Love the show. Hate the sponsor. ExpressVPN is actively harmful to cybersecurity. I would spend a bunch of time and effort to convince you but just google “vpn influencers akgul” and you’ll find the academic paper that lays it out for you.

Sorry, love the podcast generally but felt this guy was disingenuous and did not understand how middle schoolers socialize and utilize social media. Super sexist in terms of his assumptions about both boys and especially girls at this age.

Jonathan Haidt? Maybe next you can do a show on Wokism on Campus, or How Public Schools are Woking our Kids, or heck, just go all the way and invite Bari Weiss on. After all, Both Sides is acceptable when in service of your moral panic.

Come on guys. Pixar was founded by Steve Jobs. He wasn’t just in the board.

I’ve been listening to Offline for years. A big fan. Much like in any Pod Save feed show, Hallie Keefer is intolerable to listen to. I was excited to listen to Max and others talk about Wall-E, but I can’t do it when Hallie Keefer is there swallowing her words and stumbling over sentences with un-insightful nonsense. Can’t listen. Get her out.

LOYAL FAN TURNED LOYAL HATER AFTER YOUR FALSE FLAG EPISODE CORNCERNING THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSPIRACY DESTROYING AMERICA. WHO IS THIS DEEP STATE OPERATIVE UNDERMINING TRUTH AND WHERE IS THE REAL PETER MCINDOE!?!

Look forward to Sunday morning drop of the pod, and now the new midweek movie offline pod!! YES! Love Jon & Max’s bantering about all things, they have a wonderful exchange of ideas. Listening to hard issues with a lightness, humor.. and crushing on their voices too. Absolutely blown away by how smart Peter Meladue (?) found of Birds aren’t Real is. I always enjoyed the movement these young people created, thought it was brilliant. Can see now the brilliant work is out of the mind of one remarkable person. Thank you for this interview. Fascinating, and gives me hope for the future, these young adults are it!!

This podcast has been a very helpful tool in my staying cognizant of the effects that the internet has on myself and society. As a note of criticism, I am finding the show unlistenable as of late because of Max’s constant laughing throughout every episode. I understand that the show has a loose, casual style, which I do appreciate about Crooked Media podcasts in general, but this laughing is just way too persistent, and it lasts several seconds each time… a drawn out “a-HAH-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh” multiple times a minute gets so grating to hear, no matter who is doing it. He laughs at every little passing joke that Jon Favreau makes. Jon can be a funny guy, but sorry to say, not every single joke is laugh-out-loud funny, as Max’s laughing would suggest. Because this is an audio medium, I would think the producers and hosts would be more conscious of things like this and recognize the value of minimizing anything that amounts to repetitive noise as this does. It feels petty to being saying it, and maybe I’m alone in feeling this way, but unfortunately I just can’t unhear it now, and it’s become like nails on a chalkboard to me. Not because Max’s laugh in particular is annoying, but simply because it is so constant, and anyone laughing that constantly would be annoying. He literally laughs out loud multiple times per minute, but it just seems like an annoying habit, rather than genuine laughter, and it’s become too distracting. It’s a shame because I love the subject matter that Max, Jon, and their guests discuss, and I think all of them including Max are very insightful. I just can’t subject my ears to this forced laughter anymore.

Wow such tough reviews on here! I love listening to this show. I listen to many Crooked pods and find Offline a nice break sometimes from politics. Jon and Max have a great dynamic and I enjoy keeping up with tech news. Thanks y’all!

What is this. You're not comedians. Why is this show getting worse and worse?

Soooo annoying

Every time I listen to this podcast I start hopeful and then am crushed by the often superficial level of discussion. The latest episode on cognitive bias is a perfect example - good topic, good potential for an informed discussion, and ultimately an underwhelming listener experience. Pity.

Definitely do more of these!

Thing is - have been following this crew since before the election in 2016. Problem now: as entertaining as Jon and Jon and Tommy and Dan and Erin and Alyssa and Ira and :ous are - until the Biden administration listens to and responds to overwhelming American demand for conditioning if not stopping altogether any future offensive military aid to Israel - it has stopped being fun, or even educational, to listen to. I no longer want to listen. Biden Administration won’t listen to us? Fine. More likely than not I’ll be a democrat under duress and vote for him, but the race, the politics: no longer interesting. All just one big bummer.

Edit: The premise of the most recent episode, “Biden’s Plan to Beat Trump Online”, is so antithetical to the original point of this show, it made me come back to my review to drop it to 1 star. 😔 I really loved the beginning of this podcast when Jon was a solo host exploring his phone addiction - I saw a lot of myself in his journey. Since Max was added to the show, it’s become a lot more like PSA, which is fine, but it’s definitely no longer a relatable exploration of one person’s phone/media addiction and is now another punditry show. I still listen for the interviews, especially when Jon is interviewing the guest by himself, because they still touch on topics of phone and internet addiction. But the first half of each episode is now almost indistinguishable from PSA.

Most recent episode is an hour long pharmaceutical ad

What a beautiful interview! Thank you.

This subject matter definitely needs to be covered from a political perspective and Jon is a great host. However the cohost is so grating that I can’t listen to this regularly anymore.

Jon Favreau's exploration into how our online lives impact us is eye-opening. From insightful chats with celebrities to deep dives into tech's effects, this podcast is a must-listen for anyone seeking to balance their online and offline worlds. 5 stars for its thought-provoking content.

Regarding how to confront societal amnesia about COVID and Trump’s disastrous mismanagement of the pandemic, it’s straightforward politically. A 1-2 minute compilation of the actual news headlines and the actual insane statements Trump made, over the images of empty city streets, piles of body bags, long lines of people waiting for food handouts, militias at state capitols, armed MAGA blocking mass vaccination sites. Ending with that moving scene of the COVID Memorial to the Dead with Biden, Jill, Kamala, and Doug and the voiceover line, Thank you President Biden. Because hearing the actual real voices is 10,000X more impactful than talking about it. Compare it to talking about JFK being shot and seeing his car driving down the street.

Really interesting discussion about how NYC—& the US struggled to deal with Covid—& Trump. God help us if Trump is re-elected.

I normally really like the show, but can we get less royal stuff please. Its not a fun conspiracy theory, its creepy.

I like the fact that you, Tommy and John are reading your audiobook. I usually prefer to hear the author, and you guys are great!

Ha ! I’m kidding with the title but this episode addressing long covid and you addressing the whole twitter drama with humility and honesty and an open ear... thank you! I have been dealing with severe long covid since March 2020 and it’s horrible and devastating. I hope for us all that we can all hang on until there is some, any improvement in quality of life for us all 🙏🏼❤️‍🩹

Thank you for giving a realistic voice to those who are not able to fully move on after COVID. As a sufferer of ME, paralleling timeline and symptoms of LC, I’m super appreciative of any discussions bringing awareness of this horrific condition that absolutely can derail lives.

I’m a long time listener, and I usually love the shows and everything this group does. I was listening to today’s episode about Libs of TikTok and what happened in Oklahoma. A kid died. They were vigils all over the state. The atmosphere in Oklahoma is oppressive for kids (and adults), because of things that are happening online. However, after a quick mention of this, the whole reporting is totally meta, about what kinds of journalism are better or worse. Nothing about the actual lives that were affected by it in Owasso and the rest of the state. Please show some empathy for Oklahoma. I know we won’t vote blue as a state, but there’s so many people here suffering who are not being acknowledged even in podcasts like this one.

Thank you…. This is a really wonderful podcast that I sincerely look forward to each week. Not only for Max’s sexy lsigh(❤️🤣), but for the fantastic topics, brilliant commentary, your guests, your research… all of it Thank you so so much I’m very grateful for you and all the Crooked Media content

Great podcast, been listening for a long time. I can’t help but notice the increasing number of skips. The podcast will randomly cut to a precious section or skip a section entirely. Thank you! (Only happens with crooked media podcasts)

A hodgepodge of individuals, including the hosts, who’ve built their professional and personal lives on their internet addiction and technological reliance attempting to somehow distance themselves from that who they are by taking a depressing position on nearly everything. I was hoping to get history or nuanced views on the unexpected ways technology impacts our lives and the world around us. Instead I got a few episodes of “Twitter is evil I hate it! But I love it too much to stop scrolling and sharing memes at night!” and “God we’d all be so much better off without the iphone…not me but you definitely would be!”. This has even bled into the descriptions “We love this new piece of technology…here’s why you should depressed about that!” The first dozen episodes were great and had great, insightful guests. I genuinely learned a lot about how social media operates behind the scenes for example. However it quickly devolved into what seems like a vehicle that the hosts and guests use to feel better about their technology addiction. Akin to an alcoholic using attending AA meetings to justify ramping up their drinking.

Take a longer paternity leave if you can! I wish my husband was able to take longer than two weeks. We would all understand! Spend time with your family!

I have been listening to this show since the start and find it a bit hit or miss depending on the guest for interview. Some are fantastic, others aren’t talking about topics that particularly interest me and aren’t able to get my more interested. However, today’s interview with R. F. Kuang really surprised me in the direction it took, in a good way, so I’m finally rating the show. I also like the chemistry between Max and John and think that’s a nice layer versus a solo hosted pod.

The hosts are very compatible and can each carry the show on their own. Some of the episodes seem tangential to the topic of social media but are always interesting. Max is my favorite crooked host, very thoughtful, informed, and articulate.

Love the show, struggled with the gen z sobriety episode. I wanted to be open minded but with all the "likes" this and like like that" I just couldn't get through it. Additionally, it was SO specifically gen z progressive I interest.

I was really interested in this episode, but like I like had to like stop it like a few like minutes in….

Interesting guests and discussions, but please work on that verbal tick of constantly saying “like.” It’s very distracting and unprofessional. Slow down, take a breath, and think about what you’re going to say.

I enjoy so many of the Crooked Media shows, but sometimes I wonder if they could take the time to listen back to some of the shows themselves. I’m listening to the “Dry January” Offline show (January 7, 2024) and it’s all I can do to try to ignore every time a panelist, including the host, says the word “like.” The more I try to ignore it, the more I hear it. It seems they would all do a much better job conveying their thoughts by consciously avoiding that clutch word. It doesn’t add anything and frankly distracts me as a listener. Just a suggestion.

When you are addicted to constant validation on Twitter because you have rampant deep seeded issues, why not start a other podcast?

This podcast used to be quite good but in the last few months it has become 2 millennial white guys complaining about social media and telling people to educate themselves with "better sources" yet never deigning to tell anyone what those better sources are. They make fun of TikTokers for ignorance yet don't point to anything better. Increasingly feels like they're just attacking 14-year-old girls in TikTok fandoms they don't understand

Stop laughing at people’s problems! Dude, I am as lefty liberal as they come, blah blah blah, and I was nauseated as I listened to Jeff Stein chuckle his way through explaining to those “dumb people who are complaining about the $16 McDonald’s order that was posted over a year ago and is being used as a tool by the (R)” and dismissing their lives ”as not being as bad as during the depression.” The $16 McDonald’s order is resonating with people because it is something they relate to. You will NEVER win anyone over by discounting their lives, and once you’ve laughed them off and lost ‘em to the “sticky meme” you are only making it hard to impossible to convince them that the Dems are on their side. Jeff, you cocky, wealthy Washington insider. In the same breath you talked about the high costs of housing and the inability for just about anyone to buy a home, while spouting “We don’t have Hoover-villes!” Have you not seen the homeless encampments? And so many people are living on a knife’s edge. Have you forgotten about the number of children who have fallen back into poverty with the expiration of the child subsidy - which is not Biden’s fault but this administration will be blamed for it? Individual families don’t care about the policy wars and the stats and the macroeconomics, they care about each and every extra minute they have to work at their job that pays less than $16 an hour to earn the extra money they need to buy something from the value menu at McDonald’s and to keep themselves from living in their car or in a tent in what will inevitably now be dubbed a “Biden-ville.”

Constantly complaining about how people interact online but uses the internet to yap like white men do it's weird

As a years long fan of Crooked Media, I’ve been pretty disappointed by the content they’ve produced since October 7th. I’m an Instructional Designer and public administrator with over a decade of exp. in higher ed and in the non profit space as an educator for context/qualif. The most recent episode about TikTok was so out of touch with where progressive civic participation is. I’d like to give credit and not assume that Crooked pundits are parroting the standard dem narrative. If that’s the case, all I can say as a long time fan, is you are missing the message. I get why social media has its problems but at this time, y’all really need to listen to non-white progressives.

Wow, had to stop listening after the first 20 minutes of this episode. You guys have taken the liberal “all feelings are valid and real” to its extreme conclusion. Who cares about facts when you just have feelings? Who cares that you guys are perpetuating antisemitism and calling a self defensive war a genocide. I was a liberal but you guys have opened my eyes to the absurdity of the final conclusion of liberalism and I am done. When Hamas (or whatever the next terrorist regime the Palestinians put their support behind) comes for America next, it will be so great to hear your apologies for them.

Appreciate this episode. And it reminded me of what Wavy Gravy says: “If you lose your sense of humor, it’s just not funny any more!”

Excellent episode! This interview about comedy, culture and politics over the last few decades was absolutely fascinating! Thank you for letting me know about this book. I can’t wait to read it.

I like, love Crooked Media and follow like, many of your shows. I think like, since Max Fisher, like joined, like, there is way too much, like, bro-ing out on the, like show. And like yes, I am like a boomer, but like, it is like very distracting and hard to like, take someone seriously, like when they sound like a like, Valley Girl. Max, you are like too smart to have your voice like compromised by this like verbal tick.

Every week I am surprised at the creative spin which favero is a fantastic host and max brings a voice and perspective to the show that is not seen in the other crooked series. Looking forward to this Sunday.

I tried to listen to an episode on phone addiction, hoping to find some encouragement. 30 mins of obnoxious comments and half were political bashing on Ron Desantis, trump, etc. politics aside, it's just annoying because I was hoping to walk away with some info on breaking phone addiction and encouragement but it was a Waste of my time and couldn't even finish the episode.

I enjoy this podcast with its charming host and a variety of interesting guests. This latest episode, with Heather Cox Richardson, was simply outstanding. I enjoyed hearing some positive thoughts about our democracy. And working a Taylor Swift into the discussion in a meaningful way was enlightening!

The ability for AI to translate in real time with the person’s voice will be transformative for MEDICINE!! As a Health Care Provider, it would be amazing to converse with patients in real time!!

Ms. Tiffany may write for The Atlantic but I learned nothing from today’s podcast and her vocal fry and up-speak drove me crazy.