Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Episode 107: Pitching Wu

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To understand advertising today, we have to avoid simplifications like who paid for what message, and move into the nuances regarding how those paid messages—and the media that took the message money—attempt to capture our attention. So far, no better books address that nuance than Tim Wu's. Allow me, then, to endorse Wu's work by presenting Episode 107: Pitching Wu.

In this episode, I read from two of Tim Wu's books, The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires and The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle To Get Inside Our Heads. Again, if you like what I present on this podcast, you will find a lot to love in these books. I also play a bit of Wu himself from his publicity tour, recorded here in Seattle back in 2016. Musically, I play: Podington Bear doing "In My Head"; and Lee Rosevere doing "Gimmicks Three". KMFDM backed Clark Gable in the opening; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all of my episodes under a Creative Content 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

3 comments:

  1. I listened to this the same day as Psychedelic Salon #578 https://psychedelicsalon.com/podcast-578-1-enemies-of-freedom-2-life-after-death/ where Mike Wallace interviews Aldous Huxley about, among other things, advertising! So hearing two Huxley ad-attacking interviews in one day was fabulous!

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    Replies
    1. Ah, synchronicity, those random coincidences that lighten the day!

      And thanks for that recommendation. I'm of course going to put that episode on the pile!

      —Jim

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    2. Hey, again, David.

      I just finished the episode, and Lorenzo is absolutely right: Huxley's description to Wallace of what might happen is a dead ringer for what did happen just two years ago.

      Thanks again for the heads-up!

      —Jim

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