The New Gurus

BBC Radio 4 FM

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Influenced: The New Gurus: New Gurus: 4. White Women's Tears

Helen Lewis meets the new gurus promising us enlightenment in the digital world.

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Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

From WhatsApp leaks to group chat nightmares, how instant messaging changed the world.

From WhatsApp leaks to school group chat nightmares, via war propaganda on Telegram and Slack meltdowns at work, how instant messaging took over our lives.

Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat. Have you ever been trapped in a group chat nightmare, either grabbing the popcorn or wondering how to leave without causing a scene? Who's the admin in your family group, and do they wield that power responsibly? Do you ever wonder if it's appropriate to use emojis when talking to your boss? The rise of instant messaging has made our social and professional lives faster, more casual — and more chaotic. But amid all the discussion of the effects of public social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, there has been relatively little attention paid to private social networks—the direct message and the group chat — and how they are shaping our relationships and our world. In this series, Helen Lewis looks at the secret world of instant messaging, meeting a woman who married a chatbot, discovering how Russian dissidents are fighting a propaganda war, and hearing the inside story of how Britain ended up governed from a single WhatsApp group. It's a strange new world where workplace rebellions are conducted through duelling emojis and military secrets are traded on chat forums about a children's cartoon. It's also a world where you can never be quite sure who you're talking to—and who's eavesdropping on you.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Influenced: The New Gurus

From productivity hackers to dating coaches, from crypto bros to wellness influencers, when did the internet get taken over by gurus? Helen Lewis investigates.

Everywhere you look on the internet, people are giving - and receiving - advice. Advice that promises to transform our lives. How to eat. How to think. How to get rich. How to manage our time. 

Across eight episodes, Helen Lewis travels through the strange, powerful and sometimes hidden digital spaces created by these new gurus. Where did they come from? How much power do these charismatic individuals wield? And why are so many of us turning away from the mainstream - mainstream medicine, mainstream politics and the mainstream media - and embracing the power of charismatic individuals instead?

New Gurus: 4. White Women's Tears

BBC Radio 4 - Influenced, The New Gurus, New Gurus: 4. White Women's Tears

Dinner time. A dozen white women. A discussion of racism. And one rule - no crying.

Dinner is served. A dozen white women, a frank discussion of racism, and one rule - no crying. Join Helen Lewis in exploring the world of the diversity gurus.

The rise of the Black Lives Matter movement brought renewed interest in corporate diversity gurus. But Regina Jackson and Saira Rao were ahead of the curve, pursuing their own unique anti-racist education programme. 

Tired of talking to individual white women about their racism, they decided to invite a group of them for dinner, and confront them with their bias and bigotry. There was one rule - no crying.

The New Gurus is a series about looking for enlightenment in the digital world.

Written and presented by Helen Lewis

Series Producers: Morgan Childs and Tom Pooley
Story consultant: Geoff Bird 
Original music composed by Paper Tiger
Sound design and mix: Rob Speight
Editor: Craig Templeton Smith

A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds

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The New Gurus

New Gurus: 4. White Women's Tears

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