it possible to care about politics without losing your mind? • What practical tools or insights can help me deal with toxic politics and media? …then this is the politics show you didn’t know you needed. Join host David Beckemeyer—science communicator and founding CTO of EarthLink—as he explores the mechanics of outrage, speaks with experts in psychology, media, and political science, and equips listeners with strategies for navigating today’s high-conflict culture with emotional resilience, critical thinking, and civil discourse.

  1. 81. When a Film Changes the Filmmaker – Nick Beaulieu

    FEB 4

    81. When a Film Changes the Filmmaker – Nick Beaulieu

    What begins as a documentary about racial justice in Omaha becomes something far more personal. Filmmaker Nick Beaulieu joins Outrage Overload to discuss My Omaha, a film that follows his effort to document activism in his hometown while navigating a deeply strained relationship with his terminally ill father, a staunch pro-Trump conservative. Rather than trying to change minds, My Omaha explores what it takes to stay in relationship across political, racial, and generational divides. In this conversation, Nick reflects on trust, identity, social media, and how lessons from racial justice organizing shaped the way he tried to understand his father before it was too late. This episode is about family, polarization, and what happens when the story you’re telling changes you in the process. Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David Support the show Show Notes: https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com HOTLINE: 925-552-7885 Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it. Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites. Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C. Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen. Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, ...

    31 min
  2. BONUS - America’s Lost Generation – Cameron Cowan

    JAN 28 · BONUS

    BONUS - America’s Lost Generation – Cameron Cowan

    Why are so many people exhausted, cynical, or disengaged from politics — even as the stakes keep rising? In this episode of Outrage Overload, David Beckemeyer is joined by journalist and author Cameron Cowan to explore the deeper forces driving generational inequality, institutional distrust, and political disengagement in the United States. Cameron is the author of America’s Lost Generation, which examines how economic change, labor markets, and policy decisions have reshaped opportunity for younger Americans who did what they were told and still found themselves falling behind. Rather than focusing on daily outrage or partisan blame, this conversation looks at how lived experience — not ideology alone — fuels cynicism, burnout, and withdrawal from civic life. David and Cameron discuss what happens when institutions stop feeling accountable, how concentrated power shapes public trust, and why disengagement may be as dangerous as polarization itself. Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David Support the show Show Notes: https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com HOTLINE: 925-552-7885 Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it. Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites. Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C. Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen. Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, ...

    25 min
  3. 80. The Quiet Choices That Shape History – Luke Berryman

    JAN 21

    80. The Quiet Choices That Shape History – Luke Berryman

    Resisting Nazism Resistance is often imagined as dramatic and heroic. History tells a different story. In this episode of Outrage Overload, we speak with historian and educator Dr. Luke Berryman, author of Resisting Nazism: True stories of resistance to the world’s most dangerous ideology from 1920 to the present. Rather than focusing on famous figures or extraordinary acts, this conversation explores resistance as it was actually lived: through nonconformity, refusal, and small decisions made under extraordinary pressure. Dr. Berryman examines Nazism not just as a historical regime, but as an ideology with recurring patterns—some of which remain visible today. The episode also asks a harder question: why do so many people wait for heroes? And what happens when resistance feels too risky, too rare, or like someone else’s responsibility? This is a historically grounded, non-alarmist conversation about how dangerous ideologies take hold—and how ordinary people have resisted them, often quietly, and without recognition. Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David Support the show Show Notes: https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com HOTLINE: 925-552-7885 Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it. Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites. Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C. Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen. Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, ...

    31 min
  4. 79. When We Stop Sharing the Same Reality – Stephen Maher

    JAN 7

    79. When We Stop Sharing the Same Reality – Stephen Maher

    Veteran journalist Stephen Maher joins us to explore how the collapse of local news, the rise of algorithm-driven platforms, and shifting newsroom cultures are reshaping democracy. Drawing on decades covering Canadian politics, Maher explains why communities lose more than information when local papers disappear—and how this dynamic parallels what’s happening in the United States. We dig into polarization, media trust, the “algorithmic public square,” and what might help rebuild a shared civic reality. Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David Support the show Show Notes: https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com HOTLINE: 925-552-7885 Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it. Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites. Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C. Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen. Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, ...

    29 min

  5. 12/26/2025 · BONUS

    BONUS - A Clear-Eyed Look Back at the Pandemic Divide

    COVID may be behind us, but many of the frustrations, myths, and political divides it created are still quietly shaping our social and civic landscape. This bonus episode revisits a conversation originally recorded for Outrage Science Bites—now brought to the main feed because its insights remain deeply relevant. We take a calm, evidence-based look at what actually happened during the U.S. pandemic response, drawing on findings from The Lessons from the COVID War, one of the most comprehensive investigations into COVID policy and outcomes. This episode isn’t about relitigating COVID. It’s about lowering the temperature, softening hardened narratives, and bringing clarity to a moment shaped by outrage and confusion. About this replay: Originally produced for Outrage Science Bites during the NaPodPoMo challenge. Repurposed here because the themes remain essential to understanding polarization today. Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David Support the show Show Notes: https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com HOTLINE: 925-552-7885 Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it. Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites. Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C. Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen. Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, ...

    26 min
  6. BONUS - The Congresspeople You’ve Never Heard Of Might Save Democracy – Brad Porteus

    12/17/2025 · BONUS

    BONUS - The Congresspeople You’ve Never Heard Of Might Save Democracy – Brad Porteus

    While outrage and division dominate the headlines, quiet collaborators in Congress are actually getting things done — you just never hear about them. In this episode, David Beckemeyer talks with Brad Porteus, founder of Bridge Grades, a data-driven “report card for Congress” that measures who’s building bridges — and who’s tearing them down. Together, they explore how citizens can shift the incentives in Washington by rewarding collaboration over confrontation. Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David Support the show Show Notes: https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com HOTLINE: 925-552-7885 Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it. Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites. Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C. Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen. Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, ...

    32 min
  7. 78. When AI Becomes the Most Persuasive Voice in the Room – Petter Törnberg

    12/10/2025

    78. When AI Becomes the Most Persuasive Voice in the Room – Petter Törnberg

    When AI Starts Shaping What We Believe We often blame social media algorithms for toxic polarization — for the outrage, the misinformation, the “us versus them” dynamic pulling society apart. But what if the real problem goes deeper than the algorithm? In this episode, University of Amsterdam researcher Petter Törnberg explains why social media is broken by design — and why simply “fixing the feed” won’t solve outrage or polarization. And now, a new technology is arriving that could reshape politics and public opinion even more profoundly than the platforms that came before: AI systems that can influence our beliefs without us noticing. This conversation will change the way you think about the future of media, power, and what autonomy means in a world where technology shapes how we see reality. Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David Support the show Show Notes: https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com HOTLINE: 925-552-7885 Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it. Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites. Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C. Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen. Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, ...

    41 min
  8. BONUS - The America You Don’t See on the News – Adam Mizel

    12/03/2025 · BONUS

    BONUS - The America You Don’t See on the News – Adam Mizel

    Most Americans are tired of the outrage — and hungry for something better. So how do we unite America when everything feels so divided? In this episode, we talk with Adam Mizel, co-founder and CEO of US United, a movement focused on ending toxic polarization through everyday actions anyone can take. After traveling the country in a purple pickup truck, Adam found that people from all backgrounds want the same things: respect, listening, and real connection. We explore political depolarization solutions, the media outrage problem, and simple ways to build unity in communities — starting within five miles of where you live. If you’ve ever wondered how to heal a divided America without giving up your values, this episode offers stories, strategies, and hope. We also talk about National Unity Day USA — now officially recognized on the National Day Calendar — and how each of us can join a growing movement for positive change. Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David Support the show Show Notes: https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com HOTLINE: 925-552-7885 Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it. Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites. Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C. Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen. Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, ...

    36 min
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11 Ratings

About

If politics and media leave you feeling angry, overwhelmed, or exhausted, Outrage Overload is for you. In about 30 minutes every few weeks, we explore how outrage spreads, how polarization distorts perception, and how media and technology amplify emotional extremes. Through conversations with leading scientists, researchers, and authors, we unpack the psychology, incentives, and systems shaping today’s political climate — and offer practical tools to think clearly, stay grounded, and respond constructively. Outrage Overload helps listeners with critical questions about outrage culture, political polarization, misinformation, and media manipulation—offering science-based insight, expert interviews, and practical tools to stay grounded in a divided world. If you’ve ever asked yourself… • How can I stay politically informed without feeling outraged or exhausted all the time? • Why is political polarization getting worse, and what can we do about it? • What exactly is outrage culture, and how does it manipulate us? • How do I talk about politics without it turning into a fight? • Am I being misled by the media? How can I tell? • What’s the psychological toll of living in an outrage-driven media environment? • How can I build critical thinking skills to make sense of today’s news? • What role does social media play in fueling outrage and misinformation? • Is it possible to care about politics without losing your mind? • What practical tools or insights can help me deal with toxic politics and media? …then this is the politics show you didn’t know you needed. Join host David Beckemeyer—science communicator and founding CTO of EarthLink—as he explores the mechanics of outrage, speaks with experts in psychology, media, and political science, and equips listeners with strategies for navigating today’s high-conflict culture with emotional resilience, critical thinking, and civil discourse.

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