Episode 250: Addiction Through Engagement

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In business, simply maintaining the same level of profitability every year is regarded as failing; one must grow to thrive. But what if the product design is clearly dangerous to use? I explore this reality in Episode 250: Addiction Through Engagement.

In this episode, I read from: Ian Bogost's 2021 Atlantic article "People Aren't Meant to Talk This Much;" Shoshana Zuboff's book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future At The New Frontier of Power; Jessie Singer's book There Are No Accidents: Who Profits and Who Pays the Price; and my computer's quickie dictionary.

Musically, I play: KMFDM backing Tristan Harris talking about what the tech companies are really doing in the opening. I close today with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 249: Advertising Makes You Fat

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We see slim and slender people all the time, every day… even when none walk among us. This screws with our brains in ways most of us never consider for a second. The bottom line for this phenomenon is the title of Episode 249: Advertising Makes You Fat.

In this episode, I recalled the rough points outlined by Philosophers Bishop Berkeley and Kate Manne, the latter from her interview on This Is Hell! I also recalled as best I could details from an article whose source and title are long forgotten. (I know, I shouldn't do this. I should cite my sources, or not even mention them. Good thing I'm not in academia, ain't it?)

I actually read from: the highlights page for Kate Manne's interview; and Will Storr's book The Status Game: On Human Life and How To Play It.

Musically, I play someone named Jimi Jameson singing "I'm Always Here", which was the opening theme to all but the first season of Baywatch. Mark Blyth introduces the show backed by KMFDM's "Attak", and I close today with Julie & Rolf & The Campfire Gang doing "Over The Rainbow".