Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2024-12-13
Books mentioned on Best Of: How TV, Twitter and TikTok Remade Our Politics
Ezra Klein discussed Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. Sean Illing recommended Public opinion by Walter Lippmann and Mediated by Thomas de Zengotita.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Amusing Ourselves to Death
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman is a seminal media ecology critique arguing that television and modern visual media degrade public discourse by reducing serious thought to mere entertainment.
Discussed“and this is the way Neil Postman who wrote amusing ourselves to death put it I mean his book is kind of indictment of TV”
Where to get it
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Public opinion
Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann is a classic 1922 sociological text that critically examines the formation of collective beliefs, the limitations of democratic citizenry, and the pervasive influence of media and propaganda in shaping public perception.
Recommended“the second book would be Walter litman's public opinion and I think that was published in 1922”
Where to get it
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Mediated
Mediated by Thomas de Zengotita is a thoughtful exploration of how contemporary media saturation profoundly shapes personal experiences and political realities.
Recommended“the third book would be Thomas Day Zen gotia it's a an Anthropologist of all things but he wrote a book called mediated”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“it's a conversation with my friend Sean illing the host of the gray area podcast and a co-author of the book The Paradox of democracy”