About this episode
In this episode, Dan interviews Dr. Rob Topinka about the significance of language in politics and the dynamics of digital rhetoric.
Show notes for Episode 85 ⚠️⚠️⚠️We talk about some topics and forms of language - the language of incels and the manosphere, for example - that might be considered unpleasant and upsetting for some listeners⚠️⚠️⚠️ Welcome to episode 85 of Lexis in which Dan talks to Dr Rob Topinka, Reader in Digital Media and Rhetoric at Birkbeck, University of London. We talk about: Why language is important to politics What rhetoric is, its characteristics and what it’s designed to do How rhetoric works in online spaces The kind of rhetoric used to promote extremist views online Incels, red pills, maxxing and NPCs What happened to ‘woke’ The pitfalls of ‘free speech’ and language policing Avoiding reactionary narratives and promoting progressive alternatives Why being ‘unbiased’ is not really an option Rob’s Birkbeck page: https://www.bbk.ac.uk/our-staff/9151496/robert-topinka Rob’s ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Topinka The Guardian articles Rob has written: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/22/racist-meme-nigel-farage-cameos-online-far-right…
People in this episode
Host: Dan
Guest: Dr Rob Topinka
Topics covered
- digital rhetoric
- language and politics
- extremist views online
- free speech
- progressive alternatives
Keywords
- digital media
- rhetoric
- incels
- manosphere
- free speech
- language policing
- extremism
- progressive narratives
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Birkbeck, University of London, The Guardian
More episodes of Lexis
- Episode 86 - Chris Montgomery & regional swearing · May 7, 2026 · 52 min
- Episode 84 - Daria Bahtina and 'Gen Z slang' · May 4, 2026 · 1h 15m
- Episode 83 - Sarah Hopkyns and English in the Gulf · March 14, 2026 · 42 min
- Episode 82 - Rianna Walcott & Black Twitter · March 8, 2026 · 40 min
- Episode 81 - Jessica Aiston & Eltham Hill School students on the language of neurodiversity · March 1, 2026 · 40 min
- Episode 80 - Matthew Hunt on voice pitch · February 12, 2026 · 46 min
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