Psychology Of Social Influencers And Marketing Strategies

TikTok Battles

A press release from the State of Michigan regarding charges being brought in the murder of Rebecca Park: https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2025/12/02/two-charged-with-murder-of-rebecca-park

19:24 - 28:00 How we met in The Emotional Casino of TikTok and butted heads at first over AI, then realized we liked talking, even when we disagreed, and discovered a shared desire for transcending the dichotomy of the two party system in the United States.

28:00 - 38:00 Discussions on The Social Dilemma, a 2020 Documentary on Netflix which largely draws on themes discussed in Shoshana Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (which Abigail mistakenly referred to as “the book” The Social Dilemma). Including how TikTok has become much more popular since the release of that documentary. 

38:00 - 47:00 AI, Chatbots, ethics, and potential mental harm from unhealthy dynamics between individuals and Chatbots.

The NPR article discussed is titled “ChatGPT promised to help her find her soulmate. Then it betrayed her” can be found at: https://www.npr.org/2026/02/14/nx-s1-5711441/ai-chatgpt-openai-love-betrayal-delusion-chatbot

47:00 - 52:00 Social media and algorithms, resisting divisiveness, ethics in advertising, data privacy etc.

The video briefly discussed is from CBC Kids and is titled “Social media algorithms explained” can be found on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/F5tz887wXCY?si=t9VOeUUw_Lqt6SAJ

52:00 - 1:00 A discussion of emotional dysregulation and mental health, including ADHD, issues of dopamine regulation, addiction / substance use disorder, social media addiction, social media now vs. in the past (including our shared love for MySpace, “online” exes and Misty playing Yahoo Euchre back in the day). The book Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke is briefly referenced.

1:00 - 1:04 Wanting to disconnect from TikTok, overcoming our own dysfunctional social media use. We talk more about us as people online and in real life, our shared preference of learning from the elderly and folks of all ages, how people from Michigan are different.

1:04 - The Emotional Casino of social media vs. gambling addiction. Also discussed scam calls and the impact of increasingly distressing content online, including the epstein files and recent I.C.E activity.

The New York Times article discussed is titled “Meta and YouTube Created ‘Digital Casinos,’ Lawyers Argue in Landmark Trial” can be found at: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/technology/social-media-addiction-trial.html?smid=url-share