The hosts take a critical look at the algorithms ruling our lives on social media and beyond, with a warning to divest from celebrity content and culture that permeates the news cycle, politics, and more.

Whereas the early Facebook and Instagram eras were known for curated and bespoke feeds that were personally made for you, social media has largely become a commercialized landscape with scarily targeted ads and influencers promoting the next big thing in makeup, skincare, clothing, and more. These algorithms have an outsized influence on politics too, and the hosts discuss the ways social and political movements drove engagement on social media – from the Arab Spring in the early 2010s to the movement for Palestine now.

Even as communities on the margins seek to take advantage of the more “democratized” social media platforms, the companies that are so invested in keeping you scrolling relentlessly push celebrity and influencer content, no matter how much or little you engage with them.

The hosts outline the algorithmic, commercial, and celebrity culture logics coming together at this moment, where you might want to share and find news about Palestine, but will be recommended reel after reel of Bollywood stars instead. We remain bystanders in an ongoing genocide, but are continuously fed celebrity content and forced to care about the intimate details of the lives of celebrities and influencers online. These algorithms are destructive, as they seek to distract and keep us complacent.

The hosts call on our listeners to resist the algorithm and its seemingly all-encompassing control over our lives, so that we can reclaim power in the digital and physical information landscape.