James O'Brien - The Whole Show The problem with social media
Mar 26, 2026
A lively dive into how technology and platform design turn harmless scrolling into compulsive behaviour. Listeners share personal wake-up moments, from losing hours to feeds to quitting cold turkey. Legal and ethical angles surface as discussion turns to corporate incentives, youth exposure, and whether regulation can force change.
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Leaving Facebook After A Bedtime Wake Up Call
- Helen described quitting most social media after a week-long trial showed she was reaching for her phone reflexively, even during bedtime stories.
- She deliberately left Facebook in Jan 2021 and never returned, noting a physical impulse to check notifications had disappeared.
Set Firm Phone Boundaries Tonight
- Regain control by setting explicit boundaries like not checking messages after a set hour and leaving your phone out of certain contexts.
- Helen enforces a personal rule: no phone checks after nine o'clock and consciously thinks before picking it up.
Platforms Behave Like Drug Dealers
- Comparing platforms to drug dealers clarifies intent: their profit motive drives them to create and keep addicts because addicts deliver repeatable revenue.
- James likens tech executives to dealers who wouldn't voluntarily reduce harm because their metric is attention sold as ad dollars.