Rob Henderson’s Office Hours are here. I’ll be doing these livestreams every Wednesday at 8 PM ET—except next week, we’re shifting to Tuesday at 2pm ET when I’ll be doing a livestream with bestselling author and Substacker Michael Easter.
Some topics covered in this first installment:
Social media is turning us into informants. The rise of public shaming, the digital panopticon, and why people fear speaking openly. Communist regimes needed secret police; we just needed phones and the promise of “likes.”
Christopher Lasch saw this coming in 1979 – Revisiting The Culture of Narcissism and how it explains today’s world better than ever.
Why people work harder to avoid criticism than to improve their lives – A counterintuitive but useful way to understand human behavior.
The hidden shift in how people talk about themselves online – How “I had someone tell me…” reflects the rise of main character syndrome.
Do young people actually want attention? – Why social media culture has made them both more risk-averse and more eager to be influencers.
Everything online is curated—even when it looks real – The difference between reality and the highly manicured world of digital life.
The truth about online trolls. Research shows that the worst people on social media aren’t just nasty online—they’re like that in real life, too.
Why social media feels worse than it actually is. A small percentage of users create most of the content, and negativity spreads the fastest—so we think society is crueler than it really is.
The new acceptable targets for public ridicule. You can’t mock some groups anymore, so people are finding new ones they can still go after.
How companies are tracking you (even when you think they aren’t). I share a quick story about how Best Buy tried to get my personal data just because I bought a pair of headphones.
Is the mainstream media trying to pivot? Jeff Bezos says the Washington Post is moving toward pro-market, pro-liberty opinions—maybe they’re seeing the writing on the wall.
Gavin Newsom, podcast host. My beloved home state of California is mired in crises, and the governor’s big solution is to launch a podcast to chat with MAGA supporters.
The “bless her heart” effect. How people weaponize fake concern to gossip and tear others down while pretending to be helpful.
Taking questions from viewers
