Influenced
by BBC Radio 4
Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat. Have you ever been trapped in a group chat nightmare, either grabbing the popcorn or wondering how to leave without causing a scene? Who's the admin in your family group, and do they wield that power responsibly? Do you ever wonder if it's appropriate to use emojis when talking to your boss? The rise of instant messaging has made our social and professional lives faster, more casual — and more chaotic. But amid all the discussion of the effects of public social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, there has been relatively little attention paid to private social networks—the direct message and the group chat — and how they are shaping our relationships and our world. In this series, Helen Lewis looks at the secret world of instant messaging, meeting a woman who married a chatbot, discovering how Russian dissidents are fighting a propaganda war, and hearing the inside story of how Britain ended up governed from a single WhatsApp group. It's a strange new world where workplace rebellions are conducted through duelling emojis and military secrets are traded on chat forums about a children's cartoon. It's also a world where you can never be quite sure who you're talking to—and who's eavesdropping on you.
Copyright: (C) BBC 2024
Episodes
New Gurus: 6. Daygamers and Daydreamers
28m · PublishedAt Oxford University, fellow students remember Tom Ralis as a quiet, nerdy biology student who played percussion in the college orchestra. But even then, he had one ambition - to become a guru.
He reinvented himself as Tom Torero, a pick-up artist who approached women in the street for dates - a practice known as “daygame”. His transformation led to tragedy.
The New Gurus is a series about looking for enlightenment in the digital world.
Written and presented by Helen Lewis
Series Producers: Morgan Childs and Tom Pooley Story consultant: Geoff Bird Original music composed by Paper Tiger Sound design and mix: Rob Speight Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
New Gurus: 5. Gazing into the Abyss
28m · PublishedIn 2018, a New York Times article anointed a group of taboo-breaking intellectual provocateurs as the 'Intellectual Dark Web'. David Fuller was one of those who found this loose grouping of dissident gurus like Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan and Sam Harris intoxicating – enough to leave the mainstream media and start his own YouTube channel.
But, four years on, he is left wondering - where did it all go wrong?
The New Gurus is a series about looking for enlightenment in the digital world.
Written and presented by Helen Lewis
Series Producers: Morgan Childs and Tom Pooley Story consultant: Geoff Bird Original music composed by Paper Tiger Sound design and mix: Rob Speight Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
New Gurus: 4. White Women's Tears
28m · PublishedThe rise of the Black Lives Matter movement brought renewed interest in corporate diversity gurus. But Regina Jackson and Saira Rao were ahead of the curve, pursuing their own unique anti-racist education programme.
Tired of talking to individual white women about their racism, they decided to invite a group of them for dinner, and confront them with their bias and bigotry. There was one rule - no crying.
The New Gurus is a series about looking for enlightenment in the digital world.
Written and presented by Helen Lewis
Series Producers: Morgan Childs and Tom Pooley Story consultant: Geoff Bird Original music composed by Paper Tiger Sound design and mix: Rob Speight Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
New Gurus: 3. Fitter, Happier, More Productive
29m · PublishedAs an author, broadcaster and journalist, Helen Lewis is drowning in deadlines. Join her race against the clock to see if productivity gurus can help her optimise her workflow, change her habits, and consume entire books in 15 minutes.
That is, if she can stop checking her phone long enough to pay attention.
The New Gurus is a series about looking for enlightenment in the digital world.
Written and presented by Helen Lewis
Series Producers: Morgan Childs and Tom Pooley Story consultant: Geoff Bird Original music composed by Paper Tiger Sound design and mix: Rob Speight Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
New Gurus: 2. Taking the Urine
28m · PublishedWill Blunderfield grew up, he says, an unhappy, unhealthy kid. Now he feels great — as a “wild naked man” who drinks his own urine.
Across the world, wellness is a multi-billion pound industry, even though some of its practices are unproven, extreme or even harmful. So why are so many people unimpressed with what 21st century medicine can offer them, and turning to internet gurus instead?
The New Gurus is a series about looking for enlightenment in the digital world.
Written and presented by Helen Lewis
Series Producers: Morgan Childs and Tom Pooley Story consultant: Geoff Bird Original music composed by Paper Tiger Sound design and mix: Rob Speight Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
New Gurus: 1. The Birth of the New Guru
28m · PublishedIn 2011, some mourners at Steve Jobs’ memorial service were confused by his final gift to them – a book called Autobiography of A Yogi. Others understood his message perfectly - the Apple founder had spent his entire life searching for his own guru. Instead, by creating the iPhone, he became one. But did Jobs’ personal quest for enlightenment also help create the modern guru?
The New Gurus is a series about looking for enlightenment in the digital world.
Written and presented by Helen Lewis
Series Producers: Morgan Childs and Tom Pooley Story consultant: Geoff Bird Original music composed by Paper Tiger Sound design and mix: Rob Speight Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
Welcome to The New Gurus
3m · PublishedEverywhere you look on the internet, people are giving — and receiving — advice. Advice that promises to transform our lives. How to eat. How to think. How to get rich. How to manage our time.
Across 8 episodes, Helen Lewis travels through the strange, powerful and sometimes hidden digital spaces created by these new gurus. Where did they come from? How much power do these charismatic individuals wield? And why are so many of us turning away from the mainstream — mainstream medicine, mainstream politics and the mainstream media - and embracing the power of charismatic individuals instead?
Along the way, she considers the dubious benefits of ‘butthole sunning’, seeks help from some productivity gurus, meets a crypto millionaire who bought a football team, and wonders if the architecture of the internet will always drive us to extremes.
This is The New Gurus, a series about looking for enlightenment in the digital world.
Influenced has 17 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 7:15:56. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on April 7th 2024. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on May 26th, 2024 07:10.
