Jason Mittell
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jmittell.bsky.social
Jason Mittell
@jmittell.bsky.social

Media studies professor at Middlebury College; video essayist & author of videographic book on Breaking Bad; author of written books on TV, narrative theory, etc.; journal manager of @intransition.bsky.social . [he/him] https://linktr.ee/jmittell .. more

Jason Mittell is a professor of American studies and film and media culture at Middlebury College whose research interests include the history of television, media, culture, new media, and digital humanities. He is author of four books, Genre and Television (2004), Television and American Culture (2009), Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling, and Narrative Theory and Adaptation. He also co-edited How To Watch Television and co-authored The Videographic Essay: Practice and Pedagogy. His digital-humanities activities focus primarily on videographic media criticism and, in 2015, he co-founded the first "Scholarship in Sound & Image" workshop, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Moreover, he is journal manager and co-editor of [in]Transition: Journal of Videographic Film & Moving Studies, published by the Open Library of Humanities and supported by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies. .. more

Communication & Media Studies 39%
Art 14%
Pinned
There wasn't a good list of accounts related to video essays - so I made this starter pack! Who did I miss? Who do you know who should join Bluesky to share & talk about video essays?
go.bsky.app/PtthhCc

Reposted by Jason Mittell

Every example of ai being useful begins with "okay imagine you're in a situation, and you are very dumb"

This makes me think of a great episode of TAXI, where Bobby picks a fight with a critic. Instead of writing pan in revenge, the critic just rips up his (rave) review - being ignored is worse than being attacked

Reposted by Jason Mittell

I’m sure this is all about economic anxiety. I mean it couldn’t possibly be about racism and hatred.

granitepostnews.com/2026/01/14/l...
Leaked Signal chat shows NH House education chair advocating whites-only schools
The group chat allegedly shows NH House Education Committee Chair Kristin Noble suggesting test scores would rise if students were split into white and
granitepostnews.com

All except the "Work 8 Hours" - more like "Try to work for 8 distracted hours, but give up by 2pm"
WASHINGTON — With the support of nearly 70 colleagues, Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) on Wednesday introduced three articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. www.huffpost.com/entry/democr...
Democrats Unveil 3 Articles Of Impeachment Against Kristi Noem
"Secretary Noem, you have violated your oath of office and there will be consequences," said Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.).
www.huffpost.com

Reposted by Jason Mittell

Can’t believe he said this, seems somewhat disrespectful

We live in the worst possible timeline, but in the spirit of finding joy where you can: Elie Mystal live-skeeting SCOTUS is as good as you can get!
For today's horribles: the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on banning trans athletes. It's the most bigoted thing they'll do this term. I'll be jotting down my thoughts here.

Reposted by Jason Mittell

Hahaha People Mag comes out blasting

Reposted by Jason Mittell

For today's horribles: the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on banning trans athletes. It's the most bigoted thing they'll do this term. I'll be jotting down my thoughts here.
A few months ago, ICE hired me

I didn't sign and submit any paperwork. I almost certainly failed the drug test. I'm real outspoken about my opposition to the Trump administration, and I am extremely googlable

And yet, there it was, in plain English. "Welcome to ICE!"

My latest for Slate
You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof.
What happens when you do minimal screening before hiring agents, arming them, and sending them into the streets? We're all finding out.
slate.com

Reposted by Jason Mittell

"The wall looks permanent until the day it comes down." Read this. You'll be glad you did.
The Wall Looks Permanent Until It Falls
On the optimism of preparation in a time of democratic decay.
data4democracy.substack.com
In Minneapolis

Reposted by Jason Mittell

semi-regular reminder that ICE was only created in 2003

when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out

We recently visited a former international student we are close to - we were his host family from 2008-12. Our youngest was 2yo when he started college. She is now the age he was when we met him - and he is the age we were when we met him!
#WeAreOld

Reposted by Jason Mittell

Just saw Neko Case deliver her incomparable genius in Burlington VT - her otherworldly voice never sounded better, the band & arrangements were phenomenal, and she dove deep into her library of truly unique songwriting. Just the best - catch her on this tour if you can!

That’s not a simple pun

"She made him do it" strikes again. He's not concerned the murder will anger us; he's insisting that saying it was murder and the officer a murderer will anger them and then our fault if they lash out. "She made him do it" is the burdening of Democrats and the left for right-wing/Republican acts.
Homan: "We gotta stop the hateful rhetoric. Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous. It's just ridiculous. It's gonna infuriate people more which means there's gonna be more incidents like this."

Best kind of Dad Joke is the Obscure Cultural Reference Dad Joke!

Reposted by Jason Mittell

John Cage, submitting the sheet music for "4'33"" to his publisher: What do you think?

Publisher: No notes.

Reposted by Jason Mittell

As I was saying: "The two parties are unconsciously regarded as akin to a husband and wife in a traditional marriage in which it's the job of the wife to placate and soothe the husband and help him realize his goals or be held responsible for his outbursts and outrages."
The She Made Him Do It Theory of Everything
The rhetoric and logic of the abuse of power operates similarly at all scales, which is why I've found feminism such useful equipment for understanding authoritarians in public and political life. Bec...
www.meditationsinanemergency.com
"She made him do it" strikes again. He's not concerned the murder will anger us; he's insisting that saying it was murder and the officer a murderer will anger them and then our fault if they lash out. "She made him do it" is the burdening of Democrats and the left for right-wing/Republican acts.
Homan: "We gotta stop the hateful rhetoric. Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous. It's just ridiculous. It's gonna infuriate people more which means there's gonna be more incidents like this."
surprise, the inside candidate hand-picked from the business school by the right wing board is a scammer who cooked his CV and systematically misrepresented credentials to impress idiots and politicals who know nothing about academic work
How UVA’s presidential search missed what took us an hour to find
Inside Higher Ed frames the controversy surrounding Scott C. Beardsley's appointment as the University of Virginia's president.
augustafreepress.com

what Minneapolis-based band song do YOU have on a loop rn?

"Treason is the reason for my poison years"
Something I always wondered is how it would be covered if America became a dictatorship

This is it
They don't have capacity to terrorize more than 2-3 cities at a time.

Which means they rotate teams to new cities without relief.

Which means consistent resistance by fresh activists in each new city will break them over time.

Which means if you're city's not occupied, rest up and get ready.
"The Department of Homeland Security plans to pause operations in Chicago — where Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official, has led controversial arrest efforts — to support the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota."
Trump Administration Deploying More Border Patrol Agents to Minnesota
www.nytimes.com
"The Department of Homeland Security plans to pause operations in Chicago — where Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official, has led controversial arrest efforts — to support the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota."
Trump Administration Deploying More Border Patrol Agents to Minnesota
www.nytimes.com

So I do think TV critics are reviewing very different experiences than viewers might have (depending on the series/contexts). Which is interesting and not typical of other media forms.