A new podcast will example the toxic nature of modern social media, with a combination of humour and seriousness.
Comment Deleted features hosts Paul and Simon (who have previously worked with major social media companies), with each 45-60 minute episode divided into four segments.
- Dirty Deleters = examining people who immediately delete a comment/post over the slightest bit of criticism or disagreement.
- Popcorn Time = looking at social media arguments so long and vocal that other people on the page post ‘popcorn memes’ as they watch the fight unfold.
- Pay the Troll Toll = a look at trolls and what some pages will do to use trolls to their advantage, and the increased use of AI contest to scam people.
- Retro Round = a look back at the early days of social media and an analysis how and why it turned into a garbage fire, focusing on a different aspect every episode.
While Paul and Simon have done the research for the initial episodes, they welcome listeners to submit their stories for each of the segments, which will be read out and discussed during the next episode. They may also start a Patreon with exclusive behind-the-scenes stories from their professional social media days (which will be explicit and name names), depending how much interest they get.
“We’ve been long enough out of the industry to get a fresh perspective on social media,” said Paul. “I’ve gone from using it every day to deleting all the apps from my devices. Everyone knows how toxic it is, but nobody’s asking why.”
“I’m looking forward to a balance of serious and funny discussions,” said Simon. “As well as our regular topics, I want to get into other areas such as why people are chronically online, the reasons people ‘doomscroll’, and the difference between private and public Facebook groups.”
