The funniest was when I watched an episode of Diary of a CEO where it went straight from Tim Spector saying any ‘ultra-processed food’ that makes health claims on the packaging is 100% marketing BS and probably harmful-to a sponsored segment for Huel.
:grins: I saw that one too - it really brought home how it's all about making money. We already knew that, of course, but rubbing our faces in it is not a great plan.
Ironically it was the DOAC episode with Chris van Tulleken that drew my attention to his book Ultra-Processed People, which in turn led me to cancel my Huel subscription
based and correct take. this model of monetized attention creating a feedback loop of nonsense has permeated every industry in the digital age. it's the Kim Kardashian revenue model that has infected everything from politics to fitness to niche basket weaving. controversy creates engagement and engagement drives revenue. shit totally blows because it's incentivizing all of the worst behaviour and content syndication... but as you said, don't see it getting better anytime soon. appreciate your takes
Great take there mate. Personal experience: I've came across Huberman when he had 40k followers when he was simply explaining brain anatomy and basic information and I did enjoy it. And then all of a sudden he ended up having 40 different sponsors and get these so called "experts" , advising us to basically have a pharmacy of supplements in our basement, get a sauna, cryochamber, red light therapy and the list goes on. Even if someone started with great intentions, markering will slowly "consume" his/her work.
I think on the other hand, it's better to address all relevant tools, with proper research papers if possible. People will still do it whether he ignores it or not
I think he always says that the supplements come way after the changes in nutrition, light exposure and sleep. I also found him when he was below the 100k subscribers number.
My disappointment with Huberman podcast was when he brought in Mark Zuckerberg and his wife for them to just promote a product for two hours. I still listen to him because I do feel his content is a class apart but not with the same liking as before.
@friend2194 I totally agree. But the problem with every single guru of this recent "lifestyle/ medicine/performance etc" trend is the fact that they advocate toils/ behaviours/ supplements etc with moderate (at best evidence) and promote these as solid evidence. It you are a scientist / researcher/public speaker you should have (at least from my perspective) an ethical duty to not misinform people based on your biases /preferences/ financial gains. But then we have to look on a macro - society level of analysis which is another whole conversation.
Like the definition of professional, people think it means they will definitely do a good job if you pay them. 1. engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime. 2. a person competent or skilled in a particular activity.
@@bjorsam6979I would argue it makes the general population more likely to believe the "expert" will not be incorrect rather than them actually being less likely to be incorrect
Does feel a lot like we passed the golden age of podcasting now. Used to love CEO but unfortunately find it quite hard to watch now with all the conflicting info. Ya boy Chris is still on point though yay.
I listened to his when it first came out, but got thoroughly frustrated at his lack of ability to ask questions and interview properly. The guest often had to make the links between sections as it was all so disjointed and the questions felt like college students wrote them
I enjoy the medium but i understand the frustration. Could benefit from changing the genre of podcast. I would recommend "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von"
I've largely moved back to books. One book, a couple of arguments, no ads. Also I less and less can stand the forced uptempo in podcasts. Rarely is there any genuine expression, almost like robots with voice😅
@@jolsten I have ADHD so I admire books from far but yeah fair enough. I referred the theo von one becaus he kinda does that with the expression thing but u can tell its for comedic reasons and its funny ngl.
Oh damn brother that’s a great point! I still listen to podcasts and enjoy them for the most part but yes there’s so Much information overload! I’m honestly at the point now where I’m not even sure if I care about different issues as the truth is elusive
Couldn’t quite put my finger on why I fell out of love with podcasts but you exposed it perfectly. I used to love the idea of two people sitting down and having conversations about their passions and sharing ideas but something drastically changed within the past two years. Thanks for your no-nonsense approach and for staying true even after you’ve been in a few of those seats yourself. Love the balance and transparency you offer.
if you need another youtuber/influencer to tell you how other youtubers/influencers are bad, then you're not there yet, you're still a silly little billy.
I dont have a problem with most of the podcasts I watch like andrew h, joe rogan, shawn ryan, Thomas delaur, Danny Jones etc. There are a few that are clearly just vultures
@@MG-kt1ck Nonsense. Joe Rogan has lots of guests which appeal to people involved in what's going on but then he's got lots of shows with people from hollywood or comedic scene that I personally do not care about so i'll skip. That doesn't mean he's a sellout nor that he doesn't have interesting shows. Expecting any podcast to remain 100% relevant to you as an individual is the problem. Nobody says you need to watch every single episode.
I'm so glad you posted this video! I've been feeling completely disillusioned with DOAC and other podcasts. So much conflicting info and so much bulls**t. Also, the clickbait thumbnails remind me of the tabloid newspapers back in the 90's. It's annoying!
Yeah, clickbaiting only works for so long and then people get tired of being tricked. It also exposes what's really happening; We get "free content" to watch, but in exchange we are giving our time and attention. It turns out they are getting the better end of the deal, and I think people are realizing it more and more.
Yeah DOAC have spoken about the time and effort they put into testing thumbnails etc. It’s clearly a business for them and you should trust accordingly
My main beef with Diary of a CEO was when I noticed that the Apple versions of the episodes had random snippets of audio missing - the speaker would make a point and then seem to randomly change topic, or sometimes be cut off. So I then compared one such episode to the RUclips version and confirmed not only my first suspicion, but also the YT version *also* had audio missing that *was* in the Apple version. So there was no fully complete version. I pointed this out in a comment on the RUclips video - no reply. Emailed his team with detailed examples and exact timestamps - no response. They either just don’t care, or it’s a “data driven” test approach, eg. chop random pieces out and measure how many likes that version gets. Either way, when you realise that there’s 5 minutes of audio missing from the Apple version, but also different bits missing from the YT version, you feel like there’s no point listening, because the guest’s ideas are being bastardised and mangled.
I’ve started using that podcast as more of an audiobook recommendation list. I’ll go, listen for a few minutes and decide if I want to go through their book. I also hate the choppy breaks.
Wow everything this James Smith guy's fans say is so boring Why should people listen to him about podcasting again? I'd literally rather die than understand the crap you're talking about
Hate D.O.C for the thumbnail click baiting, the intro cliff hanging and his quasi random questioning style. Even then, Im pretty shocked that they'd release different versions. Why do you think they do it?
I said this to a few friends some time ago but podcasting will reach terminal velocity once big podcasters are beginning to interview each other. It shows that they are bereft of ideas and so start to look inwards. I think we’re at that stage now.
Also, when they find real success, like Chris W, it becomes a little bit of a circle jerk. Although I like them both, it becomes him just inviting his millionaire friends like Alex Hormozi on to discuss 'succesful people problems', which for me kind of looses touch with the audience.
They already are. Joe Rogan has interviewed Russell Brand, Bret Weinstein, Jordan Peterson and Andrew Huberman to name but a few. Russell Brand has interviewed Jordan Peterson. Dave Rubin has interviewed loads. Some times when they share content it's even hard to work out who's podcast it came from unless they have an identifiable set.
I don't have anything important to add but want to get your comment numbers up so the algorithm monkeys push this video to more people. Keep up the sterling work James.
But why do you want this to get views? You think anything it's going to change because of this video pointing out the extremely obvious? I haven't listened to Rogan for years already, don't listen to any podcasts and am also sick my the few science type yt channels I watch. But most people need some type of noise to fill their head 24/7 these days and they are not going to stop listening to these talking heads.
The way this podcast tackles the issue of authenticity in the influencer industry is spot on. It's refreshing to hear someone speak out about the lack of critical thinking and the monetization-driven content. Keep up the great work!
Exhausting. That’s the state of the world these days, and not so much in a physical way, but a mental way. There is so much NOISE out there and everyone is shouting to be the loudest. James, you’re brilliant. I love your honest opinion on things, it is extremely refreshing and very much needed especially during times like these. Like you’ve said in this video, podcasting is very much a business these days. I think we would all benefit more by shutting off our devices and getting out for a walk and some fresh air. F all the noise!
Intuitively felt this for about 12 months and very happy to hear people beginning to acknowledge this topic and happy to know I’m not the only one feeing this way! It’s definitely a race to the bottom of cheap/controversial content across all industries and niches, which is completely overwhelming for our tiny human brains! Hoping we can all find a more positive way to use social media in the future 🙌
Maybe it’s the podcasts you listen to. I listen to Sean Carroll, Lex Fridman, Huberman, Brian Keating and occasionally Joe Rogan and Danny Jones. JRE and Danny Jones are mainly for entertainment, the others are to learn or be introduced to a concept to do more research on my own. It seems to me that the people complaining want a mass produced entertainment based podcast that caters specifically to them, which obviously isn’t realistic.
This is why I love Modern Wisdom, because Chris actually acknowledges a lot of these flaws with modern podcasting, I've seen episodes where he states openly that he's aware that his guests may contradict each other, and even uses that for fuel for the conversation where they compare and contrast approaches. He takes what should be an in-built flaw with the format and actually uses it to optimise his content, whereas DOAC does just seem so self-contained that it becomes unsustajnable
Steven bartlett endorsing Huel is so funny when you consider he has Dr Chris Van Tulleken on his podcast talking about the dangers of ultraprocessed foods. There is a point in the episode where Chris mentions the hypocrisy and even asks Steven about the conflict of interests and Steven laughs it off like nothing
Well, I always say show me someone that eats zero processed foods, and they are either going to be a rich person or a liar. I really go out of my way to avoid heavily processed foods, but I drink some whey protein and a small amount of an organic, plant-based protein. The reason I do it is because I would have to eat a pile of unprocessed food to get the same amount of protein. That pile of food bloats me just thinking about it. Tulleken said he eats processed foot at his friend's houses. Almost everyone is going to be two-faced about this subject. Almost.
He also said (not verbatim): I need to remember who I'm talking to here but the overwhelming majority of research shows that there is no benefit to supplements, vitamins and minerals in already healthy people. Never seen Steven change topic so quickly
Wow. You nailed it. I have been super frustrated with commercials that are not supposed to be there. The misinformation is now very obvious and just leaves you confused. Very disappointing. Thanks for sharing and the comments by everyone are spot on.
Very good take. 3 weeks ago I went cold turkey on all podcasts apart from a Scottish football one once per week. Previously, I was listening daily and felt like I was taking on floods of information that I never used. Now I've stopped I feel so much better.
I actually gave up podcasts this year, because something just felt off with them. Too many ads, information seemed worse, and it was too much of a time suck. Focusing more on just listening to music I enjoy, and audiobooks
What's irritated me the most is podcasters make the podcast about them at every opportunity. I literally timed the member of times Chris Williamson (modern wisdom) spoke and interjected on his guest. He spoke for 61% of the time, wtf?
@@mohammedmiah7554how is music a waste of time? If you're relying on streaming it is, but not if you love music and have you're own physical library. What an absolutely garbage comment. I feel sorry for people like you.
I watched a bunch of podcasts recently. Something I found in addition to what you’re saying here is that, when different guests don’t contradict each other, they are basically saying the same thing about health, wealth and fulfilment. Sleep better, eat better, move more, go outside and into ‘nature’, find community and have a mission with your work. Once you’ve heard this once, maybe twice you don’t need to hear it again…. and again….
well surprise, guess what the majority of people still isn't doing and wondering why they aren't healthy? They don't Sleep better, eat better, move more, go outside and into ‘nature’, find community and have a mission with your work. The majority still needs to hear that. Once you've applied all that and improved your life, you're not in the target group anymore.
AGREE. It's actually my new year resolution to stop consuming self improvement and diet/fitness related content and just focus more on action- i.e. doing the common sense things I already know are healthy. There's so much over-baked pseudoscience online and it's often contradictory. Imma just eat whole foods with enough protein, stretch, exercise and walk more, drink lots of water, get good sleep, more sunlight....etc. I think we all know what to do for ourselves deep down. Listening to that stuff nonstop gives us a false sense of accomplishment.and probably a lot of misconceptions.
I'm an ad buyer in the podcast space. I've worked with most of the mentioned names in this video and know the brands in the space like AG1, BetterHelp, EightSleep, etc. very very well. I love this video. And I think so much of what you're saying here is right: what was once a medium of intentional conversations has become a capitalistic landscape in which creators have realized they can milk money from brands and have catered their content to do so by the means you've outlined--trading trust for views. And brands, unfortunately, have bent the knee to supporting this transactional landscape because for them it has driven results BUT that's been changing and dollars are becoming sparse. Influence is down as a commodity. Your once beloved creators do not convert the same, because they are not trusted the same for the many reasons you've laid out. Important to zoom out and remember, podcasts are businesses run by people. People are not perfect. The content they share will not be perfect. People will inadvertently lie. People will purposefully lie for personal gain. People will disappoint you. Anyone who puts any podcaster on a pedestal only to realize they are imperfect and potentially misleading has deceived themselves. That does NOT mean that these creators do not hold some value and should not have platforms with voice, as often many good things are shared as well. One minor critique: most brands do not give commissions based on discount code usage (that's an old model very few still use). AG1 perhaps does a blended model with some creators which involves flat payment and commissions. Enjoy your podcasts, but don't worship them or the products they promote--it's a business. But also, like keep using coupon codes (it makes my brands happy to know which shows are driving results).
"don't worship them" exactly. people are far too fond of placing human-shaped idols on pedestals despite their supposed religion expressly forbidding it. They must think of ancient egyptian gods when reading "thou shalt not have other gods but me" but most people performing idolatry are more interested in Taylor Swift or Hank Greene than Seth or Ra.
Thanks for the explanation and for giving us your experience! So how do the companies compensate the hosts for marketing costs nowadays, if not through commission?
Thanks Adam, always refreshing to read an informed and balanced view when going into the comments section. I have long felt uneasy with Steven Bartlett's involvement with Huel (a product packed with unnatural ingredients passing itself off as a 'nutritionally complete' meal) and Zoe, a company that would rate that product as highly unhealthy. However, i am able to see the good he is doing for the world, in particular his vulnerability when talking about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur and getting his guests to do likewise. We should all remember that in the digital age if you are getting something for free then YOU are the product.
@@vladpolyanskiy9602 Almost always it's a flat payment. Usually based off an estimated number of views. For example, a lot of podcasts are priced at a $25 cpm for an ad. If a show does 100,000 downloads per episode on average, you can probably bill out roughly $2500 per ad (4-6 ads per episode isn't uncommon, so $10-15k/ep.)
James this is spot on, and my main concern around health and fitness, and is one of the biggest and increasing online harms to young people I have been seeing in my clinic for the last few years. it became the biggest chapter in my online harms book for this reason because children are seeking out supplements/hormone/steroid/diet/nutrition advice and some if not a lot are based on biased/skewed/commercial-based podcasts (and influencer) deets shared without due diligence or responsibility around the fact children watch. I have worked with increasing numbers of children who are damaging their bodies (some irreversibly) some ending up with DE/ED and EDNOS if not buying illegal drugs laced with all sorts.
Too irrelevant as well. I listened initially as someone starting a business and the frequent content was always valuable. But then the amount of irrelevant guests of notoriety and wealth but through sports, music and acting just became overbearing. James was actually one of the more relevant guests from a business standpoint.
Your bit about the ads was spot on. It makes me choose not to listen to JRE or JBP. Its really not hard that hard - make the ads the same volume as the podcast. Chris is the only one who seems to do that.
I just skip them. If you fast forward them and stop right before the end, it'll continue on to the podcast. I don't listen to a single ad if I choose to watch JRE
Thankyou. I caught on to the algorithm of podcasts right away. Actually, what you expliained is today's media in general. People talk about the days of listening to early news reporters, and how they gave out just the news. No bias given or intended. Now, the news is set up like a business model. They need to be competitive with other news agencies to maintain there sponsorship . They have shareholders and need to maximize profits in a typical business model fashion. So it is no longer about updating people on what is going on in the world. It is just about keeping people engaged. I rid myself of cable TV years ago, and when I am somewhere there is a 24 hour news channel. I don't feel I am getting the news. I feel I am getting something fed to me that is filtered to a particular audience in such a way that it just reinforces bias.
Spot on 2bh, I was tryna understand why i've not been feeling these types of podcasts, especially Diary of a CEO, when i listen to his for example, it just sounds like 1 huge ad. It doesnt feel like a real conversation, guests come on with pre planned and scripted points, theres something about the format that feels inauthentic when i listen to them. Glad im not the only one you sussed it
This absolutely nails it on the head! Really, as a scientist, I enjoyed Hubermann's podcasts early on when he was just getting started, when he would talk about areas he knew about or just had some of his Stanford colleagues or other scientists talking about what they had really deep expertise in. But now, it's just a sad waste of time. Very few science or health related podcasts are worth listening too. The ones that are worth it are not well known and don't run ads but get very little attention also. The trick with ads in the middle is to increase the skip time to 1 min. 2-3 skips and presto! past the ads.
This was my exact experience. I actually shared Huberman's podcast to the rest of my lab early on. The episode I started on was so well-researched and deep. As time went on, I noticed more and more errors in what he was claiming, and then realised that the research into each ep was becoming surface level. There were a couple of podcasts where he used outright debunked papers to back up some of his points, stuff you would find at the first page of a google search. I assume it ended up being undergrads or interns doing the work due to time-constraints.
The moment I saw him in my feed at all was when it said stuff like “NEUROSCIENTIST has THIS advice about THIS (non neuroscience related topic)” at that moment I knew I was looking at a hack lol
I also liked the Huberman podcast at the beginning but later it just became just talking for talking sake with all the same people that come on other podcasts, etc. As for the ads in the middle, the problems is when you listen while doing some other stuff like housework, dishes, etc. and don't have a free hand to spare. It's then extremely annoying when suddenly an ad comes. Even worse, of they're like every 20 minutes or so, 2-3 times throughout the show. You need to drop what you're doing and run back and forth to the phone or suffer through these annoying distracting ads breaking the flow of conversation.
The trick with ads is installing RUclips Sponsor Block. It will skip automatically (assuming someone already marked the segment) and you won't even notice most of the times
Bri even that science will always have confirmation bias, plus th body is so so complicated specially of billions that u cannot reduce to one set of variables. Science might not even ever understand the body fully. We had covid and look at th debates even over masks c come. Stop scientist religion
The only point I would quibble with is that I think you might be giving some of these hosts too much credit. I'm not convinced they are necessarily trying to "stir up controversy" and get clicks. I think some of them just have incredibly low standards for guests, and if there's a hole in their schedule and they come across some guy who seems like he can talk and has a point to make or a book to shill, they'll put him on and let him ramble. I think a lot of it is just the lazy grind of trying to churn out as many episodes as possible, with minimal effort.
You nailed it, man. DOAC brought in an expert who hammered on for over 90 minutes about "Don't eat ultra-processed foods," and Steven was totally on board throughout the episode. But here's the kicker - right in the middle of it, there's an ad for HUEL, a meal replacement (ultra-processed), and Steven's singing praises about how he "believes" in its nutrition. Seriously?! And these "experts" are always pushing this "longevity" thing. I've got my "theories" on why they're pushing this whole thing so hard. It's like that's the only topic they're all obsessed with lately.
Then the next week he’s nodding like the Churchill dog at the next shill across the table with the exact opposite view. No push back… nothing. Corny AF
Wow, just came across your channel and I absolutely love it! You’re spot on about the issues of cherry picking studies and misrepresenting study findings. Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s wonderful content that you’re producing
Haha I was one of those who commented on the vegan doctor ep (in a constructive way though!) - I wondered why the whole video got taken offline! 😅 I started seeing guests getting rotated quickly through the same bunch well-known podcasters, and thought maybe they all had the same social media managers/agent. When authenticity gives way to the dollar and manipulative tactics, it's hard to not get a bit 'wish I could un-see the magic trick'. I wonder what the next wave of content creation will be - the new frontier is always exciting 😊, and I enjoy when everyone's navigating it and bringing less mechanistic/rinse-and-repeat marketing approaches. Thanks for sharing James and team, and for creating insights behind what many already feel is going on. Great work!
Exactly! It's wild how easily people believe things just because someone wrote a book or has lots of followers. Debunking that crap is so important and I appreciate that you call it out. I just subscribed.
It's wild how easily people believe things just because someone made a RUclips video about criticizing something. You should also question this video's intention. And my comment's intention. And your own intention.
Thanks, I did unsub...not because of anything other than simply, his other content isn't something I want in my feed. I thought most of his content was the same as this, but it definitely isn't. I'm not big on channels that have multiple topics, it's confusing! ;) @@catherineeASMR
It's worse than that, he was ON one of the podcasts (Diary of a CEO, can't remember ep number but it'll have his name in the title) he's slandering doing exactly what he's disparaging here@@snoggingmoise668
This is one of those moments when I know I have to subscribe. This is concise and informative. I'm going to expect the rest of the channel to be the same. I felt the same way when I kept seeing contradicting health advice and all of them were experts. There's actually just a few very simple rules that everyone seems to agree on in terms of diet. Things like most of us lack fiber, eat too much food, and/or too highly processed foods. Everyone tries to overcomplicate things because they have to sell you on whatever latest health trend is popular. I'm guessing you have some video on that, I'll be sure to look it up.
But if you start following him imaging him the antidote to all that, ure back with the same problem just with a different person. nNot only this guy or the podcasters, I think all content on the internet should be consumed with salt: some maybe a grain, some a pinch, some a fistful. Its hard (nor is it worth the effort) to tell which requires how much salt.
Thanks for articulating this so well. The confusion is unreal! The trouble is everything they tell me to buy and their darn books - I don’t want to buy 😑 from Huel, Athletics Greens, LMEnt, it’s ridiculous. Guarantee they don't even use the stuff. I am equally fed up with one saying to eat broccoli and kale, and then they will have another guest saying why you shouldn’t eat broccoli and kale. We need to choose wisely who we listen to, as everyone seems to profess to be an expert these days. I have had to carefully craft my playlist of who I add to it.
I bought athletic greens a while back because I heard about it on the Huberman podcast thinking he was an actual scientist who uses it, and obviously he's very healthy. Then Athletic Greens started pushing ads everywhere, and I later read athletic greens is no higher performing but significantly more expensive than other greens powders out there. I immediately lost faith/respect for Huberman after that.
Unfortunately we live in a world where the more extreme you sound the more convincing. And they know that the people who are listening are not going to dive into the referenced studies let alone read and interpret that difficult literature. Instead they just blindly believe it and when the polar opposite comes, they get confused. I can hardly blame the people, it is definitely disingenuous from the experts.
You are absolutely right. As a new podcaster myself I struggle to find quality guests that I would personally love listen to someone else's podcast. But you are refferring mainly to the popular top 5 podcasts, while there are plenty of different genres out there that do not require guests but good research and storyline (for instance true crime stories).
Yup, there's all kinds of podcasts, not just people interviewing guests. There's radio plays, bizarre comedy, educational content (think Dan Carlin's Hardcore History, not Huberman Lab), people discussing current events in niche topics, music, ... The world of podcasts is so much wider than just some person interviewing another one.
Rogan as a pioneer and some form of godfather-figure has made podcasting a big part of counterculture and counter-factual culture as well. He has made the way for academics like Peterson, Fridman, Huberman and others to platform questionable scientists and cultural mavericks like Musk without the possibility of pushing back against BS.
This is so on point. Ive listened to both DofaCEO and Huberman since the early days - but the last 3 months or so ive given up. If theres a really interesting guest or topic ill listen to parts....and skip through all the annoying ads mid-episodes on my pointless RUclips Premium subscription. But, the conflicting information...and overload of repeated or unnecessary "new" information is getting too much...and its getting boring!
I just had a conversation with a mate where i said 3-5g of creatine was all you needed and then he said he takes 10-15g and we both had huberman videos to back it up 🤦♂️
@@cnewtonsmart2The correct amount is what you get from meat. So if you want to get creatine in the right proportions and other dozens of nutrients (probably thousands), then just eat meat.
@@hugoanderkivi lol why supplement anything at all with that logic? It takes kgs of meat a day to get enough My creatinin was 39 in a range of 30-300, the meat obviously isn't doing the job
Good points. Here in Australia, one of the best wxamples is this ad on Rogan’s podcast is about vpns. The next minute after the ad Rogan was talking to a guest and said vpns do nothing 😂
I watched a Jr episode with Rhonda Patrick PhD and Joe is talking to her about her health standpoint on this and that, then says to - you have night terrors and she confirms, but I my view was taken back by the question- like we didn't agree on talking about this live.... From that moment I knew, not only did Joe Bogan not care about Rhonda, he was just a reptile in a human suit.
There are some use cases for VPNs but I understand what you mean. 👍 It's not a "push this button and be totally anonymous online" like it's usually marketed by lots of companies.
Spot on. I noticed that as well. Unfortunately if we really want to be informed we can’t just blindly believe what one person says. Verify, verify. And confirmation bias is so seductive. I find myself falling in that trap at times unfortunately.
@@dominiquesmith7680 Yep. The fact that so many people need to be told this is embarrassing. Education is the only way forward. Anything authoritarian is a nah, so just educate ones-self. It's not that hard.
@@drockopotamus1Problem is most podcasts give the appearance of casual truth that feels less authoritarian, (especially if you like the person behind the mic) but they are more and more getting guests that draw an audience through clickbait strategies (making massively exaggerated claims about a product they're selling, or making shaky or made up claims that they know will draw engagement with controversy).
The appearance of truth masking manipulative lies and hysterical hyperbole is a deadly combination. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing everyone he didn't exist.
I stop listening to podcasts that just ruin the immersion with an ad break. I'll be doing that with RUclips channels as well soon. I pay for RUclips premium to get rid of adverts, but the adverts don't stop. I'm going back to audio books on tape i find in charity shops, and the walkman i bought from boots with my birthday money from gran.
I do well with a flip phone, mp3 player, and a laptop. Basically living like it's 2006. Minimal distractions while out in the world, but I can still access the internet for more deliberate use, and I can still listen to music while working out with the mp3 player.
I listen to the Real Science of Sport podcast - they have recently offered an Ad-Free feed on Amazon Music, so I switched immediately. I applaud Sam Harris for the way he has set himself and his podcast up to have no ties to ads.
Completely right. Used to love Diary of CEO, because many guests were genuinely interesting, successful, offering unique insights. Now, everything is about health, finance, and happiness guru-ing. They're the biggest markets sure, but every guest now is for controversy-sake. Another one cropped up lately in fitness space, and all the guests are just 'My Dubai success story' or how they scammed their way to social media finance freedom. I only listen to podcasts now for specific guests in fields I'm interested in. Philosophy, politics, history, some times fitness when I respect the guest generally. Hopefully this fatigue and annoyance people are feeling now corrects this issue and cuts the waste. Not everyone or everything needs a podcast!
Very interesting. I only listen to one podcast- 'we're all insane' here on youtube, where its kept me interested as she interviews every day people about their stories and the guest are very diverse. Kinda reminds me of the simpler time of podcasts
James, you don't have idea how many times I asked myself : What should I do? What should I believe? You are the best and you are the only one who brings light into my thoughts. Thank you!
This is also true on Chris Williamsons podcast when he gets “experts” on chatting about dating psychology and how women think which is becoming astrology for men at this point
I noticed this as well. On every episode regarding mens/dating psychology, he always goes on about hows all men are having a hard time connecting with women on a romantic level. And even though there definitely seems to be more of a divide in that field than say 30 years ago, If you are actively pushing the narrative every episode it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for the men that take everything he says as being true.
100%. A startling majority of the men in the comments sections on those episodes openly lament that the situation is hopeless. Meanwhile my male friends irl are getting dates/relationships just fine. It doesn't parse for me. Another thing that is bothersome is when he addresses feminism, because his guests are unilaterally opposed to modern feminism. It would be much more interesting to have a guest that approves of feminism for the sake of hearing the opposite perspective. A podcast that does this well is Triggernometry. They have longform discussions with both sides of a debate, and are willing to concede or push back on points made by either side.
I totally agree with everything you have said , I noticed the podcast content going downhill very fast ,I'm sad to say the new God in heaven is an algorithm
Thank you for this interesting video. However, respectfully I have to disagree with your view that the "contradictions" are the problem. You are correct that podcasts are a business and often they bring on guests for the sake of clicks and eyeballs on their videos, which then produces money for them. However, the contradictory views brought about by different guests is not really a major issue. It is to be expected because each and all of us see the world from a different perspective, including scientists. For example, some physicists think quantum mechanics is not a complete theory while others think that it should be accepted in its current form. Some cosmologists think that there are multiple universes while others think this is an abhorrent idea. There is controversy and debate on human consciousness, morality, free speech and so on. If all of us were supposed to agree on these matters, this actually would be more dangerous as it could lead to an echo chamber - where we just agree with people who confirm our own biases with no criticism. This is the surest way to error: to only listen to people (such as guests on podcasts) who agree with one's own beliefs. Furthermore, even IF podcasts only brought on guests that agree with each other (so no contradictions), this would not stop the viewer from watching other videos and podcasts with guests who have a different point of view. Anyone can just switch off and watch another RUclips channel or podcast. And finally, let me say that I think it is IMPOSSIBLE for any of us to have completely consistent views and beliefs. Modern neuroscience has shown that there is no such thing as a univocal or unified "Self" within us that has completely consistent beliefs and perceptions. All of us to some extent have opinions and beliefs that contradict with each other. For example, we can appreciate and defend the value of free speech while at the same time wish to silence certain opinions that we think are "dangerous", "wrong" or "against the status quo". Remember that many great physicists (such as Fermi and Higgs) had their works rejected by other scientists because it was contrary to what they believed was true about the world (they were accepted later as correct). We may think that religions are irrelevant and oppressive but at the same time find beauty and wonder in religious texts and music. Sometimes we think that revenge is a bad thing so we should "turn the other cheek", while at the same time we may desire retribution against someone as "justice". Again, we humans are a mess of contradictions and conflicts, but we don't often realise it. We need to appreciate that there is a limit to reason and logic - and not everything in the world is black and white. Thank you for this video because I liked your approach to this interesting subject. Keep it coming.
I'm an ad buyer in the podcast space. I've worked with most of the mentioned names in this video and know the brands in the space like AG1, BetterHelp, EightSleep, etc. very very well. I love this video. And I think so much of what you're saying here is right: what was once a medium of intentional conversations has become a capitalistic landscape in which creators have realized they can milk money from brands and have catered their content to do so by the means oyou've outlined--trading trust for views. And brands, unfortunately, have bent the knee to supporting this transactional landscape because for them it has driven results BUT that's been changing and dollars are becoming sparse. Influence is down as a commodity. Your once beloved creators do not convert the same, because they are not trusted the same for the many reasons you've laid out. Important to zoom out and remember, podcasts are businesses run by people. People are not perfect. The content they share will not be perfect. People will inadvertently lie. People will purposefully lie for personal gain. People will disappoint you. Anyone who put any podcaster on a pedastool only to realize they are imperfect and potentially misleading has deceived themselves. That does NOT mean that these creators do not hold some value and should not have platforms with voice, as often many good things are shared as well. One minor critique: most brands do not give commissions based on discount code usage (that's an old model very few still use). AG1 perhaps does a blended model with some creators which involves flat payment and commissions. Enjoy your podcasts, but don't worship them or the products they promote--it's a business. But also, like keep using coupon codes (it makes my brands happy to know which shows are driving results).
Crazy because I've listened to many who you mentioned for years, and in the last 6 months I've stopped. I couldn't put my finger on why... thanks for this clarification 👑
For me it's sensory and information overload. Everybody comes with these click bait bold statements branded as "based on science", then you watch the podcast and realize it's just recycled information from another podcast.
Same. it’s either a million contradictory diet sessions. or perpetual “men vs women” bs like if the sexes were at some sort of war. or some conspiracy theories. or some pseudoscience or non-peer reviewed stuff about hormones/the brain/substances/etc. all whilst pushing products. no thank you
At the start of every Diary of a CEO episode I can not stand the words that come out of Bartlett’s mouth ‘I think this is the BEST product that huel have released in recent times’ it makes me cringe so bad. It bores the shit out of when I see the same guest on 6 podcasts across the board. The podcast world is very lucrative but not the place for info anymore
True. The elites are trying to change our diet. I think they are behind the push for these products, they will be putting insects in shakes soon, all your meals in three cocroach protein shakes, boom
I get what this is trying to say but it just feels like a hit piece...at the end of the day, we are still so lucky to have these types of podcasts mentioned in this video. They are all for the most part super informative, interesting and some even important conversations to listen to. Just be smart and read into something further if u are genuinely interested on a topic. These are just conversations...
I’ve been waiting for your take on this forever. I would scroll past thumbnails on doac saying “why counting calories doesn’t work” and I would be like whaaat? 🤔. I was such a committed listener at first and then I tuned out a year ago because it became obvious that it was just about pumping out content. Misinformation is the most dangerous thing in our society today in my opinion. 😞
His podcast is the most independent and original compared to the others mentioned. I don’t think we’ll see him failing any time soon. Mostly because half of his guests are him having fun with other comedians and people still eat it up.
I remember enjoying the first few episodes of Huberman’s podcast before it suddenly degenerated into making me feel like I need to live my life according to these perfect rules. Wake up at this time on the dot, work out exactly this way, do X to be exactly this level of happy because your brain needs this and that… and the thing is he seriously panders to that whether he intends it or not. I recall seeing so many “influencers” sharing their daily routines and it’s just bombarded with “oh yeah I do exactly this in my day, wake up this way, do this and that etc why? Because I want to? No because Huberman says I should.” Dr Mike’s TED Talk speaks volumes on this, how the world is just dominated by IKA “I Know All” experts now. It’s just endless echo chambers. And people think having a podcast gives them credentials. Expert opinion is supposed to be the lowest possible form of empirical indisputable fact/proof, yet in the internet age it’s the opposite. Doing X is good for all people not because I can prove it, but because someone with a podcast told me so.
Yeah - don't blame other people for your own lack of self-control and foresight. He never said follow everything to the letter - why did schools stop teaching comprehension? As soon as you stop blaming others for your miserable choices, your life will change, but no, it's Andrew Huberman's fault that you couldn't apply basic reasoning to his research. Modern society is dumb as a post.
He even has time stamp to skip the sponsors, and usually stresses that he prefers behavior tools over supplements. Still the criticism about the validity of his guests may be valid
This video is a must-watch! It perfectly captures the dangers of misinformation in modern podcasts. I've seen firsthand how harmful it can be, like when a friend convinced themselves they had a rare illness based solely on information from a podcast with a guest who wasn't even a qualified medical professional. It was scary and frustrating to see them fall prey to clickbait tactics and confirmation bias. This video is a powerful reminder to be critical listeners and responsible information consumers. We all need to hold podcasts, and any media for that matter, accountable for the information they spread. Kudos for bringing this to light, James!
One thing that I think was missed was the competing interests of podcast/content creators and platforms that host them. I thought that was the direction that was being hinted at in the beginning. It is the arms race of monetisation that is driving audience frustration with ads: 1) RUclips goes from no ads to ads, most of the money goes to RUclips, some money is given to eligible channels. 2) The channel wants its own monetisation, so it adds in-show ads and sponsors. Sponsors and advertisers prefer this, because of the more intimate connection between audience and podcast, rather than audience and platform. 3) RUclips sees that audiences will tolerate a little more advertising, so it increases its own ads - no longer just at the beginning but also throughout, some longer ads, some unskippable ads. Did you press pause to go to the toilet? You'll be rewarded with extra ads when you press play. 4) Creators become frustrated with how little of the revenue trickles down from RUclips so they go off-platform. So while a subscriber now pays not to have to sit through the platform ads, the content still contains ads inserted by the creator. What should happen is, in the beginning of a channel's life, RUclips shows ads to viewers and gives a small amount to the content creator. If the viewership/subscribership reaches a certain amount (or the channel starts monetising/advertising in their content), then platform ads are removed, but the channel begins paying RUclips for hosting and monetises their own content. In both tiers, RUclips is making money, but what is eliminated is the double-dipping at the audience's expense. The same thing has happened with Netflix - viewers paid for cable to avoid advertising breaks on commercial/terrestrial television. Cable got expensive, and viewers still ended up with ads (just not mid-program usually, unless it was, e,.g, built into the broadcast, like pro sports having timeouts that serve as ad breaks anyway). Viewers then turned to Netflix, paying a smaller subscription, again, to not have ads. But Netflix, like all businesses, is hellbent on growth, so it spends on content, but then needs to pay for production, and reintroduces ads. Now people are paying for something that used to be free. These practices will continue to repeat and grow, because ultimately, it is in the interest of these businesses to push customers to their absolute limits of tolerance for any monetisation attempt. It will be done like the frog in the cold pot of water, to extract more and more money from customers, but it will continue until the pain point becomes enough for the customers to jump ship. One other example of this incremental monetisation at all costs is the UFC. The UFC prevents fighters from their own advertising (forcing fighters to do things like give a shout out to a gambling company if they get a post-win interview), but advertises everywhere on the octagon floor and cage padding, on the official uniforms, and during commentary with "official" everything... the UFC, a mixed martial arts organisation that barely leaves Las Vegas, has an "official tire", there is an official sports drink, there used to be an official protein snack, there's an official beer, and now an official coffee. What makes it "official"? Someone paid to be the exclusive advertiser of that product. It reminds me of the seizure-inducing advertising overload shown in Idiocracy. What a time to be alive. What I say is this, for RUclips at least: they get to have my time, because I can't skip all of the ads. But they don't get to have my attention. I mute the ads and avert my eyes, because I don't accept the unilateral devaluation of my attention just to put money in RUclips's hands.
I was discussing this just last week. I was an early podcast listener and it was back when most of the people I listened to didn't even do adds, analytics, etc. For example, during the first season of West World, I found a podcast called Player Piano, and it was just two friends who were really smart and really funny discussing a show they loved. No slick production, no adds, no analytics, etc. They were just doing it because they loved watching and analyzing the nuances of the first season. I miss those early days so much. Now, podcasts are/have become clickbait driven and their 'content' is created mainly on what will get views and the monetization of it. I would love to somehow find those who continue to do podcasts for the love of it rather than making it their living. Sadly, these are probably so hard to find due to algorithms and such pushing podcasts that will make the advertisers money. And reason 37,000 of why we can't have nice things. Glad I'm not the only one who and seen this and misses the early days of podcasting.
I watch Intentionally Blank exactly for that reason. Its not their job so they're not pushing any product. It's just two friends discussing new media or defending hot takes. Plus where else would I get my dose of food heists?
I'm glad you addressed this issue. I was thinking the other day, "wow, I used to love this podcast, but now it seems like the goal is just to sell something, not give any actual information out." Thanks for the conformation.
FINALLY!! So many health related podcasts now and its honestly overwhelming. They all pose things like it’s life-changing when it comes to diet, exercise, etc. Honestly we all need to just start doing what makes us feel good
@@XxXStoneFingerXxXagreed. Doing what felt good might have worked during our hunter gatherer days, but not anymore. Now we need to be disciplined and avoid those traps you mentioned.
@@XxXStoneFingerXxX what i meant was do what makes you feel good in terms of healthy living…obviously i didnt mean do drugs every day if that makes you feel good
Totally on point! Also, a little off point, most big podcasts are turning into "Look at what cool celeberity we have on this week! They don't have much in common with the focus of this podcast, but look at them! Oh and they have a new book/show/movie!"
I had no idea who Steven Bartlett was, I just knew him as "the guy from the huel adverts on youtube". When I finally asked someone at work who the hell he was, and why he's used as a spokesperson by huel, they effectively said "something, something, tech business, something, something, dragons den, something, something, podcast" lol. So effectively, he's just a young guy who managed to build and sell one semi successful company, and has coasted on that through social media and sponsorships ever since, but he's now seen as someone worth listening to hours of podcasts of. What's going on with the world?
@@kgalanet lol why do people get so defensive on behalf of public figures? Just because someone has more achievements than you (however you classify achievements) doesn't mean you can't criticise or question their value to society as a whole, especially when you're being bombarded with advertisments featuring said person several times a day on platforms like youtube.
@@rhidiandavies1991 maybe we need to evaluate our own competence and achievements to balance out criticisms. How bad is Stephen? He created a platform most of us enjoyed watching because of his conversation style, now we want to hold him responsible for his guests opinions?
Ive never really understood blanket watching all of Joe Rogan or Lex Friedmans podcasts. I watch depending on the guest. Its why the last Joe Rogan i watched fully was the utterly trippy 2nd Alex Jones appearance. That was a blast
Rogans content has spiralled downhill since ~2020. He wedges rants about vaccines, immigration, guns and trans rights in far too many unrelated conversations.
@@2011hwalker I feel the same way, but the most recent Sober October Crew was a fun one. And Protect our park crew is always fun. Rogan tends to go on his regular rant about COVID, vaccine and Biden but the boys aren't afraid to make fun of him for acting like a boomer 😂. I have noticed that as long as I avoid his yes-men friends and political commentators, the pod is pretty good. E.g. his recent pod with Moshe Kasher.
@@2011hwalkerI bet you Think that because you don’t agree with him on those issues. Fwiw I have went numb hearing Joe talk about Covid and vaccines . He can be shockingly obsessive about certain topics I still rock with Rogan though and always will
@@brianmeen2158No its not because I don't agree with him on all of those things. It's because his analysis is tired and one dimensional. No one is listening in 2024 to hear Rogan waffle on about Canadian Covid policies. He needs to get out of his little comedy sycophant bubble more.
Jason Fung has treatment centre in Canada treating patients with diabetes. Hes a MD and nephronolgist. Robert Lustig specialises in childhood obesity, a paediatrician. Both of these guys have been doing talks for years. I came across Robert Lustig 2010 with a TED talk about sugar and addictive behaviour, and obesity. I was surprised to see both on D of a CEO....I would never not listen to them for their amazing advice and scientific insight. Low Carb is certainly grown because of people like him, and we are lucky to have them, and the like, eg Huberman.
Great point. But that is not only podcasting. That is the whole internet. Lex Fridman is a great example of how not to do that, but he has other streams of very high income from his unbelievable programming skills. Not everyone is like Lex in that regard
Great video! I used to love the Diary of a CEO, when it was more business-oriented. Now it feels like it has become a health podcast because more of his followers are interested in the topic or maybe these are his best-performing videos. I only watch the episodes when I know/like the guest, which is quite rare these days. 🤷🏻♀️ I love “behind the diary” though.
Exactly! I used to look forward to Mondays and Thursdays and now I don't. The last 'typical' episode I watched was with Casey Neistat and beforehand I don't even remember. I came for the business and all these experts are just a bit too much.
Lot of great stuff in here. As a quick point, a very, very, very small percentage of podcasts get BOTH a commission and a flat fee from advertisers. Typically smaller podcasts are commission only - they get paid based on how much product they move. Medium-ish podcasts get a flat fee based on CPM, which is safer for the podcast. The biggest podcasts get both.
Glad to see someone calling out the podcast business for exactly what it is - a business. A business exists to make money. Problem is exactly what you mentioned - a conflict of interest when it comes to generating engagement. Easier to sell “bullshit”, than actual “boring” facts.
Thank you for addressing all the issues with social media/podcast ‘influencers’. I just got my PhD on online scams and for a moment I was worried about how AI is going to exacerbate the threat of online scams. But then I thought about the amount of falsehoods that HUMANS are spreading themselves!
Thanks for this, made me think about our own curation of guests. It’s a balance between bringing on different viewpoints so as not to create an echo chamber, while not (to your point) chasing conflict/rage for downloads. We bring on a few well regarded academics repeatedly, despite mediocre engagement, as they take their domain seriously and fact-check their statements. Also, my producer will fact check what I say and we’ll edit out statements/data I get wrong or could be misleading. We also, generally speaking, don’t bring on people to discuss health issues unless highly credentialed as the stakes are too high. I pulled ProfG down from Spotify during COVID as I was so upset about, what I felt, was the platforming of mis-information.. Again, thanks-this made me think.
Have to reply to the Spotify dig because we know who it was targeted to. The truth of the matter is that now we do have a lot of science (we did back then too but whatever), way more and that podcast turned out to be right by being skeptical and bringing on guests with a different view (who were all doctors and academics btw). That podcast effectively saved millions by promoting safer treatments that ended up working better than the stuff promoted everywhere else. All the initial "evidence" and claims put forward by that side have been revised downwards by now and we do know from looking at official data that it's causing a lot of damage, fatal damage. In short, now we do know for certain that the best thing you, prof G, did for Spotify to stop "platforming" bad people was deplatforming yourself from Spotify to begin with so thank you.
That was really informative. I feel that you are a rare bastion of truth in this era of "misinformation by saturation" Or maybe that's what you want us to think...lol. It's funny as I have discovered you fairly recently and I have mirrored your journey from the UK to Sydney since 2016, been recently diagnosed with ADHD. I'm just just someone in mid-life trying to reassess what it is to live a meaningful life in the time we have left. Maybe, there're still some dreams to dream and glory to be had yet? Keep up the good work!
James, as someone who has lives in the podcasting space this is spot on. Now, with the price paid to podcasters for ad spots going down, podcasters who use that money to eat are stuffing more ads in their shows and increasing the number of episodes while decreasing their quality. It is what many call "The race to the bottom" where we will end up with a show that is 30% ads, which is what radio is now. Podcasts became popular because they DIDN'T sound like radio.
Great video. Agree with everything except for the supply/demand of speakers. I love watching the people who went on Chris Williamson's podcast also go on Lex Fridman's and Huberman's podcast. A good host should have his own style and personality, making the conversation unique.
Aye. Perhaps the fastest way to get to know different podcasters, just listen to a bunch of them interview the same person on the same subject. Differences are bound to come up. And you’ll probably learn more out of an interesting interviewee as well.
I think so too. I agree the sponsorship is getting well more frequent. But chris and lex really add more personality and asks more about the material of guests work.
Feels like education is failing many. Source criticism or information evaluation is a major thing taught in schools around here, but probably isn't everywhere. It should be, it's needed now more than ever.
Thank you, you've said exactly what I come to YOU for James - the objective truth, no bullshit. Diary of a CEO has been going downhill for some time. Jason Fung and then the vegan doctor were two of the most ridiculous podcasts I've had the misfortune of watching. He also had one psychiatrist (or psychologist not sure which) who spent the entire podcast sounding like he needed to see one more than he needed to be one; he was on the verge of tears throughout. Steven Bartlett just got lucky. He's just not very bright - his embarrassing retorts (showing he doesn't understand what his guest just said) happen all too often for me to think he has an iota of understanding of anything other than what his (incredibly patient!) girlfriend has told him. I don't blame him for not being particularly intelligent, it's not his fault, but it worries me how he has amassed such a huge platform and has incredibly uncredible guests on, spreading misinformation to literally millions of people. Podcasts show the downfall of intelligent and critical thought. As the quote goes, 'stop making stupid people famous' - and CEO is one of those, imo.
As someone who’s has met Steven very briefly, I can concur that I didn’t find him particularly interesting, intelligent or inspiring. He’s ridden a wave that I think will come to an end in the next few years, especially as none of businesses seem to do anything tangible.
Great video bro. I host my own show and have had people like Dr Lustig on my show. It’s one of my most popular episodes. The nuance of learning for me has been the combination of learning via researching of my guests. You start to get a really good feel for what is the truth after 220 episodes and over 700 books read over the last 6 years. I also look for guests that are willing to admit when they are wrong or learn new data. Professor Tim Noakes is a great example of that. Most people are inextricably linked to their work or agenda and have to perpetrate the bull pucky
AMAZING VIDEO! We have lost our ability to thinking critically when consuming such information. Similar situation with the Aspartame/ Cancer stuff a few months back, where we see complete crowd madness and a stampede towards a misleading headline. We must do better, this video is so refreshing!
One of the biggest problems these days is that they don't teach critical thinking in schools. We have so many people now who have finished education and can't think for themselves.
They definitely teach critical thinking in schools. But if people are on social media for 5+ hours a day every single day of their lives, that school influence is gonna be minor
Great topic. Hopefully you could make part II of this to share some stats on the actual trends on highly popular podcast as they downgrade well founded information and upgrade misinformation. Thanks a lot.
Another great video, I found Ben’s response yesterday, you are both spot on, thank you! This is impacting people’s mental health, the BS needs to be called out so people have the chance to make logical fact based decisions
You're so right, it's a battle for our attention and it's so frustrating because there are actually a few of us who are well-intentioned and not in it for the fame, instead we're genuinely trying to help people to step into their own personal power by providing them with valuable life-changing information that we were never taught at school. As usual, the main focus is, "Divide and Conquer" and they're doing it everywhere. Thanks for this video - just subscribed.
The funniest was when I watched an episode of Diary of a CEO where it went straight from Tim Spector saying any ‘ultra-processed food’ that makes health claims on the packaging is 100% marketing BS and probably harmful-to a sponsored segment for Huel.
:grins: I saw that one too - it really brought home how it's all about making money. We already knew that, of course, but rubbing our faces in it is not a great plan.
Yeah, have you also seen the 'Zoe Gut shot'?
And then Tim brought out an ultra processed gut bacteria product. It's all a farce, just some more convincingly well presented than others
Ironically it was the DOAC episode with Chris van Tulleken that drew my attention to his book Ultra-Processed People, which in turn led me to cancel my Huel subscription
Hidden message maybe lol
based and correct take. this model of monetized attention creating a feedback loop of nonsense has permeated every industry in the digital age. it's the Kim Kardashian revenue model that has infected everything from politics to fitness to niche basket weaving. controversy creates engagement and engagement drives revenue. shit totally blows because it's incentivizing all of the worst behaviour and content syndication... but as you said, don't see it getting better anytime soon. appreciate your takes
When your supplier of laughs watches your supplier of information i feel in good hands
Leon! 🎉
tomato mafia
Brain worms, for damn sure.
Sadly so true!
Great take there mate. Personal experience: I've came across Huberman when he had 40k followers when he was simply explaining brain anatomy and basic information and I did enjoy it. And then all of a sudden he ended up having 40 different sponsors and get these so called "experts" , advising us to basically have a pharmacy of supplements in our basement, get a sauna, cryochamber, red light therapy and the list goes on. Even if someone started with great intentions, markering will slowly "consume" his/her work.
I think on the other hand, it's better to address all relevant tools, with proper research papers if possible. People will still do it whether he ignores it or not
I think he always says that the supplements come way after the changes in nutrition, light exposure and sleep. I also found him when he was below the 100k subscribers number.
My disappointment with Huberman podcast was when he brought in Mark Zuckerberg and his wife for them to just promote a product for two hours. I still listen to him because I do feel his content is a class apart but not with the same liking as before.
Nobody is forcing anyone to buy anything right ?
@friend2194 I totally agree. But the problem with every single guru of this recent "lifestyle/ medicine/performance etc" trend is the fact that they advocate toils/ behaviours/ supplements etc with moderate (at best evidence) and promote these as solid evidence. It you are a scientist / researcher/public speaker you should have (at least from my perspective) an ethical duty to not misinform people based on your biases /preferences/ financial gains.
But then we have to look on a macro - society level of analysis which is another whole conversation.
“Just making someone an expert doesn’t mean they’re right.” Spot on
Like the definition of professional, people think it means they will definitely do a good job if you pay them.
1. engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
2. a person competent or skilled in a particular activity.
Well, it means they're more likely to be less incorrect.
@@bjorsam6979 not all the time, but I hear you.
@@bjorsam6979I would argue it makes the general population more likely to believe the "expert" will not be incorrect rather than them actually being less likely to be incorrect
I will sooner believe anyone who's in front of their PC looking up data and stats actively than citing from their memory.
Does feel a lot like we passed the golden age of podcasting now. Used to love CEO but unfortunately find it quite hard to watch now with all the conflicting info. Ya boy Chris is still on point though yay.
Yeah I actually felt a bit bad mentioning his name. His last Rory Sutherland podcast was incredible. 😂
@@JamesSmithPT missed a trick not putting him in the thumbnail!
@@davidbrobb And the flames
With red laser eyes and mouth agog @@verjason
I listened to his when it first came out, but got thoroughly frustrated at his lack of ability to ask questions and interview properly.
The guest often had to make the links between sections as it was all so disjointed and the questions felt like college students wrote them
Thank you so much. I stopped listening to podcasts a few months ago because i couldn't keep up with the information, and i was feeling overwhelmed
I enjoy the medium but i understand the frustration. Could benefit from changing the genre of podcast. I would recommend "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von"
@@MansoorJawed thank you. Will check it out
I've largely moved back to books. One book, a couple of arguments, no ads. Also I less and less can stand the forced uptempo in podcasts. Rarely is there any genuine expression, almost like robots with voice😅
@@jolsten I have ADHD so I admire books from far but yeah fair enough. I referred the theo von one becaus he kinda does that with the expression thing but u can tell its for comedic reasons and its funny ngl.
Oh damn brother that’s a great point! I still listen to podcasts and enjoy them for the most part but yes there’s so
Much information overload! I’m honestly at the point now where I’m not even sure if I care about different issues as the truth is elusive
Couldn’t quite put my finger on why I fell out of love with podcasts but you exposed it perfectly. I used to love the idea of two people sitting down and having conversations about their passions and sharing ideas but something drastically changed within the past two years. Thanks for your no-nonsense approach and for staying true even after you’ve been in a few of those seats yourself. Love the balance and transparency you offer.
if you need another youtuber/influencer to tell you how other youtubers/influencers are bad, then you're not there yet, you're still a silly little billy.
I dont have a problem with most of the podcasts I watch like andrew h, joe rogan, shawn ryan, Thomas delaur, Danny Jones etc. There are a few that are clearly just vultures
@@onepunchflan3071 Rogan is the worst sellout of them all.
@@MG-kt1ck Nonsense. Joe Rogan has lots of guests which appeal to people involved in what's going on but then he's got lots of shows with people from hollywood or comedic scene that I personally do not care about so i'll skip. That doesn't mean he's a sellout nor that he doesn't have interesting shows.
Expecting any podcast to remain 100% relevant to you as an individual is the problem. Nobody says you need to watch every single episode.
@@MG-kt1ck Nah. That accolade definitely goes to the lamestream media. No question.
I'm so glad you posted this video! I've been feeling completely disillusioned with DOAC and other podcasts. So much conflicting info and so much bulls**t. Also, the clickbait thumbnails remind me of the tabloid newspapers back in the 90's. It's annoying!
Yeah, clickbaiting only works for so long and then people get tired of being tricked. It also exposes what's really happening; We get "free content" to watch, but in exchange we are giving our time and attention. It turns out they are getting the better end of the deal, and I think people are realizing it more and more.
Yeah DOAC have spoken about the time and effort they put into testing thumbnails etc. It’s clearly a business for them and you should trust accordingly
Doac is the worst, I don't even watch this guy anymore because he clickbait so hard
Click bait stuff is infuriating
My main beef with Diary of a CEO was when I noticed that the Apple versions of the episodes had random snippets of audio missing - the speaker would make a point and then seem to randomly change topic, or sometimes be cut off. So I then compared one such episode to the RUclips version and confirmed not only my first suspicion, but also the YT version *also* had audio missing that *was* in the Apple version. So there was no fully complete version. I pointed this out in a comment on the RUclips video - no reply. Emailed his team with detailed examples and exact timestamps - no response. They either just don’t care, or it’s a “data driven” test approach, eg. chop random pieces out and measure how many likes that version gets.
Either way, when you realise that there’s 5 minutes of audio missing from the Apple version, but also different bits missing from the YT version, you feel like there’s no point listening, because the guest’s ideas are being bastardised and mangled.
I’ve started using that podcast as more of an audiobook recommendation list. I’ll go, listen for a few minutes and decide if I want to go through their book. I also hate the choppy breaks.
Wow everything this James Smith guy's fans say is so boring
Why should people listen to him about podcasting again?
I'd literally rather die than understand the crap you're talking about
Hate D.O.C for the thumbnail click baiting, the intro cliff hanging and his quasi random questioning style. Even then, Im pretty shocked that they'd release different versions. Why do you think they do it?
I said this to a few friends some time ago but podcasting will reach terminal velocity once big podcasters are beginning to interview each other. It shows that they are bereft of ideas and so start to look inwards. I think we’re at that stage now.
Also, when they find real success, like Chris W, it becomes a little bit of a circle jerk. Although I like them both, it becomes him just inviting his millionaire friends like Alex Hormozi on to discuss 'succesful people problems', which for me kind of looses touch with the audience.
They already are. Joe Rogan has interviewed Russell Brand, Bret Weinstein, Jordan Peterson and Andrew Huberman to name but a few. Russell Brand has interviewed Jordan Peterson. Dave Rubin has interviewed loads. Some times when they share content it's even hard to work out who's podcast it came from unless they have an identifiable set.
@@Mjr47unfortunatly the higher you go in any industry the more out of touch you are with the beginning. There’s absolutely no way to avoid it
They are already there for at least a year now.
I'd say we're already there and gathering pace...
I don't have anything important to add but want to get your comment numbers up so the algorithm monkeys push this video to more people. Keep up the sterling work James.
I'd say that's an important thing to say
I want to do the same thing my commenting on this comment.
Dat's rite!
Yes
But why do you want this to get views?
You think anything it's going to change because of this video pointing out the extremely obvious?
I haven't listened to Rogan for years already, don't listen to any podcasts and am also sick my the few science type yt channels I watch.
But most people need some type of noise to fill their head 24/7 these days and they are not going to stop listening to these talking heads.
The way this podcast tackles the issue of authenticity in the influencer industry is spot on. It's refreshing to hear someone speak out about the lack of critical thinking and the monetization-driven content. Keep up the great work!
Ur another fake guru nice rental 😂
Fake subs too
@@flipedude5404How ironic, eh?! 😂
Exhausting. That’s the state of the world these days, and not so much in a physical way, but a mental way. There is so much NOISE out there and everyone is shouting to be the loudest.
James, you’re brilliant. I love your honest opinion on things, it is extremely refreshing and very much needed especially during times like these. Like you’ve said in this video, podcasting is very much a business these days. I think we would all benefit more by shutting off our devices and getting out for a walk and some fresh air. F all the noise!
Intuitively felt this for about 12 months and very happy to hear people beginning to acknowledge this topic and happy to know I’m not the only one feeing this way! It’s definitely a race to the bottom of cheap/controversial content across all industries and niches, which is completely overwhelming for our tiny human brains! Hoping we can all find a more positive way to use social media in the future 🙌
Amen
Read a book
Theres still good stuff
Maybe it’s the podcasts you listen to. I listen to Sean Carroll, Lex Fridman, Huberman, Brian Keating and occasionally Joe Rogan and Danny Jones. JRE and Danny Jones are mainly for entertainment, the others are to learn or be introduced to a concept to do more research on my own. It seems to me that the people complaining want a mass produced entertainment based podcast that caters specifically to them, which obviously isn’t realistic.
@@swerve361name 10 books
This is why I love Modern Wisdom, because Chris actually acknowledges a lot of these flaws with modern podcasting, I've seen episodes where he states openly that he's aware that his guests may contradict each other, and even uses that for fuel for the conversation where they compare and contrast approaches. He takes what should be an in-built flaw with the format and actually uses it to optimise his content, whereas DOAC does just seem so self-contained that it becomes unsustajnable
Steven bartlett endorsing Huel is so funny when you consider he has Dr Chris Van Tulleken on his podcast talking about the dangers of ultraprocessed foods. There is a point in the episode where Chris mentions the hypocrisy and even asks Steven about the conflict of interests and Steven laughs it off like nothing
Money talks
There’s a podcast called The Studies Show where they investigated claims about ultra-processed foods and found them wanting.
Well, I always say show me someone that eats zero processed foods, and they are either going to be a rich person or a liar. I really go out of my way to avoid heavily processed foods, but I drink some whey protein and a small amount of an organic, plant-based protein. The reason I do it is because I would have to eat a pile of unprocessed food to get the same amount of protein. That pile of food bloats me just thinking about it. Tulleken said he eats processed foot at his friend's houses. Almost everyone is going to be two-faced about this subject. Almost.
He also said (not verbatim):
I need to remember who I'm talking to here but the overwhelming majority of research shows that there is no benefit to supplements, vitamins and minerals in already healthy people.
Never seen Steven change topic so quickly
Was there a pregnant pause before the laughter ( see the ad. )?
Wow. You nailed it. I have been super frustrated with commercials that are not supposed to be there. The misinformation is now very obvious and just leaves you confused. Very disappointing. Thanks for sharing and the comments by everyone are spot on.
Very good take. 3 weeks ago I went cold turkey on all podcasts apart from a Scottish football one once per week. Previously, I was listening daily and felt like I was taking on floods of information that I never used. Now I've stopped I feel so much better.
Same here. I was on the hunt for business podcasts and the amount of conflicting information was insane!
I actually gave up podcasts this year, because something just felt off with them. Too many ads, information seemed worse, and it was too much of a time suck. Focusing more on just listening to music I enjoy, and audiobooks
Wise decision
Most audiobooks are trash as well, and music is even more of a waste of time.
What's irritated me the most is podcasters make the podcast about them at every opportunity.
I literally timed the member of times Chris Williamson (modern wisdom) spoke and interjected on his guest.
He spoke for 61% of the time, wtf?
@@mohammedmiah7554how is music a waste of time? If you're relying on streaming it is, but not if you love music and have you're own physical library. What an absolutely garbage comment. I feel sorry for people like you.
good ones are still out there. you just have to be really picky
I watched a bunch of podcasts recently. Something I found in addition to what you’re saying here is that, when different guests don’t contradict each other, they are basically saying the same thing about health, wealth and fulfilment. Sleep better, eat better, move more, go outside and into ‘nature’, find community and have a mission with your work. Once you’ve heard this once, maybe twice you don’t need to hear it again…. and again….
well surprise, guess what the majority of people still isn't doing and wondering why they aren't healthy? They don't Sleep better, eat better, move more, go outside and into ‘nature’, find community and have a mission with your work. The majority still needs to hear that.
Once you've applied all that and improved your life, you're not in the target group anymore.
You forgot that we are meant to eat only meat for the rest of our lives
Nice summary.
AGREE. It's actually my new year resolution to stop consuming self improvement and diet/fitness related content and just focus more on action- i.e. doing the common sense things I already know are healthy. There's so much over-baked pseudoscience online and it's often contradictory. Imma just eat whole foods with enough protein, stretch, exercise and walk more, drink lots of water, get good sleep, more sunlight....etc. I think we all know what to do for ourselves deep down. Listening to that stuff nonstop gives us a false sense of accomplishment.and probably a lot of misconceptions.
It can't be understated how excellent this video is.
I'm an ad buyer in the podcast space. I've worked with most of the mentioned names in this video and know the brands in the space like AG1, BetterHelp, EightSleep, etc. very very well.
I love this video. And I think so much of what you're saying here is right: what was once a medium of intentional conversations has become a capitalistic landscape in which creators have realized they can milk money from brands and have catered their content to do so by the means you've outlined--trading trust for views. And brands, unfortunately, have bent the knee to supporting this transactional landscape because for them it has driven results BUT that's been changing and dollars are becoming sparse.
Influence is down as a commodity. Your once beloved creators do not convert the same, because they are not trusted the same for the many reasons you've laid out.
Important to zoom out and remember, podcasts are businesses run by people. People are not perfect. The content they share will not be perfect. People will inadvertently lie. People will purposefully lie for personal gain. People will disappoint you. Anyone who puts any podcaster on a pedestal only to realize they are imperfect and potentially misleading has deceived themselves. That does NOT mean that these creators do not hold some value and should not have platforms with voice, as often many good things are shared as well.
One minor critique: most brands do not give commissions based on discount code usage (that's an old model very few still use). AG1 perhaps does a blended model with some creators which involves flat payment and commissions.
Enjoy your podcasts, but don't worship them or the products they promote--it's a business. But also, like keep using coupon codes (it makes my brands happy to know which shows are driving results).
"don't worship them"
exactly. people are far too fond of placing human-shaped idols on pedestals despite their supposed religion expressly forbidding it. They must think of ancient egyptian gods when reading "thou shalt not have other gods but me" but most people performing idolatry are more interested in Taylor Swift or Hank Greene than Seth or Ra.
Hey, thanks for the insights. Could you expand on the commissions and discount code use? How does it work then?
Thanks for the explanation and for giving us your experience! So how do the companies compensate the hosts for marketing costs nowadays, if not through commission?
Thanks Adam, always refreshing to read an informed and balanced view when going into the comments section. I have long felt uneasy with Steven Bartlett's involvement with Huel (a product packed with unnatural ingredients passing itself off as a 'nutritionally complete' meal) and Zoe, a company that would rate that product as highly unhealthy. However, i am able to see the good he is doing for the world, in particular his vulnerability when talking about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur and getting his guests to do likewise. We should all remember that in the digital age if you are getting something for free then YOU are the product.
@@vladpolyanskiy9602 Almost always it's a flat payment. Usually based off an estimated number of views. For example, a lot of podcasts are priced at a $25 cpm for an ad. If a show does 100,000 downloads per episode on average, you can probably bill out roughly $2500 per ad (4-6 ads per episode isn't uncommon, so $10-15k/ep.)
James this is spot on, and my main concern around health and fitness, and is one of the biggest and increasing online harms to young people I have been seeing in my clinic for the last few years. it became the biggest chapter in my online harms book for this reason because children are seeking out supplements/hormone/steroid/diet/nutrition advice and some if not a lot are based on biased/skewed/commercial-based podcasts (and influencer) deets shared without due diligence or responsibility around the fact children watch. I have worked with increasing numbers of children who are damaging their bodies (some irreversibly) some ending up with DE/ED and EDNOS if not buying illegal drugs laced with all sorts.
Had to unsubscribe from CEO, too much misinformation promoted
Too irrelevant as well. I listened initially as someone starting a business and the frequent content was always valuable. But then the amount of irrelevant guests of notoriety and wealth but through sports, music and acting just became overbearing. James was actually one of the more relevant guests from a business standpoint.
Facts
I had to unsub just because of how ridiculous his titles became. He went from chill interviews to 'THIS IS WHAT IS KILLING YOU RIGHT NOW!!!!!'
"DIETING IS MAKING YOU OBESE" @@nathanr6381
@@transcendance5358the James Hoffman one was good. But only because it was James Hoffman
Your bit about the ads was spot on. It makes me choose not to listen to JRE or JBP. Its really not hard that hard - make the ads the same volume as the podcast. Chris is the only one who seems to do that.
I just skip them. If you fast forward them and stop right before the end, it'll continue on to the podcast. I don't listen to a single ad if I choose to watch JRE
@@gothxm BUT WHAT IF YOU'RE ASLEEP LIKE THE VIDEO JUST SHOWED YOU!? heh heh heh
@@postblitzthen youre asleep it doesnt matter. ads on the internet are a non-issue. you can play spotify in offline mode = no ads/
Not ideal when you're trying to fall asleep though is it? @@gothxm
Chris WHO ?
Thankyou. I caught on to the algorithm of podcasts right away. Actually, what you expliained is today's media in general. People talk about the days of listening to early news reporters, and how they gave out just the news. No bias given or intended. Now, the news is set up like a business model. They need to be competitive with other news agencies to maintain there sponsorship . They have shareholders and need to maximize profits in a typical business model fashion. So it is no longer about updating people on what is going on in the world. It is just about keeping people engaged. I rid myself of cable TV years ago, and when I am somewhere there is a 24 hour news channel. I don't feel I am getting the news. I feel I am getting something fed to me that is filtered to a particular audience in such a way that it just reinforces bias.
So. The media only became corrupt recently?? Like in the 60s??
Spot on 2bh, I was tryna understand why i've not been feeling these types of podcasts, especially Diary of a CEO, when i listen to his for example, it just sounds like 1 huge ad. It doesnt feel like a real conversation, guests come on with pre planned and scripted points, theres something about the format that feels inauthentic when i listen to them. Glad im not the only one you sussed it
This absolutely nails it on the head! Really, as a scientist, I enjoyed Hubermann's podcasts early on when he was just getting started, when he would talk about areas he knew about or just had some of his Stanford colleagues or other scientists talking about what they had really deep expertise in. But now, it's just a sad waste of time. Very few science or health related podcasts are worth listening too. The ones that are worth it are not well known and don't run ads but get very little attention also. The trick with ads in the middle is to increase the skip time to 1 min. 2-3 skips and presto! past the ads.
This was my exact experience. I actually shared Huberman's podcast to the rest of my lab early on. The episode I started on was so well-researched and deep. As time went on, I noticed more and more errors in what he was claiming, and then realised that the research into each ep was becoming surface level.
There were a couple of podcasts where he used outright debunked papers to back up some of his points, stuff you would find at the first page of a google search. I assume it ended up being undergrads or interns doing the work due to time-constraints.
The moment I saw him in my feed at all was when it said stuff like “NEUROSCIENTIST has THIS advice about THIS (non neuroscience related topic)”
at that moment I knew I was looking at a hack lol
I also liked the Huberman podcast at the beginning but later it just became just talking for talking sake with all the same people that come on other podcasts, etc.
As for the ads in the middle, the problems is when you listen while doing some other stuff like housework, dishes, etc. and don't have a free hand to spare. It's then extremely annoying when suddenly an ad comes. Even worse, of they're like every 20 minutes or so, 2-3 times throughout the show. You need to drop what you're doing and run back and forth to the phone or suffer through these annoying distracting ads breaking the flow of conversation.
The trick with ads is installing RUclips Sponsor Block. It will skip automatically (assuming someone already marked the segment) and you won't even notice most of the times
Bri even that science will always have confirmation bias, plus th body is so so complicated specially of billions that u cannot reduce to one set of variables. Science might not even ever understand the body fully. We had covid and look at th debates even over masks c come. Stop scientist religion
The only point I would quibble with is that I think you might be giving some of these hosts too much credit. I'm not convinced they are necessarily trying to "stir up controversy" and get clicks. I think some of them just have incredibly low standards for guests, and if there's a hole in their schedule and they come across some guy who seems like he can talk and has a point to make or a book to shill, they'll put him on and let him ramble. I think a lot of it is just the lazy grind of trying to churn out as many episodes as possible, with minimal effort.
You nailed it, man. DOAC brought in an expert who hammered on for over 90 minutes about "Don't eat ultra-processed foods," and Steven was totally on board throughout the episode. But here's the kicker - right in the middle of it, there's an ad for HUEL, a meal replacement (ultra-processed), and Steven's singing praises about how he "believes" in its nutrition. Seriously?!
And these "experts" are always pushing this "longevity" thing. I've got my "theories" on why they're pushing this whole thing so hard. It's like that's the only topic they're all obsessed with lately.
I’m interested in your theory if you care to share!
God I hate fitness podcasts. How you stretch eating single ingredient foods and exercise into a 3 hr conversation is beyond me.
Then the next week he’s nodding like the Churchill dog at the next shill across the table with the exact opposite view. No push back… nothing. Corny AF
@StefanoDaGiau yea but I’m supposed to be working not being apart podcast guest 😂
Studies are studied when studies are funded... Follow the money before you believe the studies
Wow, just came across your channel and I absolutely love it! You’re spot on about the issues of cherry picking studies and misrepresenting study findings. Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s wonderful content that you’re producing
The guys a clown, he’s on roids grifting
DrBrad you use the same scheme promoting your MultiVitamin
@@Ciskuss the difference is Dr Brad is not on roids
@@TV-oc4ml Wait why do you think James is on roids? xD He looks like an average dude who goes to the gym 2-3 times a week, lmao.
Yeah, now you have those clickbait about vitamins and in the end it’s about your own product. I stopped watching your videos, don’t trust you anymore.
Haha I was one of those who commented on the vegan doctor ep (in a constructive way though!) - I wondered why the whole video got taken offline! 😅 I started seeing guests getting rotated quickly through the same bunch well-known podcasters, and thought maybe they all had the same social media managers/agent. When authenticity gives way to the dollar and manipulative tactics, it's hard to not get a bit 'wish I could un-see the magic trick'. I wonder what the next wave of content creation will be - the new frontier is always exciting 😊, and I enjoy when everyone's navigating it and bringing less mechanistic/rinse-and-repeat marketing approaches. Thanks for sharing James and team, and for creating insights behind what many already feel is going on. Great work!
Diary of a CEO is a podcast of celebrities sulking about how uniquely difficult their lives have been.
Is Jay Shetty's any different? Now it seems like a "palette cleanser" for those who want to get their act together in the media. Very annoying.
Yesssss
@@emilijavidtmann7383yes I don’t like him a host because often times he was just talking about himself and how great he is lol
Hahaha exactly 💯😂
lol
Exactly! It's wild how easily people believe things just because someone wrote a book or has lots of followers. Debunking that crap is so important and I appreciate that you call it out.
I just subscribed.
It's wild how easily people believe things just because someone made a RUclips video about criticizing something.
You should also question this video's intention. And my comment's intention. And your own intention.
He also took part in it massively, feel free to listen to his episode on Diary of a CEO to make you unsubscribe again
Thanks, I did unsub...not because of anything other than simply, his other content isn't something I want in my feed. I thought most of his content was the same as this, but it definitely isn't. I'm not big on channels that have multiple topics, it's confusing! ;) @@catherineeASMR
@@catherineeASMR What's the title of that video?
It's worse than that, he was ON one of the podcasts (Diary of a CEO, can't remember ep number but it'll have his name in the title) he's slandering doing exactly what he's disparaging here@@snoggingmoise668
This is one of those moments when I know I have to subscribe. This is concise and informative. I'm going to expect the rest of the channel to be the same. I felt the same way when I kept seeing contradicting health advice and all of them were experts. There's actually just a few very simple rules that everyone seems to agree on in terms of diet. Things like most of us lack fiber, eat too much food, and/or too highly processed foods. Everyone tries to overcomplicate things because they have to sell you on whatever latest health trend is popular. I'm guessing you have some video on that, I'll be sure to look it up.
You didn’t realise experts can have different opinions? Where have you been?
But if you start following him imaging him the antidote to all that, ure back with the same problem just with a different person. nNot only this guy or the podcasters, I think all content on the internet should be consumed with salt: some maybe a grain, some a pinch, some a fistful. Its hard (nor is it worth the effort) to tell which requires how much salt.
Thanks for articulating this so well. The confusion is unreal! The trouble is everything they tell me to buy and their darn books - I don’t want to buy 😑 from Huel, Athletics Greens, LMEnt, it’s ridiculous. Guarantee they don't even use the stuff.
I am equally fed up with one saying to eat broccoli and kale, and then they will have another guest saying why you shouldn’t eat broccoli and kale.
We need to choose wisely who we listen to, as everyone seems to profess to be an expert these days. I have had to carefully craft my playlist of who I add to it.
I bought athletic greens a while back because I heard about it on the Huberman podcast thinking he was an actual scientist who uses it, and obviously he's very healthy. Then Athletic Greens started pushing ads everywhere, and I later read athletic greens is no higher performing but significantly more expensive than other greens powders out there. I immediately lost faith/respect for Huberman after that.
Unfortunately we live in a world where the more extreme you sound the more convincing. And they know that the people who are listening are not going to dive into the referenced studies let alone read and interpret that difficult literature. Instead they just blindly believe it and when the polar opposite comes, they get confused. I can hardly blame the people, it is definitely disingenuous from the experts.
You are absolutely right. As a new podcaster myself I struggle to find quality guests that I would personally love listen to someone else's podcast. But you are refferring mainly to the popular top 5 podcasts, while there are plenty of different genres out there that do not require guests but good research and storyline (for instance true crime stories).
Yup, there's all kinds of podcasts, not just people interviewing guests. There's radio plays, bizarre comedy, educational content (think Dan Carlin's Hardcore History, not Huberman Lab), people discussing current events in niche topics, music, ... The world of podcasts is so much wider than just some person interviewing another one.
THANK YOU! This needs to be said more and more openly.
Rogan as a pioneer and some form of godfather-figure has made podcasting a big part of counterculture and counter-factual culture as well. He has made the way for academics like Peterson, Fridman, Huberman and others to platform questionable scientists and cultural mavericks like Musk without the possibility of pushing back against BS.
This is so on point.
Ive listened to both DofaCEO and Huberman since the early days - but the last 3 months or so ive given up.
If theres a really interesting guest or topic ill listen to parts....and skip through all the annoying ads mid-episodes on my pointless RUclips Premium subscription.
But, the conflicting information...and overload of repeated or unnecessary "new" information is getting too much...and its getting boring!
Same. Used to love Lex Friedman, now he just sucks up to everyone.
I just had a conversation with a mate where i said 3-5g of creatine was all you needed and then he said he takes 10-15g and we both had huberman videos to back it up 🤦♂️
The 3-5g range is the correct range.
@@cnewtonsmart2The correct amount is what you get from meat. So if you want to get creatine in the right proportions and other dozens of nutrients (probably thousands), then just eat meat.
@@hugoanderkivi lol why supplement anything at all with that logic? It takes kgs of meat a day to get enough
My creatinin was 39 in a range of 30-300, the meat obviously isn't doing the job
Good points. Here in Australia, one of the best wxamples is this ad on Rogan’s podcast is about vpns. The next minute after the ad Rogan was talking to a guest and said vpns do nothing 😂
Damn, I only watch Adam Conover's podcast.
which episode was that?
I watched a Jr episode with Rhonda Patrick PhD and Joe is talking to her about her health standpoint on this and that, then says to - you have night terrors and she confirms, but I my view was taken back by the question- like we didn't agree on talking about this live.... From that moment I knew, not only did Joe Bogan not care about Rhonda, he was just a reptile in a human suit.
There are some use cases for VPNs but I understand what you mean. 👍
It's not a "push this button and be totally anonymous online" like it's usually marketed by lots of companies.
I must be the only guy that never gets ads when watching Rogans podcast lol. I’m not a paying subscriber to Spotify either but I still don’t get ads
Spot on. I noticed that as well. Unfortunately if we really want to be informed we can’t just blindly believe what one person says. Verify, verify. And confirmation bias is so seductive. I find myself falling in that trap at times unfortunately.
Why would you ever blindly follow what any one person or source say?
@@dominiquesmith7680 Yep. The fact that so many people need to be told this is embarrassing. Education is the only way forward. Anything authoritarian is a nah, so just educate ones-self. It's not that hard.
@@drockopotamus1Problem is most podcasts give the appearance of casual truth that feels less authoritarian, (especially if you like the person behind the mic) but they are more and more getting guests that draw an audience through clickbait strategies (making massively exaggerated claims about a product they're selling, or making shaky or made up claims that they know will draw engagement with controversy).
The appearance of truth masking manipulative lies and hysterical hyperbole is a deadly combination. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing everyone he didn't exist.
Only experts on RUclips ........
I stop listening to podcasts that just ruin the immersion with an ad break.
I'll be doing that with RUclips channels as well soon. I pay for RUclips premium to get rid of adverts, but the adverts don't stop.
I'm going back to audio books on tape i find in charity shops, and the walkman i bought from boots with my birthday money from gran.
Sponsorblock + Revanced
I do well with a flip phone, mp3 player, and a laptop. Basically living like it's 2006. Minimal distractions while out in the world, but I can still access the internet for more deliberate use, and I can still listen to music while working out with the mp3 player.
You don't need to pay for premium to block ads on RUclips. I just use a free Firefox extension. No ads at all.
I listen to the Real Science of Sport podcast - they have recently offered an Ad-Free feed on Amazon Music, so I switched immediately. I applaud Sam Harris for the way he has set himself and his podcast up to have no ties to ads.
Vintage workaround, love it
Completely right. Used to love Diary of CEO, because many guests were genuinely interesting, successful, offering unique insights. Now, everything is about health, finance, and happiness guru-ing. They're the biggest markets sure, but every guest now is for controversy-sake. Another one cropped up lately in fitness space, and all the guests are just 'My Dubai success story' or how they scammed their way to social media finance freedom.
I only listen to podcasts now for specific guests in fields I'm interested in. Philosophy, politics, history, some times fitness when I respect the guest generally.
Hopefully this fatigue and annoyance people are feeling now corrects this issue and cuts the waste. Not everyone or everything needs a podcast!
You are saying EXACTLY what I was thinking about these bullshit ads in the spotify podcasts, why am I paying spotify for no ads? Wtf. Great video.
it also happens with youtube for years. Companies monetize the shit out of us until we find a better option. 😂
You'll pay for a premium service and still gets and you'll be happy
Dude same - The first time I put on an episode of Rogan on Spotify and ads were interrupting every 20-25 minutes I was baffled.
Love the fact after this video Huel advert popped up with Diary of CEO.
Same 😂
And comments are turned off!
@nevis8106 Adblocker ;) easy.
Very interesting. I only listen to one podcast- 'we're all insane' here on youtube, where its kept me interested as she interviews every day people about their stories and the guest are very diverse. Kinda reminds me of the simpler time of podcasts
James, you don't have idea how many times I asked myself : What should I do? What should I believe? You are the best and you are the only one who brings light into my thoughts. Thank you!
Maybe think for yourself?
This is also true on Chris Williamsons podcast when he gets “experts” on chatting about dating psychology and how women think which is becoming astrology for men at this point
I noticed this as well. On every episode regarding mens/dating psychology, he always goes on about hows all men are having a hard time connecting with women on a romantic level. And even though there definitely seems to be more of a divide in that field than say 30 years ago, If you are actively pushing the narrative every episode it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for the men that take everything he says as being true.
This is on point
100%. A startling majority of the men in the comments sections on those episodes openly lament that the situation is hopeless. Meanwhile my male friends irl are getting dates/relationships just fine. It doesn't parse for me.
Another thing that is bothersome is when he addresses feminism, because his guests are unilaterally opposed to modern feminism. It would be much more interesting to have a guest that approves of feminism for the sake of hearing the opposite perspective.
A podcast that does this well is Triggernometry. They have longform discussions with both sides of a debate, and are willing to concede or push back on points made by either side.
I totally agree with everything you have said , I noticed the podcast content going downhill very fast ,I'm sad to say the new God in heaven is an algorithm
Thank you for this interesting video. However, respectfully I have to disagree with your view that the "contradictions" are the problem. You are correct that podcasts are a business and often they bring on guests for the sake of clicks and eyeballs on their videos, which then produces money for them. However, the contradictory views brought about by different guests is not really a major issue. It is to be expected because each and all of us see the world from a different perspective, including scientists. For example, some physicists think quantum mechanics is not a complete theory while others think that it should be accepted in its current form. Some cosmologists think that there are multiple universes while others think this is an abhorrent idea. There is controversy and debate on human consciousness, morality, free speech and so on. If all of us were supposed to agree on these matters, this actually would be more dangerous as it could lead to an echo chamber - where we just agree with people who confirm our own biases with no criticism. This is the surest way to error: to only listen to people (such as guests on podcasts) who agree with one's own beliefs.
Furthermore, even IF podcasts only brought on guests that agree with each other (so no contradictions), this would not stop the viewer from watching other videos and podcasts with guests who have a different point of view. Anyone can just switch off and watch another RUclips channel or podcast.
And finally, let me say that I think it is IMPOSSIBLE for any of us to have completely consistent views and beliefs. Modern neuroscience has shown that there is no such thing as a univocal or unified "Self" within us that has completely consistent beliefs and perceptions. All of us to some extent have opinions and beliefs that contradict with each other. For example, we can appreciate and defend the value of free speech while at the same time wish to silence certain opinions that we think are "dangerous", "wrong" or "against the status quo". Remember that many great physicists (such as Fermi and Higgs) had their works rejected by other scientists because it was contrary to what they believed was true about the world (they were accepted later as correct). We may think that religions are irrelevant and oppressive but at the same time find beauty and wonder in religious texts and music. Sometimes we think that revenge is a bad thing so we should "turn the other cheek", while at the same time we may desire retribution against someone as "justice".
Again, we humans are a mess of contradictions and conflicts, but we don't often realise it. We need to appreciate that there is a limit to reason and logic - and not everything in the world is black and white. Thank you for this video because I liked your approach to this interesting subject. Keep it coming.
I'm an ad buyer in the podcast space. I've worked with most of the mentioned names in this video and know the brands in the space like AG1, BetterHelp, EightSleep, etc. very very well.
I love this video. And I think so much of what you're saying here is right: what was once a medium of intentional conversations has become a capitalistic landscape in which creators have realized they can milk money from brands and have catered their content to do so by the means oyou've outlined--trading trust for views. And brands, unfortunately, have bent the knee to supporting this transactional landscape because for them it has driven results BUT that's been changing and dollars are becoming sparse.
Influence is down as a commodity. Your once beloved creators do not convert the same, because they are not trusted the same for the many reasons you've laid out.
Important to zoom out and remember, podcasts are businesses run by people. People are not perfect. The content they share will not be perfect. People will inadvertently lie. People will purposefully lie for personal gain. People will disappoint you. Anyone who put any podcaster on a pedastool only to realize they are imperfect and potentially misleading has deceived themselves. That does NOT mean that these creators do not hold some value and should not have platforms with voice, as often many good things are shared as well.
One minor critique: most brands do not give commissions based on discount code usage (that's an old model very few still use). AG1 perhaps does a blended model with some creators which involves flat payment and commissions.
Enjoy your podcasts, but don't worship them or the products they promote--it's a business. But also, like keep using coupon codes (it makes my brands happy to know which shows are driving results).
Crazy because I've listened to many who you mentioned for years, and in the last 6 months I've stopped. I couldn't put my finger on why... thanks for this clarification 👑
Same here!
That’s been my experience too
Same
For me it's sensory and information overload. Everybody comes with these click bait bold statements branded as "based on science", then you watch the podcast and realize it's just recycled information from another podcast.
Same. it’s either a million contradictory diet sessions. or perpetual “men vs women” bs like if the sexes were at some sort of war. or some conspiracy theories. or some pseudoscience or non-peer reviewed stuff about hormones/the brain/substances/etc. all whilst pushing products.
no thank you
Just pick one and stay with it. That's the only way to enjoy.
At the start of every Diary of a CEO episode I can not stand the words that come out of Bartlett’s mouth ‘I think this is the BEST product that huel have released in recent times’ it makes me cringe so bad. It bores the shit out of when I see the same guest on 6 podcasts across the board. The podcast world is very lucrative but not the place for info anymore
It’s on every RUclips ad I see now too 😭
True. The elites are trying to change our diet. I think they are behind the push for these products, they will be putting insects in shakes soon, all your meals in three cocroach protein shakes, boom
I was listening to a sleep podcast the other day and there was an ad! It really threw me off and didn't help me sleep at all. 🙈
😂😂😂😂
Me to😂😂😂
I get what this is trying to say but it just feels like a hit piece...at the end of the day, we are still so lucky to have these types of podcasts mentioned in this video. They are all for the most part super informative, interesting and some even important conversations to listen to. Just be smart and read into something further if u are genuinely interested on a topic.
These are just conversations...
I’ve been waiting for your take on this forever. I would scroll past thumbnails on doac saying “why counting calories doesn’t work” and I would be like whaaat? 🤔. I was such a committed listener at first and then I tuned out a year ago because it became obvious that it was just about pumping out content. Misinformation is the most dangerous thing in our society today in my opinion. 😞
The Downfall Of Modern Podcasts ... Joe Rogan Renews Spotify Deal for $250M
His podcast is the most independent and original compared to the others mentioned. I don’t think we’ll see him failing any time soon. Mostly because half of his guests are him having fun with other comedians and people still eat it up.
@@skolvikes234nah fam
He will end up just like the Shock jock..
I remember enjoying the first few episodes of Huberman’s podcast before it suddenly degenerated into making me feel like I need to live my life according to these perfect rules. Wake up at this time on the dot, work out exactly this way, do X to be exactly this level of happy because your brain needs this and that… and the thing is he seriously panders to that whether he intends it or not. I recall seeing so many “influencers” sharing their daily routines and it’s just bombarded with “oh yeah I do exactly this in my day, wake up this way, do this and that etc why? Because I want to? No because Huberman says I should.” Dr Mike’s TED Talk speaks volumes on this, how the world is just dominated by IKA “I Know All” experts now. It’s just endless echo chambers. And people think having a podcast gives them credentials. Expert opinion is supposed to be the lowest possible form of empirical indisputable fact/proof, yet in the internet age it’s the opposite. Doing X is good for all people not because I can prove it, but because someone with a podcast told me so.
It was so cringy when everyone and their mother uploaded the "I Followed Andrew Hubermans Morning Routine for 30 Days!" video 🤮
Yeah - don't blame other people for your own lack of self-control and foresight. He never said follow everything to the letter - why did schools stop teaching comprehension? As soon as you stop blaming others for your miserable choices, your life will change, but no, it's Andrew Huberman's fault that you couldn't apply basic reasoning to his research. Modern society is dumb as a post.
@@juanitalouw3958 don’t blame other people on the internet because you haven’t sorted your relationship out with your dad
@juanitalouw3958 well said 👏👏
He even has time stamp to skip the sponsors, and usually stresses that he prefers behavior tools over supplements. Still the criticism about the validity of his guests may be valid
People take words from podcasts as if it’s always factual! Glad you’re calling out the BS
This video is a must-watch! It perfectly captures the dangers of misinformation in modern podcasts. I've seen firsthand how harmful it can be, like when a friend convinced themselves they had a rare illness based solely on information from a podcast with a guest who wasn't even a qualified medical professional. It was scary and frustrating to see them fall prey to clickbait tactics and confirmation bias. This video is a powerful reminder to be critical listeners and responsible information consumers. We all need to hold podcasts, and any media for that matter, accountable for the information they spread. Kudos for bringing this to light, James!
One thing that I think was missed was the competing interests of podcast/content creators and platforms that host them. I thought that was the direction that was being hinted at in the beginning. It is the arms race of monetisation that is driving audience frustration with ads:
1) RUclips goes from no ads to ads, most of the money goes to RUclips, some money is given to eligible channels.
2) The channel wants its own monetisation, so it adds in-show ads and sponsors. Sponsors and advertisers prefer this, because of the more intimate connection between audience and podcast, rather than audience and platform.
3) RUclips sees that audiences will tolerate a little more advertising, so it increases its own ads - no longer just at the beginning but also throughout, some longer ads, some unskippable ads. Did you press pause to go to the toilet? You'll be rewarded with extra ads when you press play.
4) Creators become frustrated with how little of the revenue trickles down from RUclips so they go off-platform. So while a subscriber now pays not to have to sit through the platform ads, the content still contains ads inserted by the creator.
What should happen is, in the beginning of a channel's life, RUclips shows ads to viewers and gives a small amount to the content creator. If the viewership/subscribership reaches a certain amount (or the channel starts monetising/advertising in their content), then platform ads are removed, but the channel begins paying RUclips for hosting and monetises their own content. In both tiers, RUclips is making money, but what is eliminated is the double-dipping at the audience's expense.
The same thing has happened with Netflix - viewers paid for cable to avoid advertising breaks on commercial/terrestrial television. Cable got expensive, and viewers still ended up with ads (just not mid-program usually, unless it was, e,.g, built into the broadcast, like pro sports having timeouts that serve as ad breaks anyway). Viewers then turned to Netflix, paying a smaller subscription, again, to not have ads. But Netflix, like all businesses, is hellbent on growth, so it spends on content, but then needs to pay for production, and reintroduces ads. Now people are paying for something that used to be free.
These practices will continue to repeat and grow, because ultimately, it is in the interest of these businesses to push customers to their absolute limits of tolerance for any monetisation attempt. It will be done like the frog in the cold pot of water, to extract more and more money from customers, but it will continue until the pain point becomes enough for the customers to jump ship.
One other example of this incremental monetisation at all costs is the UFC. The UFC prevents fighters from their own advertising (forcing fighters to do things like give a shout out to a gambling company if they get a post-win interview), but advertises everywhere on the octagon floor and cage padding, on the official uniforms, and during commentary with "official" everything... the UFC, a mixed martial arts organisation that barely leaves Las Vegas, has an "official tire", there is an official sports drink, there used to be an official protein snack, there's an official beer, and now an official coffee. What makes it "official"? Someone paid to be the exclusive advertiser of that product. It reminds me of the seizure-inducing advertising overload shown in Idiocracy. What a time to be alive.
What I say is this, for RUclips at least: they get to have my time, because I can't skip all of the ads. But they don't get to have my attention. I mute the ads and avert my eyes, because I don't accept the unilateral devaluation of my attention just to put money in RUclips's hands.
What you described is the enshittification of the internet and it happens everywhere and also this was called the term of the year in 2023
I was discussing this just last week. I was an early podcast listener and it was back when most of the people I listened to didn't even do adds, analytics, etc. For example, during the first season of West World, I found a podcast called Player Piano, and it was just two friends who were really smart and really funny discussing a show they loved. No slick production, no adds, no analytics, etc. They were just doing it because they loved watching and analyzing the nuances of the first season. I miss those early days so much. Now, podcasts are/have become clickbait driven and their 'content' is created mainly on what will get views and the monetization of it. I would love to somehow find those who continue to do podcasts for the love of it rather than making it their living. Sadly, these are probably so hard to find due to algorithms and such pushing podcasts that will make the advertisers money. And reason 37,000 of why we can't have nice things. Glad I'm not the only one who and seen this and misses the early days of podcasting.
I watch Intentionally Blank exactly for that reason. Its not their job so they're not pushing any product. It's just two friends discussing new media or defending hot takes. Plus where else would I get my dose of food heists?
Rogan was like that around 2015. You could just tune in to any guest and learn something but now it feels like they're on a talk show.
@@jorgetiagosilva I’m going to check them out.
if you are a moviebuff the early critically acclaimed podcasts are really fun to listen to
Dawg how do you misspell analytics twice in two different ways??
Its the same with all social media, as soon as the big corporations take an interest money takes over content and the platform turns to trash
"enshittification" lol.... They did it to grunge and boom - Nickelback was born
I'm glad you addressed this issue. I was thinking the other day, "wow, I used to love this podcast, but now it seems like the goal is just to sell something, not give any actual information out." Thanks for the conformation.
FINALLY!! So many health related podcasts now and its honestly overwhelming. They all pose things like it’s life-changing when it comes to diet, exercise, etc. Honestly we all need to just start doing what makes us feel good
'do what makes us feel good' - that's honestly not the best way to go at it with the way companies try to lure us into food traps and addictions.
@@XxXStoneFingerXxXagreed. Doing what felt good might have worked during our hunter gatherer days, but not anymore. Now we need to be disciplined and avoid those traps you mentioned.
@@XxXStoneFingerXxX what i meant was do what makes you feel good in terms of healthy living…obviously i didnt mean do drugs every day if that makes you feel good
Chocolate makes me feel good.
Do what makes you feel good lmao
Totally on point! Also, a little off point, most big podcasts are turning into "Look at what cool celeberity we have on this week! They don't have much in common with the focus of this podcast, but look at them! Oh and they have a new book/show/movie!"
Jay effing Shetty😂
For over an hour too…. It’s mind numbing.
Someone needed to cover this and you covered it exceptionally well. Subscribed!
I had no idea who Steven Bartlett was, I just knew him as "the guy from the huel adverts on youtube". When I finally asked someone at work who the hell he was, and why he's used as a spokesperson by huel, they effectively said "something, something, tech business, something, something, dragons den, something, something, podcast" lol. So effectively, he's just a young guy who managed to build and sell one semi successful company, and has coasted on that through social media and sponsorships ever since, but he's now seen as someone worth listening to hours of podcasts of. What's going on with the world?
Ive actually listened to him quite a bit and I agree with you, he is all fluff. He is a smart guy though, he will grow up.
@ShirleyGanske lol please share your cv, what are your achievements?
@@kgalanet lol why do people get so defensive on behalf of public figures? Just because someone has more achievements than you (however you classify achievements) doesn't mean you can't criticise or question their value to society as a whole, especially when you're being bombarded with advertisments featuring said person several times a day on platforms like youtube.
@@rhidiandavies1991 maybe we need to evaluate our own competence and achievements to balance out criticisms. How bad is Stephen? He created a platform most of us enjoyed watching because of his conversation style, now we want to hold him responsible for his guests opinions?
Unfortunately I can’t stand the sight or sound of that guy because I’ve been relentlessly bombarded with that Huel advert for about a month now.
Ive never really understood blanket watching all of Joe Rogan or Lex Friedmans podcasts. I watch depending on the guest. Its why the last Joe Rogan i watched fully was the utterly trippy 2nd Alex Jones appearance. That was a blast
Rogans content has spiralled downhill since ~2020. He wedges rants about vaccines, immigration, guns and trans rights in far too many unrelated conversations.
@@2011hwalkerI‘ve noticed that trend aswell
@@2011hwalker I feel the same way, but the most recent Sober October Crew was a fun one. And Protect our park crew is always fun. Rogan tends to go on his regular rant about COVID, vaccine and Biden but the boys aren't afraid to make fun of him for acting like a boomer 😂. I have noticed that as long as I avoid his yes-men friends and political commentators, the pod is pretty good. E.g. his recent pod with Moshe Kasher.
@@2011hwalkerI bet you
Think that because you don’t agree with him on those issues. Fwiw I have went numb hearing Joe talk about Covid and vaccines . He can be shockingly obsessive about certain topics
I still rock with Rogan though and always will
@@brianmeen2158No its not because I don't agree with him on all of those things. It's because his analysis is tired and one dimensional. No one is listening in 2024 to hear Rogan waffle on about Canadian Covid policies. He needs to get out of his little comedy sycophant bubble more.
Jason Fung has treatment centre in Canada treating patients with diabetes. Hes a MD and nephronolgist. Robert Lustig specialises in childhood obesity, a paediatrician. Both of these guys have been doing talks for years. I came across Robert Lustig 2010 with a TED talk about sugar and addictive behaviour, and obesity. I was surprised to see both on D of a CEO....I would never not listen to them for their amazing advice and scientific insight. Low Carb is certainly grown because of people like him, and we are lucky to have them, and the like, eg Huberman.
Great point. But that is not only podcasting. That is the whole internet. Lex Fridman is a great example of how not to do that, but he has other streams of very high income from his unbelievable programming skills. Not everyone is like Lex in that regard
Great video! I used to love the Diary of a CEO, when it was more business-oriented. Now it feels like it has become a health podcast because more of his followers are interested in the topic or maybe these are his best-performing videos. I only watch the episodes when I know/like the guest, which is quite rare these days. 🤷🏻♀️
I love “behind the diary” though.
Exactly! I used to look forward to Mondays and Thursdays and now I don't. The last 'typical' episode I watched was with Casey Neistat and beforehand I don't even remember. I came for the business and all these experts are just a bit too much.
Lot of great stuff in here. As a quick point, a very, very, very small percentage of podcasts get BOTH a commission and a flat fee from advertisers. Typically smaller podcasts are commission only - they get paid based on how much product they move. Medium-ish podcasts get a flat fee based on CPM, which is safer for the podcast. The biggest podcasts get both.
Would like to hear more about the criticism of Jason Fung -- I read some of his posts about diabetes and PKS a few years ago and they seemed good.
9 min video straight to the point and no ad.. i liked it
Glad to see someone calling out the podcast business for exactly what it is - a business. A business exists to make money. Problem is exactly what you mentioned - a conflict of interest when it comes to generating engagement. Easier to sell “bullshit”, than actual “boring” facts.
Back to listening to sick Deep House mixes when im working... ❤🙌
0% misinformation or AG1 ads in a deep house mix 👌
Alpha male detected
anjunadeep >>> podcast guru bs
@@Mark70775 yes mate. Listening to some Marsh as i write this 💪
share your playlist
Thank you for addressing all the issues with social media/podcast ‘influencers’. I just got my PhD on online scams and for a moment I was worried about how AI is going to exacerbate the threat of online scams. But then I thought about the amount of falsehoods that HUMANS are spreading themselves!
Amazing! Subscribed. I’m a kinesiologist and am amazed at the amount of dis and misinformation online especially in the fitness/wellness industry.
Including kinesiology.
@@elbee909 your comment alone shows your ignorance
You don't know what disinformation means
@@J-my6qj naw
Thanks for this, made me think about our own curation of guests. It’s a balance between bringing on different viewpoints so as not to create an echo chamber, while not (to your point) chasing conflict/rage for downloads.
We bring on a few well regarded academics repeatedly, despite mediocre engagement, as they take their domain seriously and fact-check their statements.
Also, my producer will fact check what I say and we’ll edit out statements/data I get wrong or could be misleading. We also, generally speaking, don’t bring on people to discuss health issues unless highly credentialed as the stakes are too high.
I pulled ProfG down from Spotify during COVID as I was so upset about, what I felt, was the platforming of mis-information..
Again, thanks-this made me think.
Have to reply to the Spotify dig because we know who it was targeted to. The truth of the matter is that now we do have a lot of science (we did back then too but whatever), way more and that podcast turned out to be right by being skeptical and bringing on guests with a different view (who were all doctors and academics btw). That podcast effectively saved millions by promoting safer treatments that ended up working better than the stuff promoted everywhere else. All the initial "evidence" and claims put forward by that side have been revised downwards by now and we do know from looking at official data that it's causing a lot of damage, fatal damage. In short, now we do know for certain that the best thing you, prof G, did for Spotify to stop "platforming" bad people was deplatforming yourself from Spotify to begin with so thank you.
That was really informative.
I feel that you are a rare bastion of truth in this era of "misinformation by saturation"
Or maybe that's what you want us to think...lol.
It's funny as I have discovered you fairly recently and I have mirrored your journey from the UK to Sydney since 2016, been recently diagnosed with ADHD.
I'm just just someone in mid-life trying to reassess what it is to live a meaningful life in the time we have left.
Maybe, there're still some dreams to dream and glory to be had yet?
Keep up the good work!
James, as someone who has lives in the podcasting space this is spot on. Now, with the price paid to podcasters for ad spots going down, podcasters who use that money to eat are stuffing more ads in their shows and increasing the number of episodes while decreasing their quality. It is what many call "The race to the bottom" where we will end up with a show that is 30% ads, which is what radio is now. Podcasts became popular because they DIDN'T sound like radio.
Great food for thought. Might have to show this to my students. Thanks, Mr. Smith!
Great video. Agree with everything except for the supply/demand of speakers. I love watching the people who went on Chris Williamson's podcast also go on Lex Fridman's and Huberman's podcast. A good host should have his own style and personality, making the conversation unique.
Aye. Perhaps the fastest way to get to know different podcasters, just listen to a bunch of them interview the same person on the same subject. Differences are bound to come up. And you’ll probably learn more out of an interesting interviewee as well.
I think so too. I agree the sponsorship is getting well more frequent. But chris and lex really add more personality and asks more about the material of guests work.
I think what carries lex is the guests he brings on.
Feels like education is failing many. Source criticism or information evaluation is a major thing taught in schools around here, but probably isn't everywhere. It should be, it's needed now more than ever.
Thank you, you've said exactly what I come to YOU for James - the objective truth, no bullshit. Diary of a CEO has been going downhill for some time. Jason Fung and then the vegan doctor were two of the most ridiculous podcasts I've had the misfortune of watching. He also had one psychiatrist (or psychologist not sure which) who spent the entire podcast sounding like he needed to see one more than he needed to be one; he was on the verge of tears throughout. Steven Bartlett just got lucky. He's just not very bright - his embarrassing retorts (showing he doesn't understand what his guest just said) happen all too often for me to think he has an iota of understanding of anything other than what his (incredibly patient!) girlfriend has told him. I don't blame him for not being particularly intelligent, it's not his fault, but it worries me how he has amassed such a huge platform and has incredibly uncredible guests on, spreading misinformation to literally millions of people. Podcasts show the downfall of intelligent and critical thought. As the quote goes, 'stop making stupid people famous' - and CEO is one of those, imo.
As someone who’s has met Steven very briefly, I can concur that I didn’t find him particularly interesting, intelligent or inspiring. He’s ridden a wave that I think will come to an end in the next few years, especially as none of businesses seem to do anything tangible.
'he needed to see one more than he needed to be one' ahahahahahaha 😂😂😂 Good one mate
SB is a egomaniac and a tit. Way too smug and will have a massive downfall one day.
The only thing worst than Jason Fung is his cult followers. It's like a disease on Reddit.
What did you specifically disagree with in the vegan doctor podcast? Out of interest
This is incredibly IMPORTANT video! Very well said, very true and very sad...
I accidentally watched the full thing cos of how unexpected it was considering the podcast landscape we’re in globally.
Great job 👏🏿
Since Spotify has audiobooks now I've started to move onto those instead of the usual suspects when I'm commuting more recently.
I didn't know they ave audiobooks now. Awesome. How to find these?
whaaaa? since when? i've never seen them
I enjoy the biographical podcasts. Loads of genuinely interesting people out there.
Great video bro. I host my own show and have had people like Dr Lustig on my show. It’s one of my most popular episodes. The nuance of learning for me has been the combination of learning via researching of my guests. You start to get a really good feel for what is the truth after 220 episodes and over 700 books read over the last 6 years. I also look for guests that are willing to admit when they are wrong or learn new data. Professor Tim Noakes is a great example of that. Most people are inextricably linked to their work or agenda and have to perpetrate the bull pucky
AMAZING VIDEO! We have lost our ability to thinking critically when consuming such information. Similar situation with the Aspartame/ Cancer stuff a few months back, where we see complete crowd madness and a stampede towards a misleading headline. We must do better, this video is so refreshing!
One of the biggest problems these days is that they don't teach critical thinking in schools. We have so many people now who have finished education and can't think for themselves.
Also happens when you don’t have a wide base of knowledge. And too many people opinions on subject they know nothing about.
They definitely teach critical thinking in schools. But if people are on social media for 5+ hours a day every single day of their lives, that school influence is gonna be minor
Great topic. Hopefully you could make part II of this to share some stats on the actual trends on highly popular podcast as they downgrade well founded information and upgrade misinformation. Thanks a lot.
The market is flooded right now. Everyone and their mother has a podcast.
Another great video, I found Ben’s response yesterday, you are both spot on, thank you! This is impacting people’s mental health, the BS needs to be called out so people have the chance to make logical fact based decisions
You're so right, it's a battle for our attention and it's so frustrating because there are actually a few of us who are well-intentioned and not in it for the fame, instead we're genuinely trying to help people to step into their own personal power by providing them with valuable life-changing information that we were never taught at school. As usual, the main focus is, "Divide and Conquer" and they're doing it everywhere. Thanks for this video - just subscribed.
asmonchad brought me here😀😜😉
Ditto 😅