Doomscroll guests: Jen Pan and Amber A'Lee Frost are now on Substack. These are two of my favorite writers — keep a close eye on what they get up to.Listen to the audio version of today’s newsletter:0:00-12:48Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade.I recently spoke with documentary filmmaker and host of Channel 5, Andrew Callaghan on Doomscroll #19. In the episode, we discuss “Andrew’s Theory of Radicalization” which he outlines in the introduction of his new film Dear Kelly (2025). Briefly summarized, Callaghan argues that political radicalization occurs when individuals lose access to three core needs:Security — material safety such as the home and other necessary goods for survival like food and energySignificance — the ability to participate in meaningful work that gives us a sense of purpose in society at largeConnection — strong social bonds that create a sense of belonging such as family or in-person community tiesDuring our conversation, I mention my own theory of radicalization that I will describe in more detail in today’s newsletter. If you value these discussions and want to support this project, you can become a paid subscriber and get access to all bonus episodes of Doomscroll, My Political Journey and more:In recent years, media coverage has focused on the unintended consequences of algorithmic recommendation and ignored the socioeconomic drivers that cause people to seek out political content online. Radical messaging has existed across all eras and forms of media but it relies on real political crises to find a receptive audience.Radicalization is often described through the metaphor of a funnel — an informal network of diffuse messaging that is spread out over time and across channels. Viewers will often begin at large mainstream programs and, over the course of several years, move through successive channels as they descend into more isolated or extreme views. As they dive deeper into radical content, the broad reach of thi