How do you like it so far?

Get the App

How do you like it so far?

Henry Jenkins Colin Maclay

Academics Henry Jenkins and Colin Maclay use their combined knowledge to dig deeper and ask more ambitious questions than most pop culture podcasts out there – not doing recaps or just remaining on the level of entertainment coverage. For them, popular culture offers resources for asking questions about who we are and where we are going, questions that can be political, legal, technological, economic, or social, but often cut across all of the above.

1 hour 48 minutes

Hollywood Actresses, the Oscars, and Wuthering Heights with Izzy from Be Kind Rewind
Showing her love of movies, Izzy from Be Kind Rewind chats with us about her process of creating video essays and connection to researching actresses in the Hollywood system. We discuss how her fannish love of TCM films turned into a passion for making videos and navigating complex topics often overlooked or simplified into gossip. Diving deeper into this, Izzy speaks about her recent video on actress Merle Oberon’s race as it relates to William Wyler’s Wuthering Heights (1939) and its latest adaption by Emerald Fennell. There we discuss how the construction of stardom and the text of a piece impact readings of race as a racialized work attempts to become de-racailized by directorial choices. Using her Vanessa Redgrave video, Izzy also talks to us about the Oscars,its relationship to politics, and how it impacts actresses. We end this longer epsiode with a hint of the future for Be Kind Rewind and our 2026 Oscar predictions. Afterwards, Samantha and Henry give their Oscar predictions in every category.

This episode is filled with fun, fandom, and just a touch of Hollywood magic! We get into what passions drive a video essayist and the interesting topics that can happen about the film industry if we are not strictly going by salacious headlines. It is an episode that not only asks viewers to watch more films but, also challenges them to think about the wider implications of the moving image.

Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:

Some Suggested BKR Videos:
Academic/Educational readings and resources:
People & Places:
Media:
You might also enjoy our previous Oscar Themed episode and the Oscar Watch series Henry is currently running on his blog.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
11 March 2026, 10:41 pm
1 hour 13 minutes

Frames of Fandom with Robert Kozinets
Professor of Journalism at USC Annenberg, Robert Kozinets, and Henry Jenkins speak with us about their ongoing book series Frames of Fandom. Both authors explore how they met, their ever-evolving work in fan studies, and what inspired them to create a 16-book series. Both scholars discuss the complexity of fandom as it intersects with consumer culture and subcultures. They even ask if fandom itself can be considered a subculture or something akin to religion! The conversation ends with a discussion of accessibility to academic texts, their choice of writing personal ethnographies throughout the books, and the future of the book series.

Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:

Academic/Educational readings and resources:
- Frames of Fandom book series [Amazon Link]
- Netnography Unlimited Understanding Technoculture using Qualitative Social Media Research
- Influencers and Creators Business, Culture and Practice
- Convergence Culture
- Convergence Culture Consortium
- Textual Poachers
People & Places:
Media:
- 2025 MLB World Series
- 1993 World Series
- CFL
- MLB
- Super Bowl LIX
- Labubu
- Reddit
- Facebook
- Star Trek
- Aurora monster models [Article on toys]
- Dark Shadows
- Universal Monster Films
- Famous Monsters of Filmland
- Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
- Strange Sports Stories [Article on the comic series]
- Space Jam (1996)
- Space Jam: A New Legacy
- Harry Potter
- HBO
- Magic The Gathering
- Monster Hunter
- Fortnite
- Dragon Ball
- Ford Mustang
- Disney Bounding [Blog Guide]
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
24 February 2026, 12:50 am
1 hour 14 minutes

Global Streaming Services and Cultural Power Relations: Bertha Chin & Swapnil Rai
In this episode, Bertha Chin— Senior lecturer and the Director of the National University of Singapore’s Communications And New Media program— and Swapnil Rai—Associate Professor Film, Television and Media Associate Professor Communication and Media at the University of Michigan—join us to speak about the global streaming media landscape. From Bollywood to Hollywood, Rai and Chin dissect the complexity of media movements as both parts of cultural imperialism and the widening of fandoms. Both scholars lead us through discussions of the transnational circulations and development of series on streaming platforms, relating them to the wider topic of power relations within globalization. By the end, we are left to examine how we engage with transnational shows, who produces them, and how other countries have interpreted the same show. Is streaming the best way to be exposed to other cultures, or is it trying to mobilize the audiences and resources of other countries?
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Academic/Educational readings and resources:
- Transnational Streaming Television Reshaping Global Flows and Power
- Networked Bollywood How Star Power Globalized Hindi Cinema
- Crowdfunding the Future Media Industries, Ethics, and Digital Society
- Eating Fandom Intersections Between Fans and Food Cultures
- Bollywoodizing Netfix or globalizing Hotstar? The cultural-industrial logics of global streaming platforms in India
- Modi vs. Wild: Celebritized Politics and the Mediations of a Spiritual Strongman
- What Is Arthouse Cinema? A Guide to Movies Off the Mainstream Path [Article Link]
- Netflix Subscribers Statistics 2026 [Link]
- South Korean Panda discourse [News Link]
People & Places:
Media:
- Netflix
- Amazon Video
- Disney+ Hotstar
- K-pop (music genre)
- The X-Files
- Doctor Who
- BBC
- Salaam Namaste
- Paranormal
- Narcos
- Sacred Games [book, Netflix]
- Gangs of Wasseypur
- Gangs of Wasseypur 2
- 3%
- Game of Thrones
- Squid Games
- KPop Demon Hunters
  - Shin Ramyun Kpop Demon Hunters
- Bon Appétit, Your Majesty
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Scooby Doo
- Frankenstein (2025)
- Winter Sonata
- Man vs.Wild
- Star Wars
- Star Trek
- Mortal Kombat
- The Acolyte
- The Mechanism
- Grillo Vs. Grillo
- Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj
- Record of Ragnarok [manga, TV show]
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025
- Universal Language
- Sukiyaki Western Django
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
13 February 2026, 1:53 am
1 hour 6 minutes

Ethan Zuckerman
In this episode, we chat with Ethan Zuckerman— a Public Policy, Communication and Information professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst— about his views on the present political climate and major movements occurring in reaction to the Trump administration. From the anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis to memes on the internet to the Boston Massacre, we discuss the various forms of resistance the public can perform in the face of adversity. Zuckerman also delves into the historization of mass movements and how their retellings, or lack thereof, can shape how we perform and learn about resistance. We end by circling back to a discussion of memes and AI as they influence how America views current events. Zuckerman leaves us wondering what America looks like and how the celebrations will roll out as we hit its 250th birthday in 2026. In particular, we explore what monuments and memorials might look like if they emerged bottom-up from the people rather than top-down from government institutions.

Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Academic/Educational readings and resources:
Historical Events or Celebrations:
People & Places:
Media:
- The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
- 1776
- Hamilton
- Mary Tyler Moore Anti-ICE statue [Link]
- JD Vance Couch Meme [News Link]
- US Tries to Take Greenland [News link]
- White House posts digitally altered image of woman arrested after ICE protest [News link]
- Grok “Woke Bias” [News link]
- Trump White House “Walk of Fame” Plaques [News link]
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
4 February 2026, 3:39 am
1 hour 6 minutes

San Diego Comic-Con Histories and Educational Outreach with Mathew Klickstein and Emily Schindler
In this episode, Mathew Klickstein , the host of Comic-Con Begins, and Emily Schindler, Senior Director of Learning and Engagement at the Comic-Con Museum, educate us on the history of and learning opportunities at San Diego Comic-Con. Mathew discusses how Comic-Con formed and why he documents that history in his podcast and his book, See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture. Emily informs us about what is displayed at the Comic-Con Museum and the educational programs she runs. She describes the outreach and collaboration that happens between the museum and institutions around San Diego County.
At the heart of this conversation is the formation and nurturing of communities that occur because of Comic-Con. Mathew tackles this as a SDCC historian and Emily as an SDCC educator. By the end of the episode, we ask how the culture and construction of SDCC have changed since its inception. We also question what being part of the Comic-Con means and how it's preserved.
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Academic/Educational readings and resources:
People & Places:
Media:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
22 January 2026, 8:35 pm
1 hour 7 minutes

Anime Cons and Comic-Con Activations with Melanie Kohnen & Billy Austin Tringali
In this episode, we welcome Melanie Kohnen, an Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies for Lewis & Clark College, and Billy Austin Tringali, an Instruction Librarian at the Indiana University Indianapolis and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Anime and Manga Studies (JAMS), to discuss the culture and function of pop-culture conventions (“cons”). Melanie shares her research on the encroaching influence of media companies on spaces such as San Diego Comic-Con, especially as they literally extend their promotions to outside of the convention center. Meanwhile, Billy speaks about his work running the annual JAMS@AX Symposium at Anime Expo and his own research regarding animanga content.
This conversation examines the intersection of academia and non-academic spaces, like fan events, and how media businesses build relationships with their audiences. Melanie and Billy explore how both academics and con-goers can experience conventions as fans and build a sense of community at these pop-culture events. They offer various modes of experiencing conventions and ways of accessing fans as part of larger promotional content. From Japan to the US, Billy and Melanie show us that conventions are places of scholarly work, fun, and play!
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Academic Readings, Journals, and Resources:
People and Places:
- Dr. Suzanne Scott
- Jillian Rudes
- Maria Bonn
- Frenchy Lunning
- Maria K. Alberto
- Emilie Waggoner
- Dr Zoe Crombie
- Theodore Gournelos
- Dr. Roman Gomez
  - Physics of Anime lecture [video]
- Janine Sun
- Werner Herzog
- Benedict Anderson
- Ryan Murphy
- Anime Expo
- San Diego Comic-Con
- Wonder Con
- Dragon Con
- Kingston Public Library
- Comiku Girls
- Anime Boston
  - Boston Cosplay Human Death Match [link, video]
- Petco Park
- Dashcon
- Rose City Comic Con
- Gallifrey One
- MagicCon
Media:
- Abbott Elementary
  - SDCC 2025 Abbott Elementary Block Party
- Pokémon [website, anime]
- Yu-Gi-Oh [card game, anime]
- Dragon Ball
- Television Without Pity
- Howl’s Moving Castle
- Demon Slayer
- Walking with Dinosaurs
- Peacemaker
  - Peacefest SDCC 2025 [link, video]
- HBO Max
- Tubi
- Pluto TV
- Psych
- Glee
- Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Playstation
- Mortal Kombat 1
- The Good Place
  - SDCC Panel 2018 [video]
- Superstore
  - SDCC Panel 2019 [video list]
- Magic the Gathering
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Crunchyroll
- Toho Animation
- Delicious in Dungeon
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Kimba the White Lion
- Yu Yu Hakusho
- House of the Dragon
- Dr. Who
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
21 November 2025, 11:21 pm
1 hour 11 minutes

Global Asian Cinema, Asian American Movies, and Film Festivals with Brian Hu
In this episode, Professor Brian Hu from SDSU helps us tackle the world of Asian and Asian American cinema as they travel throughout various locales. Hu’s position as a film scholar and Artistic Director of the San Diego Asian Film Festival leads us through conversations about how people connect with and discover Asian culture. We touch on how regionality and heritage influence people’s interactions with Asian and Asian American media. We also discuss the shifting definitions of Asian American and how that plays out in AAPI/AANHPI film festival creation. Hu guides us through the process of film curation and circulation at AAPI/AANHPI film festivals. In the end, we ask Hu what to look forward to for the upcoming 2025 SDAFF on November 6-15. Our discussion with Hu leaves us wondering what the future holds for Asian and Asian American media as global industries become more invested in Asian works like K-pop, anime, and Labubus.
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Academic Readings:
Names and Locations:
Film Festivals:
Movies, Shows, and Media:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
24 October 2025, 8:18 pm
1 hour 23 minutes

Latina Girlhoods, Baby Boomer Boyhoods, and Children's Media with Diana Leon-Boys
In this episode, we chat with Diana Leon-Boys— Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Communication Arts—about her lifelong work examining the navigation of girlhood through a Latinx lens. Her book Elena, Princesa of the Periphery: Disney’s Flexible Latina Girl extends conversations about minority representation and the complex relationship it has with child development. We host a dialogue between Diana’s research and Henry’s observations about boyhood in his book Where the Wild Things Were: Boyhood and Permissive Parenting in Postwar America. We discuss how both scholars pull from their own personal experiences growing up in America and how they interacted with their childhood media.
We explore how the proliferation and production of children's and family media shape ideas of adolescence. Diana and Henry relate this back to their roles as parents within an ever-evolving media landscape where funding for educational children’s content is dwindling. They further discuss how representation within media has changed over time and minority groups’ relation to it. This is where Diana brings in her newer projects about depictions of Quinceañeras and Día de los Muertos in TV and films. We are left to ask what the politics of childhood are and what reforms can be done with current children’s media.
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Academic Texts
Diana Leon-Boys:
Elena, Princesa of the Periphery: Disney’s Flexible Latina Girl
Quinceañeras: Latinidades and Girlhood in Popular Culture
Henry Jenkins:
Where the Wild Things Were: Boyhood and Permissive Parenting in Postwar America
The Children’s Culture Reader
“Just a Spoonful of Sugar: Permissive Child-Rearing and Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins”
“‘You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught’: The Whiteness of Permissive Culture”
MIT Salute to Doctor Seuss
Interview about the book
Others:
Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of Family Life
Kids in the Middle: How Children of Immigrants Negotiate Community Interactions for Their Families
Latina Teenhood: Intersectionalizing subjectivities in the post-network era.
Crafting Public Opinion: The Effectiveness of China’s Media Control Policies under Xi Jinping
Made to Play House: Dolls and the Commercialization of American Girlhood, 1830-1930

Advice Books:
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care
Dare to Discipline

People, Places, Toys, and Holidays
Philippe Ariès
Dr. Vikki Katz
Día de los Muertos
Quinceañeras
Benjamin Spock
Margaret Mead
Dr. Seuss
Fred Rogers
Stephanie Pérez
Raquel Reyes [American Girl Doll]
Samantha Parkington [Doll]
Julie Andrews
Walt Disney
Disneyland and Disney World
Paper Dolls
FDR
Sigmund Freud

Shows, Films, and Other Media
Pee-wee’s PlayHouse
Dennis the Menace [59-63’ show, Comics]
Leave It To Beaver
The Cosby Show
One Piece [Anime, Manga, Live Action]
Disney+
Encanto
Coco
Snow White [Animated, Live Action]
Little Mermaid [Animated, Live Action]
Chinese State Media sounded like Fox Media
Rogue One
Sesame Street
Gordita Chronicles
Baker and the Beauty
Bluey
Descendants film franchise
On My Block
Wednesday
Mary Poppins
Saludos Amigos
Harry Potter film series
Dora The Explorer
The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.
Mad Magazine
Classic Illustrated
Gabby’s Dollhouse
Quinceañeras episodes
News
Defunding of PBS
Quinceañeras in Protest
One Piece Flags in Indonesia

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
3 October 2025, 9:19 pm
56 minutes 54 seconds

Neta Kligler-Vilenchik & Ioana Literat - Not Your Parents’ Politics

Neta Kligler-Vilenchik— Associate Professor of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem— and Ioana Literat— Associate Professor of Communication, Media, and Learning Technologies Design at Columbia University— discuss their book, Not Your Parents' Politics: Understanding Young People's Political Expression on Social Media. They create a dialogue around the ways young people engage with politics using social media, noting the differences between platforms and regions. Kligler-Vilenchik and Literat tie this into the 2016 and 2024 election cycles, along with international bureaucratic frictions.
Both scholars tell us about their growing research on youth cultures’ interactions with politics and how those have shifted over time. They cover how younger people are often involved in politics, whether it be via fandom or other forms of civic imagination. They end by suggesting that these intersections between the younger generations and politics can be optimistically inspiring.
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Academic Texts
Not Your Parents' Politics: Understanding Young People's Political Expression on Social Media
[Oxford, Amazon]
By Any Media Necessary The New Youth Activism [NYU Press, Amazon]
Fan activism and the Harry Potter Alliance [TWC]
The Image War Moves to TikTok Evidence from the May 2021 Round of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict [Taylor & Francis Online]
Dynamics of scale shift: Contentious places and hybrid activism on social media [Sage Journal]
People Mentioned
Joe Rogan
Kamala Harris
Donald Trump
Barrack Obama
Hillary Clinton
Xi Jinping
Nancy Pelosi
Alexandra Pelosi
David Hogg
Lillian (Lilly) Boxman-Shabtai
Taylor Swift
Keren Tenenboim- Weinblatt
TV, Films, and Other Media
Captain America [IMDB]
Harry Potter [IMDB]
Donald Trump Speech LipSync [YouTube link]
Extra Fun Tidbits + News
Civic Paths [Website Link]
Scratch Online Coding Community [MIT Site link]
Fandom Forward [Link]
Little Pinks [Article Link]
South Korea President Removed From Power [Article Link]
Romanian TikTok Election Scandal [BBC Link]
Teen Activism Against School Shooting After Parkland [PBS Link]
Slacktivisim [Article Link]
Henry Jenkins on Emma Gonzale’s Jacket and youth activism [Brown Journal of Public Affairs]

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

25 September 2025, 11:44 pm
58 minutes 1 second

Abigail De Kosnik and Jinyi Li on how fandom helps connect us in troubling times

In this episode, we welcome Abigail De Kosnik, an Associate Professor and Director of the Berkeley Center for New Media and the founder of Fan Link, and Jinyi Li, the technology chief of Fan Link, to discuss their groundbreaking platform connecting fandoms with education and activism. Abigail shares how Fan Link fosters media, racial, and gender literacy through creative fan-driven projects and real-world action, empowering fans to make a difference.
The conversation also examines the differing fandom strategies used by Democrats and Republicans in the recent election. Abigail and Jingyi explore how fan communities can influence political narratives and inspire collective action, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of fandom and politics.
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
About our guest:
Abigail De Kosnik | Research UC Berkeley
Abigail De Kosnik Introduces Fanlink - News/Research - Berkeley Center for New Media
Fandom + Piracy: Fandom & Race Panel - Events - Berkeley Center for New Media

Interesting Facts and Fan Events mentioned:
Leslie Grace Says the 'Batgirl' Cancellation Felt 'Like Deflating a Balloon'
The 27 Club: A Brief History
The School for First Ladies Is Now in Session
The Herald on the 2017 Trump Inauguration TV listing as Twilight Zone episode
Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping film cast
Dragon Con
San Diego Comic-Con
Japan Expo
New York Comic Con
Osaka Comic Con Hannibal

People mentioned:
Braver Angels
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries – Proudly Representing the 8th District of New York
Bernie Sanders Official Website
Stormy Daniels Official Website

Academic Essays Mentioned:
New Audiences, New Textualities: Anti-Fans and Non-Fans - Jonathan Gray, 2003

Hillary Clinton fans
fandom and fan politics in the Philippines,

Series, Films, and Podcasts mentioned:
When Harry Met Sally… IMDB, “I’ll have what she’s having” [YouTube clip]
Groundhog Day IMDB
Hannibal on Prime
RuPaul’s Drag Race on WOW Presents Plus and Paramount+
The West Wing on Max
The Apprentice on Prime
Listen to Call Her Daddy on Spotify
Watch Friends on IMDb
Watch Survivor on CBS, IMDb, and Netflix
Watch The Bridge on IMDb and Apple TV
Joe Rogan
Check out our previous Episode 94: Curious Conversations Across the Divide with Mónica Guzmán

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

18 September 2025, 11:23 pm
1 hour 18 minutes

Pop Culture's Political Tie-ins with Jonathan Taplin

In this episode, Jon Taplin— director Emeritus of the Annenberg Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California—joins us to discuss his early years working with Bob Dylan, to his recent research on tech billionaires' growth in legislative influence. Taplin historicizes the changes in media’s ties to politics between the McCarthy era to the 2024 election cycle.
The discussion delves into the power of music to spark political thought and changes in people’s connection to pop culture during difficult times. We ask whether the media landscape has become more nihilistic and if there is room for local community-driven efforts. Taplin leaves us questioning where the relationship between pop culture and politics will go in America, as the system seems to be limiting the powers of creativity and political disobedience.
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Academic Texts
The End of Reality: How Four Billionaires are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto [Amazon]
Move Fast and Break Things: How Facebook, Google, and Amazon Cornered Culture and Undermined Democracy [Amazon]
The Magic Years: Scenes from a Rock-and-Roll Life [Amazon]
People Mentioned
Bob Dylan
Edward R Murrow
Rhiannon Giddens
John Perry Barlow
Elon Musk
Jeff Bezos
Peter Thiel
Charlie Parker
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Mike Bloomfield
Alan Lomax
Shows, Films, and Other Media
A Complete Unknown IMDB
Mean Streets IMDB
The Last Waltz IMDB
Squid Game watch on Netflix
Beast Games watch on Prime
Ted Lasso watch on Apple TV+
Schitt’s Creek watch on
Double Indemnity IMDB
Clipped watch on Hulu
Breaking Bad IMDB
Mad Men watch on AMC+
Succession watch on Max\The Wire IMDB
Homicide: Life on the Street IMDB
Hill Street Blues IMDB
Matlock (2024) watch on Paramount+
Knives Out IMDB
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery watch on Netflix
Columbo IMDB
Grand Theft Auto [YouTube Clips of Trailers for GTA 1-6]
The Sopranos IMDB
Newport Folk Festival of 1965 Bob Dylan Performance [YouTube clip]
FanDuel [Website]
Potluck [Website]
Virginia Public Radio [Website]
Extra Fun Tidbits + News
What does “kayfabe” mean in wrestling?
Criterion Channel “Dangerous Work: Cy Endfield, Film Noir, and the Blacklist” series
LA Fire Mutual Aid
LA Community Combats Fires
Poker Face Is the New Columbo
What does culture eats strategy for breakfast mean?
Trump vs 60 Minutes Lawsuit and Paramount Merger with Skydance
Public Media Defunded

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected].
Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

29 August 2025, 12:20 am
More Episodes? Get the App