Recommendation economy power: you nibble at content once and algorithms feed you that forever. You're a hungry fish and they've got the fattest, juiciest worm. Amazon knows this so well they're testing sending you parcels you never ordered, betting their data knows you want it or you're running out. The return rate is no different than items you actually requested. That's how strong the data is getting in terms of having you sing and dance like a yo-yo.

Canada Dry appeared throughout Heated Rivalry, the number one show in the country. Viewers kept asking where to buy what they saw on screen. Province of Canada made the white fleece immediately with tongue-in-cheek marketing. Canada Dry did nothing. Tony Chapman imagines the boardroom: someone young pitches going after this fantastic content, then Dylan Mulvaney and Bud Light enter the conversation and fear wins over awareness. Culture eats strategy for breakfast when that happens.

The show itself is Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, two people from opposing sides who fall in love despite society's conventions. In this case, hockey players from rival teams. It only becomes about sexuality if you make it about that. Streaming services that can't carry Heated Rivalry created "heated rivalries" categories anyway, keeping viewers on their platforms by recommending similar content. The algorithm knows what you want before you do.

Topics: recommendation economy, brand opportunities, heated rivalry, cultural marketing, Canada Dry

GUEST: Tony Chapman | http://chatterthatmatters.ca

Originally aired on 2026-01-28

Recommendation economy power: you nibble at content once and algorithms feed you that forever. You're a hungry fish and they've got the fattest, juiciest worm. Amazon knows this so well they're testing sending you parcels you never ordered, betting their data knows you want it or you're running out. The return rate is no different than items you actually requested. That's how strong the data is getting in terms of having you sing and dance like a yo-yo.
Canada Dry appeared throughout Heated Rivalry, the number one show in the country. Viewers kept asking where to buy what they saw on screen. Province of Canada made the white fleece immediately with tongue-in-cheek marketing. Canada Dry did nothing. Tony Chapman imagines the boardroom: someone young pitches going after this fantastic content, then Dylan Mulvaney and Bud Light enter the conversation and fear wins over awareness. Culture eats strategy for breakfast when that happens.
The show itself is Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, two people from opposing sides who fall in love despite society's conventions. In this case, hockey players from rival teams. It only becomes about sexuality if you make it about that. Streaming services that can't carry Heated Rivalry created "heated rivalries" categories anyway, keeping viewers on their platforms by recommending similar content. The algorithm knows what you want before you do.
Topics: recommendation economy, brand opportunities, heated rivalry, cultural marketing, Canada Dry
GUEST: Tony Chapman |<a href="http://chatterthatmatters.ca"> http://chatterthatmatters.ca</a>
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-01-28

Shane Hewitt & The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world—always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.

From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane’s signature style—thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.

If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt &amp; The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world&mdash;always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.
From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane&rsquo;s signature style&mdash;thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.
If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

The Heated Rivalry Lesson: Tony Chapman on Fear Versus Opportunity

Stop doom scrolling attempts usually fail because app restrictions don't address the real problem. You're watching TV. You pick up your phone. Face ID unlocks it. Your thumb hits the same spot on the screen where Instagram used to be. Now it opens your banking app. You stare at it confused. You weren't trying to check Instagram. You don't even remember picking up the phone. Your brain did it automatically, hunting for a dopamine hit you didn't consciously decide to seek.

ChatGPT suggested moving social apps to a deeper page or deleting them from the home screen entirely while keeping them on the phone. The experiment: move Instagram off the home screen, keep it searchable if needed. Three or four times in one day, the automatic thumb hit the same spot and opened banking apps instead. The realization wasn't "I want to check Instagram." It was "Why am I holding my phone?" The habit revealed itself because the reward disappeared.

App restrictions set minimum times of an hour per day, which misses the point entirely. The issue isn't total time. It's the three-minute automatic checks that happen without conscious thought throughout the day. Breaking the pattern requires disrupting the physical muscle memory, not setting time limits on behavior you don't realize you're performing.

Topics: stop doom scrolling, phone addiction, automatic phone checking, social media habits, breaking screen time patterns

Originally aired on 2026-01-28

Stop doom scrolling attempts usually fail because app restrictions don't address the real problem. You're watching TV. You pick up your phone. Face ID unlocks it. Your thumb hits the same spot on the screen where Instagram used to be. Now it opens your banking app. You stare at it confused. You weren't trying to check Instagram. You don't even remember picking up the phone. Your brain did it automatically, hunting for a dopamine hit you didn't consciously decide to seek.
ChatGPT suggested moving social apps to a deeper page or deleting them from the home screen entirely while keeping them on the phone. The experiment: move Instagram off the home screen, keep it searchable if needed. Three or four times in one day, the automatic thumb hit the same spot and opened banking apps instead. The realization wasn't "I want to check Instagram." It was "Why am I holding my phone?" The habit revealed itself because the reward disappeared.
App restrictions set minimum times of an hour per day, which misses the point entirely. The issue isn't total time. It's the three-minute automatic checks that happen without conscious thought throughout the day. Breaking the pattern requires disrupting the physical muscle memory, not setting time limits on behavior you don't realize you're performing.
Topics: stop doom scrolling, phone addiction, automatic phone checking, social media habits, breaking screen time patterns
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-01-28

The Automatic Phone Check You Don't Remember Making

Why Your Brain Opens Apps Without Permission 

Doom scrolling habits reveal something unsettling about your brain. You're standing in line at the coffee shop. Your phone is already out. Instagram is already open. You don't remember deciding to look. Your thumb just moved there, automatic as breathing, and now you're three posts deep into content you don't care about.

Stats Canada also projects population could hit 57 million by 2075, a prediction with a 31 million person margin of error. The projection range itself, 44 million to 75.8 million, shows how difficult long-term forecasting becomes when immigration policy shifts every election cycle. What seems certain: Canada grew from 26 million in 1990 to over 40 million today, and that trajectory continues regardless of which government is in power.

Topics: doom scrolling habits, social media addiction, phone usage patterns, digital detox, notification management

Why Refugee Health Care Costs Changed

Refugee health care costs ignite before the facts land. You're scrolling. You see "refugees will co-pay health costs." Your blood pressure rises. But the fine print reveals hospital care stays free, doctor visits stay free, and the $4 prescription copay applies to services many Canadians already pay for out of pocket.

Federal cuts: 28,000 jobs. Unions want to know which ones. The government hasn't said yet, possibly because collective agreements require specific notice periods.

Topics: refugee health care costs, asylum seekers Canada, immigration queue jumping, federal job cuts, media clickbait

GUEST: Jamie Ellerton | Conaptus.com, Lindsay Broadhead | BroadheadComms.ca

Originally aired on 2026-01-28

Why Your Brain Opens Apps Without Permission 
Doom scrolling habits reveal something unsettling about your brain. You're standing in line at the coffee shop. Your phone is already out. Instagram is already open. You don't remember deciding to look. Your thumb just moved there, automatic as breathing, and now you're three posts deep into content you don't care about.
Stats Canada also projects population could hit 57 million by 2075, a prediction with a 31 million person margin of error. The projection range itself, 44 million to 75.8 million, shows how difficult long-term forecasting becomes when immigration policy shifts every election cycle. What seems certain: Canada grew from 26 million in 1990 to over 40 million today, and that trajectory continues regardless of which government is in power.
Topics: doom scrolling habits, social media addiction, phone usage patterns, digital detox, notification management
Why Refugee Health Care Costs Changed
Refugee health care costs ignite before the facts land. You're scrolling. You see "refugees will co-pay health costs." Your blood pressure rises. But the fine print reveals hospital care stays free, doctor visits stay free, and the $4 prescription copay applies to services many Canadians already pay for out of pocket.
Federal cuts: 28,000 jobs. Unions want to know which ones. The government hasn't said yet, possibly because collective agreements require specific notice periods.
Topics: refugee health care costs, asylum seekers Canada, immigration queue jumping, federal job cuts, media clickbait
GUEST:&nbsp;Jamie Ellerton | Conaptus.com, Lindsay Broadhead | BroadheadComms.ca
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-01-28

NEW - Smart Speakers - The Muscle Memory Problem and Jumping The Asylum Queue

Return to office mandates are forcing a choice. You're reading the email from HR. Five days a week, starting next month. You've been working from home for three years. Your coworkers are furious. You're relieved.

One co-host would go back tomorrow, in a heartbeat. The isolation is killing him. Screen rot, brain rot, doom scrolling. Less creative, less inspired. Going to coffee shops doesn't help because his team isn't there. The other argues the employer has the money, the employer picks the location. If the hole needs digging in Sudbury, you can't dig it in Ottawa. Federal workers just got hit with the switch: full flexibility to five days in-office. An Angus Reid study found only 3 in 10 Canadians want to return. The tension isn't about convenience anymore.

The conversation isn't actually about where you work. It's about who decides, how fast the switch happens, and whether anyone's asking the right questions before flipping that switch. Hybrid might be the answer, but only if the conversation happens first.

Topics: return to office mandates, remote work loneliness, hybrid work models, workplace flexibility, employee power dynamics

Originally aired on 2026-01-28

Return to office mandates are forcing a choice. You're reading the email from HR. Five days a week, starting next month. You've been working from home for three years. Your coworkers are furious. You're relieved.
One co-host would go back tomorrow, in a heartbeat. The isolation is killing him. Screen rot, brain rot, doom scrolling. Less creative, less inspired. Going to coffee shops doesn't help because his team isn't there. The other argues the employer has the money, the employer picks the location. If the hole needs digging in Sudbury, you can't dig it in Ottawa. Federal workers just got hit with the switch: full flexibility to five days in-office. An Angus Reid study found only 3 in 10 Canadians want to return. The tension isn't about convenience anymore.
The conversation isn't actually about where you work. It's about who decides, how fast the switch happens, and whether anyone's asking the right questions before flipping that switch. Hybrid might be the answer, but only if the conversation happens first.
Topics: return to office mandates, remote work loneliness, hybrid work models, workplace flexibility, employee power dynamics
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-01-28

The Heated Rivalry Lesson: Tony Chapman on Fear Versus Opportunity

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