Doomscroll with Joshua Citarella Doomscroll 11: Jack Wagner
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Dec 26, 2024 
Jack Wagner, writer-director and host of The Otherworld podcast who curates firsthand paranormal and esoteric internet stories. He talks about hunting strange online reports, how iceberg memes and obsessive searching shape modern myth-making. They trace the shift from online atheism to esoteric currents and reflect on creative precarity, podcasting’s comeback, and the weird, powerful pull of belief.
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Long Form Podcasts Rose From Attention Economy Burnout
- Podcasting resurfaced because audiences fatigued with short-form attention-economy content and craved rich, contextual conversation.
- Joshua links this renaissance to backlash against rapid social media flame wars and lack of nuance.
Early Hard Learned Editing Became A Career Edge
- Jack learned editing as a teen when putting video on computers was hard, which gave him a rare skill that later opened opportunities.
- He mowed lawns to buy a video card and used editing to stand out in school projects and early work.
Follow Core Interests Not A Fixed Technical Path
- In volatile creative industries, following a core interest matters more than a single technical practice.
- Joshua argues that technical skills get commoditized fast, so lifelong creative direction should be interest-driven, not career-plan-driven.