Get everything you need for your traditional home blessing — including the St. Benedict Medal, Holy Water Bottle, and more — from our friends at Holy Heroes today! https://bit.ly/TheDeep_HolyHeroesHB
Zohran Mamdami’s meteoric rise from a seemingly unknown state assemblyman to the next mayor of NYC signals a shift into a new era of politics. In this episode of The Deep, Erika breaks down how the age of social media is shaping the world of politics today. Is it dumbing down the electorate? Is it turning politicians into mere influencers whose success is based on their ability to go viral (instead of the quality of their policy ideas)? How should we respond to the "TikTok-ification” of politics?
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro: The rise of Zohran Mamdani
1:31 - The Mamdani playbook
3:59 - A new era of politics
5:15 - How media shapes politics
8:05 - What has changed?
9:40 - Why Zohran’s strategy worked
12:08 - Has social media dumbed the electorate?
13:21 - Once you win, reality hits
14:46 - Conclusion: how to respond to the age of “TikTok politics”
Subscribe to the LOOPcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theLOOPcast
Sources:
Dhanyamraju, Sandeep. “The Impact of Smartphone Addiction on Cognitive Function and Attention Span.” Lone Star Neurology, published April 9 2025; medically reviewed by Chaitanya Bonda. Accessed November 13 2025. https://lonestarneurology.net/others/the-impact-of-smartphone-addiction-on-cognitive-function-and-attention-span/. Lone Star Neurology
Schleffer, Guy, and Benjamin M. Miller. “The Political Effects of Social Media Platforms on Different Regime Types.” Texas National Security Review, Summer 2021, pp. 77–103. Accessed November 13 2025. https://tnsr.org/2021/07/the-political-effects-of-social-media-platforms-on-different-regime-types/#_ftn42. UT Austin Libraries+2Texas National Security Review+2
Silver, Laura, Janell Fetterolf, Christine Huang, Sarah Austin, Laura Clancy, Sneha Gubbala, and Richard Wike. “Social Media Seen as Mostly Good for Democracy Across Many Nations, But U.S. Is a Major Outlier.” Pew Research Center, December 6 2022. Accessed November 13 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/12/06/social-media-seen-as-mostly-good-for-democracy-across-many-nations-but-u-s-is-a-major-outlier/. Pew Research Center
Dunbar, Marina, and Andrew Witherspoon. “Where the Vote for Mamdani Was Strongest in New York City.” The Guardian, November 5 2025. Accessed November 13 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/05/mamdani-vote-new-york-city. The Guardian
“The Death of the Public Intellectual.” Substack, August 2 2025. Accessed November 13 2025. https://substack.com/home/post/p-158820994.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.