The provided source material focuses exclusively on Joshua Citarella’s podcast "Doomscroll" and his activities as a researcher and artist concerning online political radicalization. The documentation details the show’s format, guest list, production quality, and stated goals regarding the "pipeline" of political ideas on the internet. There is no information within the provided text regarding hypnotherapy, psychological interventions, subconscious reprogramming, trauma-informed care, anxiety reduction, habit change, or any other mental health practices. Consequently, it is not possible to write an article on those specific therapeutic topics based on the provided data. The following article is a factual summary of the available information regarding the subject matter found in the source text.
Overview of "Doomscroll" and Digital Radicalization Research
Joshua Citarella, an artist, researcher, and author, launched the YouTube interview show "Doomscroll" in September of the previous year. The show is described as a "tactical media experiment" designed to counter the influence of right-wing media ecosystems. Citarella’s research focuses on the "single most powerful vector of right-wing radical ideas," which he identifies as YouTube. He notes that conservative users are disproportionately shunted down "rabbit holes" of increasingly extremist content compared to their left-leaning peers. "Doomscroll" aims to create a "new pipeline" optimized to funnel politically curious young people toward leftist ideas, contravening the Svengali-like grip of the right-wing media ecosystem that seemingly influenced the 2024 "podcast election."
The show has built a steady following, with episodes receiving hundreds of thousands of views. By the second episode, featuring cultural theorist Catherine Liu, the show had already achieved significant viewership. Fellow YouTuber Kyle Kulinski described Citarella as "the closest thing I’ve seen to a ‘liberal Joe Rogan.’" Citarella’s work has helped build his reputation as someone capable of reading "internet tea leaves" and auguring the direction of America’s political id. His interest in leftist politics and digital dissemination tools dates back to his previous career as an artist.
Production Quality and Host Demeanor
"Doomscroll" interviews are primarily shot in a white-walled studio in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, giving each episode a stark uniformity. The editing, lighting, and overall production quality are noted to rival that of much larger video podcasts from major outlets, accomplished with a scrappy team of part-time staff. Citarella refers to this approach jokingly as "prestige podcasting."
Compared to other figures in the "dirtbag left" media sphere, known for their crass and confrontational styles, Citarella is described as reserved, professional, and media-ready in the traditional sense. He is clean-cut and unshowy, possessing an easy, authoritative manner. He introduces each guest in dryly neutral terms and steers conversations without dominating them. He describes this approach as "social-democratic Lex Fridman," referencing the impassive computer scientist and podcaster beloved by the tech-right.
Strategic Engagement and Guest Selection
A core tactical strategy of "Doomscroll" is to avoid preaching only to the converted. Citarella believes that most media strategies pursue a dedicated audience with a set editorial line, which he views as the editorial concept behind every existing left-wing media channel, noting that this approach has "gotten us here." Consequently, he has conducted polite and inquisitive conversations with ideological opponents. These guests include the MAGA cheerleader Dasha Nekrasova of the podcast "Red Scare," the conservative Canadian journalist and YouTuber J. J. McCullough, and the libertarian-leaning, internet-famous sex worker and self-taught data scientist Aella.
The show also panders to the "manosphere" by publishing a series of syllabi that suggest both left-wing readings and fitness routines. Citarella underwent a personal "auto-experiment" in "hypermasculinity"—involving lifting weights, chewing tree resin, and sunning his testicles—in an attempt to refute a right-wing theory that men with left-wing politics are "low T."
Ideological Focus and Influences
"Doomscroll" focuses on harnessing the energy behind the widespread backlash against "wokeness" and directing it, in high Marxist fashion, to a more materialist analysis of the phenomenon. Citarella looks to academics such as Catherine Liu, a repeat guest who assails the "virtue hoarding" of the professional managerial class, and the sociologist Vivek Chibber, who believes that identity politics has led to an "abandonment of radical scholarship." The show aims to do on a large scale what Citarella previously did with memes regarding the work of theorist Mark Fisher.
Citarella’s work has attracted notable figures in the media landscape. Ezra Klein, a writer and podcaster representing the technocratic liberal media establishment, appeared on the show. While they differed on the path to a "productive, Promethean, techno-optimistic future," Klein is a fan of Citarella’s work. Klein was one of the earliest boldface names to subscribe to Citarella’s Substack newsletter, launched in 2022, which publishes research on obscure new forms of political radicalization among young people on the internet. During their conversation, Citarella observed that many people do not take online politics seriously enough, to which Klein replied, "That’s why I read your work."
Citarella has stated a "four-year arc" goal to conduct interviews with Presidential candidates in 2028. He views the medium he is using as "influence," and if the podcast can be considered a kind of art project, this influence is the medium.