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**Parenting for the Future**

Parenting for the Future helps parents understand – the phenomena that will shape the world in which their children will come of age and the science and strategies for raising their children to find their own voices so that they can thrive and shape that world in their unique way.

Latest Episodes:

Darin Johnson "The Digital Coup; Who Really Controls Our Future" Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

Darin Johnson "The Digital Coup: Who Really Controls Our Future?"

content type - Interview

primary goal - Educational

Summary

This conversation explores the rise of digital coups, their impact on democracy, and how individuals and governments can resist manipulation through technology. Dr. Darin Johnson shares insights from his new book 'Digital Coup' and discusses strategies for fostering critical thinking and digital resilience.

Parenting for the Future: Understanding the Digital Coup and Raising Critical Thinkers

This episode features Petal Modeste in conversation with Darren Johnson, professor of law at Howard University School of Law and author of Digital Coup. They explore how social media, disinformation, and algorithmic manipulation are being used to weaken democratic systems and fuel real-world instability. The discussion also turns practical, with a focus on how parents can help children become more critical, resilient digital citizens.In this episode:

Darren Johnson explains how his time as a Pentagon officer during 9/11 shaped his view of public service, law, and national security.
He traces the origins of his research on digital manipulation to the 2016 election and the Mueller investigation.
He defines a digital coup as an attempt to undermine democratic institutions, processes, or elections through digital means.
He argues that authoritarian actors first learned social media's power during movements like the Arab Spring, then turned those tools toward disruption.
He describes a coalition of authoritarian states, led by Russia, that has used similar tactics in places like Ukraine, the U.

S., the U.K., Burkina Faso, Moldova, and Taiwan.

He breaks down the four major tactics in the book:

Digital deception
Digital division
Digital radicalization
Digital manipulation

He explains how fake personas, troll farms, influencers, bots, and private companies now form a kind of digital coup economy.
He warns that generative AI can massively scale the problem by creating more convincing false identities and manipulative content.
He outlines how countries like Ukraine and Taiwan have built strong cross-sector responses through journalism, civil society, government, academia, and pro-democracy hackers.
He connects digital manipulation to parenting, arguing that media literacy, skepticism, and offline relationships are essential for helping children resist emotional manipulation online.

keywords

digital coup, misinformation, social media, democracy, AI, digital manipulation, disinformation, digital resilience, social media regulation, critical thinking

key topics

The rise of digital coups and their impact on democracy

Tactics used in digital manipulation and disinformation campaigns

Strategies for individuals and governments to resist digital coups

Chapters

00:00 The Digital Age: A Double-Edged Sword

02:42 Darin Johnson's Journey: From Military to Law

05:53 Understanding the Digital Coup

08:30 The Rise of Digital Manipulation

11:19 The Coalition of Authoritarian States

14:16 Attacks on Democratic Institutions

16:47 The Financial Incentives Behind Digital Coups

19:28 Social Media: The Battlefield for Digital Coups

22:13 Tactics of Digital Coups: Deception and Division

24:58 Radicalization and Real-World Violence

27:49 Cyber Militias and Their Impact

31:42 The Rise of Digital Extremism

32:27 Generative AI: A Double-Edged Sword

34:34 Building Individual Resilience Against Digital Manipulation

36:24 Governmental Responses to Digital Threats

39:59 Community Strategies for Combating Disinformation

43:19 Racism as a National Security Threat

45:57 Empowering the Next Generation: Media Literacy and Critical Thinking

52:24 Emotional Resilience in the Digital Age

Resources

Darin Johnson's Book 'Digital Coup'

https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889837138/Digital-Coup

Guest links:

https://www.darin-johnson.com

https://www.facebook.com/darin.johnson.10420

https://www.linkedin.com/in/darin-johnson-5305ab

https://profiles.howard.edu/darin-johnson

https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/digital-services-act-keeping-us-safe-online-2025-09-22_en

Music Atributions:

Tease

Digital Deception: The 2016 Election