In this conversation, I sat down with Mary Harrington about technology and the online world.

Mary reflects on her path as a writer, the evolution of online culture, and the growing difficulty of discerning truth in the digital environment. We also touch on memory, embodiment, cancel culture, and politics.

Listen to this episode on The Symbolic World podcast: -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/441-mary-harrington-technology-ai-and-cultural-memory/id1386867488?i=1000756382851 -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lqxk9tsavLJE6b7XNml9l?si=eaFgNcZASfqwYmE802cL8g

Mary will be speaking at the Symbolic World Summit. The theme of the conference is Retelling the Cosmic Epic, and Mary’s talk will be titled: 'Rebuild the Monasteries' Description: In an age of AI "slop" and flattened culture, how do we understand, and cultivate, what makes us distinctly human? Mary Harrington will argue that there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Premodern practices of memory and prayer, once cultivated in Europe's monasteries, can refresh our imaginations and salvage our human cultures in the digital age.

Come join us at Woodside Event Center | Broadview Heights, Ohio | May 14-16, 2026 Early Bird Pricing – Ends March 26th: save $50 on both General Admission and VIP tickets Buy tickets now: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/

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Timestamps: 00:00 - Coming up 01:07 - Intro music 01:32 - Introduction 02:14 - Mary's journey 09:00 - The meaning of meaning 10:46 - The singularity already happened 12:53 - Being connected 17:28 - The printing press industrial template 20:52 - AI 22:21 - Using AI 25:47 - Internet platforms and politics 32:10 - Being anonymous 35:37 - Politics 37:44 - The end of the printing press 39:47 - The end of the industrial era 42:46 - Cancel culture 46:56 - Treasure houses

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Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/