Rabbit Hole
4.4/5
Critic Rating
What is the internet doing to us? The Times tech columnist Kevin Roose discovers what happens when our lives move online. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Critic Reviews
Score: 4.5
Jackson Nickolay • In All Things • Jan 12, 2021
"For this reason, I highly recommend Rabbit Hole. While it may not weave a fully cohesive story or provide gripping cliffhangers or exciting characters, it does give a refreshing look at online content spaces, like YouTube, which we are starting to take for granted. It makes its listeners ask critical questions and inspires a greater awareness of how we can be greater sources of belonging and connection in our communities and relationships."
Score: 4.8
Benjamin Steven • The Charlatan • Jul 8, 2020
"The stories Rabbit Hole covers are also relevant and exciting. Rabbit Hole is not without its flaws, albeit small ones. For a podcast that’s focused on right-wing political movements, I would have liked to see a brief exploration of the political left. It would be interesting to see if similar conspiracy theorists exist on the opposite side of the spectrum, and compare and contrast their ideas. Overall, Rabbit Hole is an excellent podcast that eases listeners into topics that can be intimidating. I highly recommend you give it a listen. The episodes are brief (around 30 minutes), and you’ll finish each one having learned something new. Its emphasis on storytelling creates fascinating plotlines that will naturally guide you towards the next episode, eager to learn more."
Score: 3.5
Kevin Chang Barnum • PodcastReview.org • May 27, 2020
"Like the internet itself, the podcast frequently induces an unmoored feeling of floating through an endless sea. Besides sound design, one way this feeling is created is through the show’s unusual lack of a structured introduction. We are only introduced to our host and the rest of the team via recordings of their conversations with each other. You get a sense that something is missing, but you can’t quite put your finger on what."
Score: 4.5
Blair Stenvick • The Stranger • Apr 28, 2020
"Yet Rabbit Hole, the new audio series from the New York Times that explores the internet’s potential to radicalize its users, manages to stick out by pairing deep original reporting with a high degree of specificity. Even Rabbit Hole’s hosts, Times reporters Kevin Roose and Andy Mills, adopt the same jokey, hyper-self-aware rapport shared by Reply All hosts PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman."
Score: 4.5
Jeff Beer • Fast Company • Apr 16, 2020
"Overall, the message of Rabbit Hole isn’t that the internet is irredeemably bad, or that you should be scared every time you log on. ‘It’s just that it’s malleable, and it’s a thing that can be different than it is,’ says Roose (Host). ‘It didn’t have to be this way, and it doesn’t have to be this way in the future. We have choices, and we can shape this thing. In fact, it’s imperative we do shape this thing, because it’s going to shape us if we don’t."
