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Across the Gooniverse

UNLIMITED

Across the Gooniverse

FromThe Gray Area with Sean Illing


UNLIMITED

Across the Gooniverse

FromThe Gray Area with Sean Illing

ratings:
Length:
54 minutes
Released:
Dec 8, 2025
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Sean’s guest today is Daniel Kolitz, author of a remarkable Harper’s story on “gooning.” 

They talk about this emerging subculture and how it reflects back on the larger world, from the economics of attention to the rise of short-form everything. Kolitz explains why the Gooniverse isn’t just about porn, how hyperkinetic media rewires our sense of pleasure and patience, and why this is really a story about how society is changing in ways we might not like.

Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)

Guest: Daniel Kolitz, author of The Goon Squad

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Released:
Dec 8, 2025
Format:
Podcast episode