Podcast:Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast Published On: Tue Sep 24 2019 Description: Andrew Marantz spent three years embedded in some of the ugliest corners of the Internet. His goal: find out how trolls and alt-right propagandists were able to so effectively turn social media platforms into a vehicle for taking their fringe opinions into the mainstream. Unable to talk to the gate keepers of the Internet, Marantz went to the gate crashers. What he found is a clear guide to a sort of underground information economy that has a reach every bit as far as the mainstream media. This conversation breaks down the key factors that make up this toxic part of the current information environment, helping to better understand the political moment we’re in. RELATED READING: Antisocial by Andrew Marantz The Dark Side of Techno-Utopianism by Andrew Marantz YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Blocking Big Tech with Kashmir Hill (February 19) Who Broke the Internet? with Tim Wu (May 29, 2018) The Information Crisis with David Roberts (Dec 4, 2018) Find out more about the Texas Tribune Festival