Dunphys Bunting

In the 'Dunphys Bunting' episode of 'The Blindboy Podcast,' Blindboy begins by sharing updates on his book 'Boulevard Wren' and its availability, potentially at a discount in Lidl, based on his mother's account. He transitions into discussing his upcoming BBC series 'Blindboy Undestroys the World,' which tackles themes such as anxiety, work, slavery, and the chaos of modern life, particularly the impact of social media and virtual spaces on our identities and realities.

Blindboy recounts a personal anecdote about experiencing static shocks after a flight, which leads him to avoid certain aisles in the supermarket to escape the discomfort and potential embarrassment. This avoidance subtly alters his shopping behavior, a phenomenon that he connects to the behavioral psychology of B.F. Skinner. Skinner's experiments with rats demonstrated how behavior could be modified through rewards and punishments, a concept known as operant conditioning. Blindboy draws a parallel between Skinner's findings and his own conditioned behavior to avoid electric shocks.

He then delves into a critique of social media platforms, likening smartphones to Skinner boxes that condition users through algorithms designed to maximize engagement and data collection. Blindboy argues that social media companies have discovered that extreme emotions and polarizing content keep users online longer, generating more data for profit. He discusses how these algorithms can lead to radicalization and the spread of extreme ideologies, citing the rise of far-right content and its influence on political events like Brexit and the election of Donald Trump.

Blindboy also touches on the paradox of social media companies presenting themselves as socially progressive while simultaneously enabling and profiting from divisive content. He concludes by exploring the role of podcasts as a respite from the relentless operant conditioning of social media, offering a space for calm and reflection away from the extreme emotions of online interactions.