The Rise of the Information State

Jacob Siegel discusses how the internet reshaped political power, the rise of technocratic rule, and why information control keeps failing.

1x 1.1x 1.25x 1.5x 2x 3x

:15 :15

Download

The Rise of the Information State

This week, guest host Zach Weissmueller is joined by Jacob Siegel, a journalist and author of The Information State, a sweeping examination of how power has shifted in the digital age from traditional democratic institutions into a new system of governance shaped by technology, media, and elite coordination.

Siegel traces the emergence of what he calls the "information state," where control is exercised not primarily through laws or elected bodies but through digital infrastructure, platform moderation, and public-private partnerships between government agencies and tech companies. He argues that this system took shape in the aftermath of the war on terror, accelerated during the Obama era through the alignment of Silicon Valley and the political class, and expanded in response to populist movements under the banner of combating disinformation. Along the way, Siegel connects concepts like hybrid warfare, mass surveillance, and the "whole-of-society" approach to the way information is now managed domestically.

Weissmueller and Siegel discuss how these dynamics played out during Russiagate and the COVID-19 pandemic, why attempts at information control often backfire, and how the collapse of traditional media has given rise to a chaotic new information ecosystem. They also explore the limits of technocratic governance, the role of platforms like X in disrupting centralized control, and what the next phase of the information age might mean for democracy, expertise, and individual autonomy.

 

0:00—What is the information state?

10:11—Technocracy and the Obama administration

21:07—The "whole-of-society" approach

27:26—War and technocracies

37:32—Limitations of information control

50:41—Russiagate

1:02:39—Alternative media

1:12:18—Mitigating the effects of information state

 

Reason is hiring! Check out the two open roles on the video team now:
https://reason.org/jobs/associate-producer/
https://reason.org/jobs/producer/

• Producer: Paul Alexander
• Audio Mixer: Ian Keyser

Comments

[Rick James]

Man, I have to say, the conversation @50:00 is the Russia-gate deep state censorship conversation Reason should have had in 2017. 9 years is pretty late, but I guess I'll take it.

However, ~1:00:00 I guess "Citizen Journalism" a-la Priscilla Villarreal takes a bit of a hit, with agreement from Zach Weissmueller.

[Rick James]

My critique of his guest where he goes Ham on what he identifies as "Independent Media, Inc." is that he's taken one corner of that media and is now painting all of independent media with a broad brush.

"... a network of people around Tucker Carlson in particular who have transformed this independent media landscape into a political messaging operation... it's not journalism"

Um... yeah... I can't imagine a journalistic enterprise that became a political messaging operation.

[Rick James]

Dude, there's LOTS to complain about Tucker Carlson... in no particular order:

1. Hosting that historical revisionist who claimed Winston Churchill was the villain in wwii.
2. His bizarre turn towards pro-Palestine propagandist.
3. Any of his interest in that shallow hacky douche Nick Fuentes.

But his "shameful" interview of Vladimir Putin? That interview wasn't shameful, it was necessary. You may not like how it went, you may not have thought Carlson asked all the questions he needed to ask, but because the corporate media who is nothing except a political messaging operation now believes that you don't talk to people you disagree with, or ask them questions is now how you do good journalism. Carlson's interview was emblematic of the failure of the corporate media you're trying so hard to rehabilitate. If you'll recall Carlson's interview on the interview, he found Putin frustrating and rambling when he tried to pin him down on certain questions.

I'm truly sorry CNN, MSNBC and the New York Times don't have the attention of the hoi polloi they used to have, but staring at one tiny crack on a vast pavement of independent media and shouting "This is the state of your infrastructure!" isn't doing you any favors.

[MWAocdoc]

Although this is an interesting narrative concerning information, "information" has ALWAYS been managed by someone. The problem lies, as always, with the "masses" and how they process the information they receive. Critical evaluation of information, and seeking out alternative sources for comparison purposes is the only way any human has ever been able to detect falsehood and differentiate it from truth. Most humans do not have the skills or the desire to bother. Insofar as my fellow humans make decisions that impact me personally, I regret their lack. The only question is: is the current information management environment better or worse than previous environments with technological advancements; and in what ways; or is it a mixture of better and worse? There is little that any of us can do about it, but it may help to inform the decision making process for those of us who DO care.

[Juliana Frink]

The problem is LIES, as always.

Seeking out alternative sources is the only way any human has been able to PROVE falsehood...

When alternative sources are buried, corrupted, or otherwise unavailable, humans can only weigh motives. Always question what is being FED and by whom. When in doubt there's always the "smell test".