The New Gurus

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BBC Radio 4 FM

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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.

BBC Radio 4 LW

Influenced: The New Gurus: New Gurus: Bonus Episode - Gigachads and Sigma Wolves

New Gurus: Bonus Episode - Gigachads and Sigma Wolves

BBC Radio 4 - Influenced, The New Gurus, New Gurus: Bonus Episode - Gigachads and Sigma Wolves

What's the difference between a gigachad and a sigma wolf? Helen Lewis enters the Manosphere to find out.

After The New Gurus was released, there was one question Helen Lewis was asked far more than any other: why are so many gurus men? Stuck for an answer, she journeys into the world of the Manosphere - home to 'Gigachads' and 'Sigma Wolves'. 

Joining Helen on her journey is a reporter who once got (consensually) punched by the world's most Googled man, Andrew Tate, plus the former Love Island contestant and now successful podcaster, Chris Williamson. Helen also takes to the mat to find out why three of her original subjects - Sam Harris, Joe Rogan and Russell Brand - all studied the same hardcore martial art. 

What do men want? The answer, it seems, is very long podcasts.

Producer: Tom Pooley
Sound design and mix: Rob Speight
Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
Original music composed by Paper Tiger

A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4

Influenced: The New Gurus

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

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

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?

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New Gurus: Bonus Episode - Gigachads and Sigma Wolves

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