This week, The Betoota Advocate interrogates the history and culture of pokie machines in Australia, specifically NSW. The history of them, the strategic engineering of them, the mind-bending stats, the political lobbying and the money. Most people just assume Australia's addiction to the 'Reverse ATMs' is beyond reform... But today's guest has an idea.

 

Check out Project Losing Sound and Sign The Petition Here

This week, The Betoota Advocate interrogates the history and culture of pokie machines in Australia, specifically NSW. The history of them, the strategic engineering of them, the mind-bending stats, the political lobbying and the money. Most people just assume Australia's addiction to the 'Reverse ATMs' is beyond reform... But today's guest has an idea.
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Check out <a href="http://losingsound.com/">Project Losing Sound</a> and <a href="http://change.org/p/enforce-losing-sounds-in-australian-poker-machines">Sign The Petition Here</a>

Clancy Overell and Errol Parker, editors of the explicitly raw but iconic Outback Australian newspaper known as The Betoota Advocate report fiercely - without fear or favour.

A weekly dissection of the Australian zeitgeist with high profile Australian guests.

Betoota Talks

BETOOTA TALKS: 'The Australian Disease' - Pokie Machines (featuring Neil Walshe)

Fresh off the back of the most talked about budget in a decade, the Treasurer swings through Betoota to face the music. CGT, Negative Gearing, Gas Tax, NDIS, the whole lot. Have a listen.

Fresh off the back of the most talked about budget in a decade, the Treasurer swings through Betoota to face the music. CGT, Negative Gearing, Gas Tax, NDIS, the whole lot. Have a listen.

BETOOTA TALKS: Treasurer Jim Chalmers

Clancy Overell, Wendell Hussey and Errol Parker wrap up all the biggest stories from the week - live from the Desert Rock FM studio in downtown Betoota thanks to our friends at Dan Murphy's!

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Clancy Overell, Wendell Hussey and Errol Parker wrap up all the biggest stories from the week - live from the Desert Rock FM studio in downtown Betoota thanks to our friends at Dan Murphy's!
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 WEEKLY BULLETIN: Federal Budget, English Backpackers, Sydney Bankers & Arsenal

Ed Coper’s new book Angertainment is the starting point for this week’s conversation about algorithms, outrage media and what it’s all doing to society. The book makes a straightforward case: social media doesn’t just reflect our worst impulses, it monetises them. Algorithms reward anger because anger drives engagement. That creates an ecosystem where rage-bait thrives and serious journalism struggles to compete.

Outlets like The Betoota Advocate sit comfortably in that ecosystem. Their "conservative rural news" that looks like a duck and quanks, is often circulated by people who don’t always check before they share. Funny, maybe. Harmless, no. When "conservative rural news" content spreads at the same velocity as real reporting, public trust in the whole media landscape takes the hit.

The deeper issue is what this does to how people relate to each other. When your information diet is curated by an algorithm optimised for outrage, your perception of the world, and the people in it, gets distorted. That has consequences for communities, for political discourse, and for democracy.

We talk through Coper’s framework and ask what, if anything, can actually be done about it. He then puts us in our box.

Ed Coper&rsquo;s new book Angertainment is the starting point for this week&rsquo;s conversation about algorithms, outrage media and what it&rsquo;s all doing to society. The book makes a straightforward case: social media doesn&rsquo;t just reflect our worst impulses, it monetises them. Algorithms reward anger because anger drives engagement. That creates an ecosystem where rage-bait thrives and serious journalism struggles to compete. Outlets like The Betoota Advocate sit comfortably in that ecosystem. Their "conservative rural news" that looks like a duck and quanks, is often circulated by people who don&rsquo;t always check before they share. Funny, maybe. Harmless, no. When "conservative rural news" content spreads at the same velocity as real reporting, public trust in the whole media landscape takes the hit. The deeper issue is what this does to how people relate to each other. When your information diet is curated by an algorithm optimised for outrage, your perception of the world, and the people in it, gets distorted. That has consequences for communities, for political discourse, and for democracy. We talk through Coper&rsquo;s framework and ask what, if anything, can actually be done about it. He then puts us in our box.

BETOOTA TALKS: 'The Australian Disease' - Pokie Machines (featuring Neil Walshe)

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