I'm back with Part 2 of my conversation with Dale Beran, turning to what happened to the people he followed while reporting on early 4chan, and what it means to grow out of a life shaped by anonymous online worlds. 

Some were able to step away as their offline lives improved, but others remained tied to screens in cycles of  addiction.

I also share how Dale’s work has helped me talk with my own kids about online culture, bullying, and the attention economy, as a form of inoculation against extremism and despair.

This episode ends with an informal report on how conversations about online spaces are going in this antifascist house. 

Notes:

It Came from Something Awful: How a Toxic Troll Army Accidentally Memed Donald Trump into Office —Beran

All theme music by the amazing www.kalliemarie.com.

Antifascist Dad: Urgent Conversations with Young People in Chaotic Times (North Atlantic Books, April 2026).
Preorder: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/

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Bluesky: @matthewremski.bsky.social (Bluesky Social)

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AntifascistDad 

Chapters

• (00:00:08) - Boys and Men of 4chan grow up and move on, or don't
• (00:04:12) - Stuck in Screens
• (00:11:31) - The Alt-Right and Accountability
• (00:21:30) - Are Parents Too Protective?
• (00:26:38) - Ideas for 12-Year-Old Me
• (00:32:36) - How We're Talking to Our Kids About the Internet