This week’s guest is Renee DiResta, professor, and author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality. In part one this week, she talks to Lola and Meagan about propaganda, disinformation vs. misinformation, and how social media algorithms push us all into highly individualized, “bespoke” realities.

They discuss how she became interested in this topic after social media algorithms started suggesting anti-vaxxer content to her, how rage bait and other emotionally charged material spreads faster, and why social media makes it seem like other people have more extreme views than the majority of them actually do.

SOURCES

Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality

This week&rsquo;s guest is Renee DiResta, professor, and author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality. In part one this week, she talks to Lola and Meagan about propaganda, disinformation vs. misinformation, and how social media algorithms push us all into highly individualized, &ldquo;bespoke&rdquo; realities. They discuss how she became interested in this topic after social media algorithms started suggesting anti-vaxxer content to her, how rage bait and other emotionally charged material spreads faster, and why social media makes it seem like other people have more extreme views than the majority of them actually do. SOURCES
<a href="https://www.reneediresta.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.reneediresta.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1764219736034000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2gk3HA888WoOmy4wNEnac7">Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality</a>

Trust Me is a weekly interview podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the fine line between devotion and delusion—told through firsthand accounts from the people who lived it. Hosted by two women who’ve been in cults themselves, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show features survivors from groups like Heaven’s Gate, the Manson Family, NXIVM, OneTaste and more–sharing personal stories of how they got in, how they got out, and everything in between.

Each week, they invite these guests alongside experts who can dive deep into seductive leaders, the darker aspects of organized religion, and the subtler shades of groupthink and the psychology of influence. Trust Me explores it all with unfiltered honesty, dark humor, and a lot of heart. This isn’t a sensationalized deep dive into cults—it’s a compassionate, first-person exploration of what it means to believe, to belong, and to break free. At the end of the day, wanting to believe in something bigger than yourself is one of the most human instincts there is.

Trust Me is a weekly interview podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the fine line between devotion and delusion&mdash;told through firsthand accounts from the people who lived it.&nbsp;Hosted by two women who&rsquo;ve been in cults themselves, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show&nbsp;features survivors from groups like Heaven&rsquo;s Gate, the Manson Family, NXIVM, OneTaste and more&ndash;sharing personal stories of how they got in, how they got out, and everything in between.
Each week, they invite&nbsp;these guests&nbsp;alongside experts who can dive deep into seductive leaders, the darker aspects of organized religion, and the subtler shades of groupthink and the psychology of influence. Trust Me explores it all with unfiltered honesty, dark humor, and a lot of heart.&nbsp;This isn&rsquo;t a sensationalized deep dive into cults&mdash;it&rsquo;s a compassionate, first-person exploration of what it means to believe, to belong, and to break free.&nbsp;At the end of the day, wanting to believe in something bigger than yourself is one of the most human instincts there is.

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Renee DiResta - Part 1: Propaganda, Disinformation, and Bespoke Realities

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/37ce52f4-2b4f-4f4b-82d0-b3a10053dd33/transcript

Lyndsey Burr, longtime reality television producer who worked on America’s Next Top Model for years, joins the girls to talk about her experiences working on the now-controversial hit show. She talks about what the team looked for when casting, some of the more problematic challenges the show used, and the time she lost the models in Thailand.

They discuss how it was the wild west of reality TV, with every show in the early days trying to outdo each other and often not considering the consequences for the folks on the show, and Tyra’s own arc and whether she was perpetuating the harmful cycle she’d been trying to stop. Plus, why Lyndsey thinks unscripted television has–hopefully–been getting more ethical.

 

Lyndsey Burr, longtime reality television producer who worked on America&rsquo;s Next Top Model for years, joins the girls to talk about her experiences working on the now-controversial hit show. She talks about what the team looked for when casting, some of the more problematic challenges the show used, and the time she lost the models in Thailand.
They discuss how it was the wild west of reality TV, with every show in the early days trying to outdo each other and often not considering the consequences for the folks on the show, and Tyra&rsquo;s own arc and whether she was perpetuating the harmful cycle she&rsquo;d been trying to stop. Plus, why Lyndsey thinks unscripted television has&ndash;hopefully&ndash;been getting more ethical.
&nbsp;

Lyndsey Burr - Producing America’s Next Top Model

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a25c7914-fa75-4730-8826-b439017f1817/transcript

In part two with Matthew Remski (author and host of the Conspirituality podcast), Matthew shares how he cult hopped from his first guru to his second, the moment that disillusioned him, and the cultural patterns he's seeing—including a resurgence of the Satanic panic—that most alarm him as he follows conspiracies and spirituality on his podcast.

He’ll talk about how the importance of addressing the root economic causes of why so many people are looking to snake oil salesmen for answers, pointers from his upcoming book (Antifascist Dad) for how to navigate this fraught information landscape, and why it’s important to create healthy organizing spaces–since all sides of the political spectrum are susceptible to cultish behavior.

SOURCES

Conspirituality

Antifascist Dad

In part two with Matthew Remski (author and host of the Conspirituality podcast), Matthew shares how he cult hopped from his first guru to his second, the moment that disillusioned him, and the cultural patterns he's seeing&mdash;including a resurgence of the Satanic panic&mdash;that most alarm him as he follows conspiracies and spirituality on his podcast. He&rsquo;ll talk about how the importance of addressing the root economic causes of why so many people are looking to snake oil salesmen for answers, pointers from his upcoming book (Antifascist Dad) for how to navigate this fraught information landscape, and why it&rsquo;s important to create healthy organizing spaces&ndash;since all sides of the political spectrum are susceptible to cultish behavior.
SOURCES
<a href="https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1776371668262000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1g9-bH3KAAJT65UsOIM3tZ">Conspirituality</a>
<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1776371668262000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2aAJ0V9hJ-lcnRR1oZ2rla">Antifascist Dad</a>

Matthew Remski, Part 2 - Cult Hopping, Disillusionment, and Root Causes of Cults

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5af16b59-c41d-44b7-9fce-b42d01531f3a/transcript

This week’s guest is Matthew Remski, author and host of the Conspirituality podcast. In part one, he talks about his own personal experiences with gurus and cultic dynamics, and what led him to the topic of cults and conspiracies. He tells the girls about his own religious upbringing, the mysterious seizures that led to his fascination with spirituality, and what drew him to his first charismatic guru, Michael Roach.

He explains what an average day was like following Roach for three high-demand years, traveling with him and attending his “classes,” what the physical manifestations of his spiritual experiences were like in both that group and the next one he joined, and what led to his disillusionment (with the first one).
Plus, next week: He’ll tell us why he cult-hopped, patterns he sees emerging in the world of cults and conspiracies, how we can keep political spaces healthy, and what Marx has to do with any of it.

SOURCES

 Conspirituality Podcast

This week&rsquo;s guest is Matthew Remski, author and host of the Conspirituality podcast. In part one, he talks about his own personal experiences with gurus and cultic dynamics, and what led him to the topic of cults and conspiracies. He tells the girls about his own religious upbringing, the mysterious seizures that led to his fascination with spirituality, and what drew him to his first charismatic guru, Michael Roach. He explains what an average day was like following Roach for three high-demand years, traveling with him and attending his &ldquo;classes,&rdquo; what the physical manifestations of his spiritual experiences were like in both that group and the next one he joined, and what led to his disillusionment (with the first one). Plus, next week: He&rsquo;ll tell us why he cult-hopped, patterns he sees emerging in the world of cults and conspiracies, how we can keep political spaces healthy, and what Marx has to do with any of it.
SOURCES
&nbsp;<a href="https://www.conspirituality.net/">Conspirituality Podcast</a>

Matthew Remski, Part 1 - Seizures, Spirituality, & the First Charismatic Guru

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7060ac0e-b57c-403b-aa71-b428015b25b0/transcript

Renee DiResta - Part 1: Propaganda, Disinformation, and Bespoke Realities

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Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

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