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No one sees the truth and the Internet like Virginia Heffernan. Online since she was a child in the ‘70s, Heffernan is a Harvard Ph.D. whose book examining digital culture, “Magic and Loss: The Internet As Art ” was called “An illuminating guide to the internet” by the Wall Street Journal.
Heffernan’s a contributing editor for Wired, frequently writes for The LA Times, The Atlantic, and the NY Times, and hosts the podcast This is Critical which fans call “my drug of choice” and “a joy to listen to.” This week she joins Media Roundtable to talk about her career, the state of culture, and how the internet has changed life as we know it.
For Heffernan, advertising thrives on the blurring of lines between fact and fiction (that’s why ads try so hard to sound like the unpaid content that surrounds them). Brands can drive action by hypnotizing the audience because they don’t know what is true. But Heffernen argues, your brand will do better by meeting your audience in a playful space with ads that are clearly meant to entertain and engage a “willing suspension of disbelief.
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From the publisher's feed
The Media Roundtable isn’t just another industry podcast; it’s an open lab where the sharpest minds in podcasting, advertising, and media break down the forces shaping…
We created this show in service of brand marketers responsible for making audio and creator media campaigns not just sound good, but drive results. For many brands, audio advertising is a highly effective secret weapon–but it can be difficult to navigate, requiring specialist expertise to untangle its nuances. From brand safety to ad load, from recapping the latest industry news, to redefining what a podcast is in this day and age, we tackle the issues that matter most to brand marketers, in the most entertaining way possible.
You’ll hear from a wide range of voices—past guests include Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO), T-Pain, David Spade, Ashley Flowers (Crime Junkie), Ben Shapiro (The Daily Wire), and Ira Glass (This American Life), to name a few—alongside leading brands, publishers, and our own team of experts. If you’re invested in audio and creator media, whether you're buying the ads, creating the content, or just curious about the business, Media Roundtable is your ear to the ground with an eye on the future–and it’s time you listen.