Can television make you kinder? Can video games make you smarter? Can porn improve your maths skills? Wait, what? In this episode, Ben walks Rich through a curious set of popular claims circulating in online blogs: that pop culture might be having positive effects. But what’s the evidence behind these claims? And what does their popularity reveal about how we understand news, science, and ultimately our own anxieties about work and leisure? 

Litherland, B. (2025). Smarter, better, faster, kinder? The problems with claiming that media and popular culture has positive effects. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 13678779251337761. 

Note: Journal articles are often behind paywalls. If you don't have institutional access but would like a copy of these papers please email [email protected] and we will happily send you a copy  

Hosts – Rich McCulloch and Ben Litherland   

Music by -  Brutalust (Colin Frank and Maria Sappho), recorded and mixed by Joe Christman  

Producer – Caroline Pringle