What Mattered to the Outrage Overload Community in 2025
What You Read, Listened To, and Showed Up For
As 2025 comes to a close, we want to say thank you — not just for reading or listening, but for engaging. For the thoughtful notes, the respectful pushback, the episode ideas, and the feedback that helped shape what Outrage Overload became this year. This project has always been about learning in public, and your participation made that real. What follows is a look at what resonated most across everything we did in 2025: the articles people spent time with, the podcast episodes that were most listened to, and the live conversations people showed up for. Taken together, it’s a snapshot of where our shared attention went — and what seemed to help us better understand outrage, polarization, and the state of our civic media ecosystem.
Thanks for being part of the journey with us; we’re looking forward to continuing the work in 2026 and beyond. We wish you a happy, healthy New Year.
— David, Lisa, and Austin
State of the Community
In 2025, the Outrage Overload community underwent a significant transition from passive frustration to active, resilient civic engagement. While the headlines grew heavier with concerns over "science populism," executive overreach, and the radicalization of digital subcultures, our community responded by leaning into tools for bridge-building and institutional repair. Whether it was through exploring "perception gaps" in our main episodes, navigating the weekly chaos of "Signalgate" and "DOGE" with a sense of humor on This Week in Outrage, or showing up in person to ask "what rock bottom looks like," the message was clear: the community is no longer just looking to survive the storm—they are looking to redesign the ship. From tech-optimism in AI-driven civility to the simple, radical act of a "Unity Walk," 2025 was the year we stopped asking "why is this happening?" and started asking "how do we build what comes next?"
Outrage Overload Episodes That Resonated Most in 2025
Episodes That Truly Stood Out
🎧 58. The Truth Behind Political Division: Are We Really That Different? - James Coan: Explores how correcting false perceptions of political opponents can reduce division and bridge divides by showing that “the other side” is often less extreme than we assume.
🎧 59. Outrage, Fear, and Perception: Understanding Cultivation Theory - James Shanahan: Professor James Shanahan explains cultivation theory, showing how long-term media exposure shapes our worldview, fuels political polarization, and creates a “Mean World Syndrome” by distorting our perception of reality.
🎧 63. Moral Psychology and the Harm-Based Roots of Political Polarization - Sam Pratt: Examines the moral psychology and harm-based roots of political polarization, focusing on how these factors resonate within our shared civic media ecosystem.
🎧 DOCUMENTARY - What’s Pulling Young Men to the Right?: Explores why young men are drifting rightward, examining how cultural pressures, a search for belonging, and economic forces fuel political polarization and the widening gender gap.
🎧 61. Outraged! The New Science of Moral Outrage - Kurt Gray: Dr. Kurt Gray discusses his book Outraged!, presenting a new paradigm for moral psychology to help navigate political polarization and find common ground in an outrage-driven world.
🎧 65. Grief, Fatigue, and the Aftermath of COVID - Zeest Khan: Dr. Zeest Khan shares her journey from doctor to long COVID patient, exposing systemic healthcare failures and the deep physical and emotional fallout of the pandemic.
Other Episodes That Resonated Strongly
🎧 BONUS - The America You Don’t See on the News – Adam Mizel: Adam Mizel of US United discusses his cross-country journey discovering Americans’ hunger for connection. He introduces National Unity Day to foster community and bridge toxic political divides.
🎧 72. The Fight to Make Online Spaces Civil Again - Yevgeny Simkin: Yevgeny Simkin, creator of Sez Us, discusses building healthier, non-toxic social media platforms that prioritize civility, digital identity ownership, and human connection over manipulation.
🎧 77. Issue Salience Polarization - Adrienne Kafka & Troy Campbell: Explore “issue salience polarization,” showing how disagreements often stem from which problems we prioritize and how proposed solutions drive our sense of importance.
🎧 70. Is There Still Hope for the Internet? - Kristin Hansen: Kristin Hansen discusses Normsy.ai, a Civic Health Project initiative using AI for good to transform toxic social media into healthy environments for constructive dialogue and reduced political polarization.
🎧 DOCUMENTARY - The Manosphere: A Shadow Network of Influence – Havana Mohr-Ramirez: Explores the manosphere, an online network centered on male victimhood. The episode examines its influence on identity, politics, and radicalization.
🎧 DOCUMENTARY - How ‘Natural Living’ Becomes Extremism: Inside the Crunchy-to-Radical Pipeline: Explores how wellness content and algorithms can lead users from wholesome “natural living” interests into radicalization, conspiracy theories, and ideological extremist spaces.
🎧 BONUS - Crisis in Journalism with Michael Deas: Discusses modern journalism’s crisis, examining how media consolidation, financial pressures, and deep distrust fuel self-censorship and threaten the integrity of informed public discourse.
🎧 DOCUMENTARY - The Imperial Presidency? Executive Overreach and the Constitution: Experts James Goodwin and Kevin Smith analyze executive overreach, discussing the rise of presidential power, declining oversight, and the potential threats to democratic stability and the U.S. Constitution.
🎧 62. Reducing Online Outrage: What Role Can Community-Driven Algorithms Play - Paul Resnick: Professor Paul Resnick explains how systems like Community Notes on X use crowdsourced fact-checking and algorithms to combat misinformation, break echo chambers, and reduce online outrage.
🎧 76. The Revolt Against the Experts – Hillary Shulman: Discusses “science populism,” examining why people view experts as out-of-touch elites. She explores how this skepticism erodes trust and fuels rejection of scientific consensus.
Most-read Written Pieces in 2025
📰 We Haven’t Healed From the Pandemic—One Doctor’s Story Shows Why: Dr. Zeest Khan shares her struggle with long COVID, exposing systemic healthcare failures, medical dismissal, and the unaddressed trauma frontline workers face in our rush to move past the pandemic.
📰 Beyond Red MAGA and Blue MAGA: Measuring What Actually Matters: Brad Porteus discusses Bridge Grades, using data to track bipartisan collaboration in Congress. The tool encourages voters to reward effective governance over performative outrage.
📰 Beyond Seeing Ghosts: Recognizing the Early Shadows of Authoritarianism: Warns that authoritarianism often arrives through soft chilling effects—fear and self-censorship—rather than sudden, violent shifts, urging vigilance against the slow erosion of democratic norms.
📰 The Case for Confidence in America: Challenges the narrative of division, promoting National Unity Day. I encourage Americans to join a Unity Walk to recognize our shared values.
📰 When AI Starts Shaping What We Believe: Petter Törnberg explains how social media’s architecture polarizes by default. He warns that AI now quietly influences how we produce ideas and shape our personal beliefs.
📰 Surviving the Storm: Strategies for Resilience in a Fractured America: Examines existential political fear and urges resilience. It advocates for building relationships, prioritizing health, and pairing bridge-building with social movements to save democracy.
📰 Why America Isn’t Ready for a General Strike: Argues that U.S. polarization, weak unions, and high partisan loyalty prevent the broad public legitimacy required for a successful, unified national general strike.
This Week in Outrage Episodes That Resonated Most in 2025
Winter (January-March)
🎭 Autocracy in America - 2/2/2025: Discuss how Elon Musk and the Trump administration are seizing control of federal agencies, firing officials, and consolidating power, which we characterize as a descent into autocracy.
🎭 Behold, the Comment Section 🐰 - 3/16/2025: Lisa and David discuss Jack Daniels in Canada, Arlington Cemetery changes, and measles parties. We also cover DOGE data requests and right-wing online dominance.
🎭 Lisa Talks Tariffs, Signalgate, and 23andMe - 3/30/2025: Lisa and David discuss tariffs, ICE activity, and fascism scholars fleeing to Canada. We also cover the 23andMe bankruptcy, DOGE, and political misgendering in Congress.
Spring (April-June)
🎭 “Nobody F*****g Cares” — Lisa Lets Loose - 4/13/2025: Lisa and David discuss April 20th doomsday prophecies, tariff chaos, and authoritarianism. We also cover a base commander’s firing, IRS data sharing, and dire wolf de-extinction.
Summer (July-September)
🎭 The Unlikely Watchdog: Why Lisa Wants Bongino to Stay in the Fight - 7/20/2025: Lisa and David discuss the Epstein case, Pam Bondi’s history, and Dan Bongino. We also cover immigration-healthcare tensions, incinerated emergency food, and the Department of Education.
🎭 Summer’s winding down 🏖️🍦☀️ - 8/17/2025: Lisa and David discuss Trump’s DC takeover, a CDC shooting, and brain implants. We also cover the pro-natalist movement, masculinity orders, and the Labubu doll craze.
🎭 Scientists All A-Twitter for Shark PDA 🦈💦👀 - 9/28/2025: Lisa and David discuss Trump’s anti-Antifa executive order, the Comey indictment, and National Guard deployments. We also cover lighter topics like shark mating and polar bears in Soviet bases.
Fall (October-December)
🎭 Don’t get Lisa Started on Purse Charms 👛✨ - 12/7/2025: Lisa and David discuss a Defense Department loan to Don Jr.’s firm, Trump’s pardon of Henry Cuellar, the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal, and using humor to build civic resilience.
🎭 Ok Grandpa, Let’s get you to bed - 10/19/2025: David and guest-host Jen discuss Trump’s AI video, ICE raids, the George Santos pardon, and a Young Republicans chat. We also cover police accountability and National Park reviews.
🎭 The Government Is Open, Now What? - 11/16/2025: David and guest-host Austin discuss the end of the government shutdown, Trump’s pardons, a Chicago ICE raid, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. We also cover sports and pop culture.
🎭 Raccoons: America’s Next Top Pet? 🦝 - 11/23/2025: David and guest-hosts Austin and Lisa discuss Marjorie Taylor Greene’s retirement, MAGA trolls unmasked, and Grok’s Musk-Jesus comparison. We also explore AI “enshittification” and the domestication of raccoons as American pets.
Live Events People Showed Up For in 2025
🎙️ Live Panel Event: How to Stay Curious When You’re Angry: This live panel event explored how to effectively resist authoritarianism and persuade others without dehumanizing opponents or fueling deeper polarization.
🎙️ Selma, Beacon of Hope — Live Screening & Conversation with Rich Harwood: This event featured a live screening of Selma, Beacon of Hope, a film by Rich Harwood. It explores Selma’s history to inspire a new civic path of community building, trust, and action. After the screening, Rich takes questions from David and the audience.
🎙️ Unpacking the Autism Tylenol Press Conference: Facts, Fears, and Fetal Health: David and Dr. Zeest Khan critique a Trump-RFK Jr. press conference for spreading misinformation about acetaminophen causing autism. They emphasize scientific facts regarding fetal health and safety.
🎙️ Today’s Supreme Court Arguments: A conversation with constitutional law expert, Dr. Pat Sobkowski, analyzing Supreme Court arguments regarding nationwide injunctions and their power to block executive orders, specifically in the context of birthright citizenship.
🎙️ Live with Outrage Overload - What does “Rock Bottom” Look Like?: David and political podcaster and radio host, Ross Yerger, explore if a nonpartisan “rock bottom” is necessary to end toxic polarization and mobilize the “exhausted majority” toward systemic reform.
🎙️ Agenda 47 Revisited: One Year Later: Dr. Sean Evans joins David to critique political vitriol, Agenda 47, and executive power. They evaluate how American institutions and norms are currently holding up against authoritarian strains.
New This Week in Outrage Episode!
It’s everything the Outrage Overload podcast is not. It’s not edited. It’s not scripted. It’s lightly researched. It’s David and Lisa talking about this week in outrage, what was in the news, in the memes, and maybe finding some backstory with a humorous (at least to us) twist.