The Problem Isn't Joe Rogan, It's Influencer Worship
Joe Rogan said something dumb about vaccines again. Why do people take what he says seriously in the first place?
by Ben Cohen
The advent of mega influencers has upended mainstream media outlets and irreversibly changed how we get our information. We no longer watch the news, we just listen to our favorite personality talk about it. The internet has allowed this phenomenon to emerge, and in many ways it has been refreshing to see old institutions have to adapt to the more interesting experiments online.
However, there has been a great cost to this great experiment, and one that threatens to radically destabilize society.
The rise of the self-publisher
Podcasts, Youtube channels, and Instagram accounts have allowed for almost unlimited creative freedom, paving the way for personalities like Joe Rogan, Marc Maron, Candace Owens, Russell Brand and Jordan Peterson to make millions of dollars giving their unique takes on current events. These personalities now have so much power that they can influence the national debate on any issue they decide to weigh in on. The more outrageous and controversial the opinion, the more they are rewarded by social media algorithms designed to capitalize on potentially viral content.
When Joe Rogan took Ivermectin to cure Covid for example, he told his Instagram followers and the entire planet found out about it in a matter of minutes:
The content was extremely valuable (in that it generated clicks) and was talked about endlessly for days.
Russell Brand now makes a living spreading conspiratorial rants on his show, promoting them cleverly on YouTube with clickbait headlines like this:
There is an endless supply of these influencers churning out content day in, day out, and the more we click on it, the more they are compelled to produce more. When you combine celebrity status, a limitless appetite to hear one’s own voice, and a savvy social media manager, the result is an influencer who shapes the national debate from their living room. Unfortunately, this means that totally unqualified people now get an outsized opinion on important topics that they have absolutely no business talking about.
Who cares what Joe Rogan thinks about Covid-19?
During a recent episode of Rogan’s podcast, the comedian spread yet another baseless conspiracy theory about Covid-19. Reacting to President Biden getting a booster shot in public, Rogan told his viewers that he believes it was staged. "I think if they were going to give him a booster shot, the last thing they would do is give it to him live on television," he said to his guest, former CIA officer Mike Baker. "What if he dies? What if he blacks out? What if he like gets it and faints?
"Like, because people have had very bad reactions like in the moment for whatever reason."
These have been a familiar themes for Rogan; that vaccines are dangerous, that Biden is old and has dementia, that someone else is really controlling the government (according to Rogan Nancy Pelosi is actually in charge) etc, etc. Rogan has a near total inability to see through these idiotic right wing conspiracy theories because he has no background in journalism, no background in science, and no background in politics. He isn’t remotely qualified to question the experts he has on his show either, leading to ridiculous episodes of him grilling a cell biologist on Covid-19 co-morbidities and hosting debunked grifters promoting Ivermectin. He doesn’t employ an experienced editor or reporter to fact check his shows before they go out, yet he is still taken seriously by millions of people around the world. Why? Because social media algorithms have made him incredibly famous.
Get the best newsletter on politics delivered straight to your inbox:
Don’t trust an influencer, ever
In an ideal world, there would be no need to discuss Joe Rogan, Russell Brand or any other mega influencer when it came to anything remotely serious. Unfortunately, their outsized influence means media outlets have to dedicate time to unraveling their nonsense. When Russell Brand claims that there is “serious evidence” that Hillary Clinton worked with Russia to create the Trump/Russia “conspiracy”, or Candace Owens claims there is no evidence for global warming, responsible outlets have a duty to try and undo the damage.
At The Banter, we spend most of our time debunking right wing conspiracy theories, not because we enjoy it, but but in the hopes that it might limit at least some of the harm. There is a very serious information war going on right now, and without a full scale response to conspiracy theories we are going to find ourselves in dire straights. The US only just escaped the grips of a madman in 2020, and with Trump gearing up to run again in 2024 America is in serious danger of descending into full on fascism. Trump and the GOP’s strategy to take back power will be to undermine confidence in reality by spreading as many conspiracy theories as possible. We are seeing this play out already with the right promoting anti-vaccine nonsense and claiming Joe Biden is a senile Communist:
This cannot go unchecked, and anyone concerned about preserving democracy in America must gear up for another round of war against the ever growing crowd of disinformation merchants.
Strategies to limit damage
When Joe Rogan or any other unqualified influencer speaks about Covid-19, or says they are “just asking questions”, the best thing to do is ignore them completely. Again, Joe Rogan is not qualified to talk about Covid-19 in any way, shape or form. The most helpful thing Rogan could do during this pandemic is to stop talking about it. Of course he won’t because his entire business model depends on him stirring up controversy (and selling nutritional supplements), so in the mean time we have to keep going after him. This means debunking his nonsense and again, reminding people that his views outside of comedy and Martial Arts should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Over time, the social media giants are also going to have to take more serious action to limit the enormous damage influencers are doing to public debate. This doesn’t necessarily mean censorship (although in many instances this is necessary), but the algorithmic reward system must be changed so that know-nothings like Rogan and Brand don’t get catapulted to the top of everyone’s social media feed.
It must always be remembered that charismatic influencers are only interested in their own success and not the public’s. Joe Rogan can spread disinformation about Covid-19 to his heart’s content because he isn’t responsible for the millions of people dying from it. This is why we give responsibility to our elected leaders, public health officials, doctors and journalists at responsible media outlets. They have systems in place to keep them accountable — bosses, watchdogs, boards, editors and so on. These systems aren’t perfect, but they work a lot better than unfiltered ego-maniacs gaming social media algorithms for their own profit.
If you enjoyed this article and want to read more from The Banter, subscribe to the newsletter for free below:
Read an excerpt from this week’s members only piece and get 6 months free on a Banter Membership:
Ex-Trumpers Are Trying To Exonerate Themselves. We Must Not Let Them.
Trump's former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham is attempting self-absolution by publishing a tell-all book.
by Bob Cesca
WASHINGTON, DC -- Before we dig in today, a little about me: I truly despise contributing to a Trump loyalist’s attempt at self-absolution after four years of tyrannical idiocracy in the White House. Yet what we’re going to discuss here is too important to ignore. The aforementioned self-absolution is exactly what former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham is attempting to do with her new tell-all book about her time working for Trump, the first one-term loser in 30 years.
We’ll cover a few revelations in the book that are noteworthy and, if true, add to the validity of what we’ve been saying about Grisham’s former boss for more than six years.
This is an excerpt from today’s Members Only piece. You can continue reading here and get 6 months free on a new Banter Membership.
"However, there has been a great cost to this great experiment, and one that threatens to radically destabilize society. . . . Don’t trust an influencer, ever"
Well it's about time! I felt like I was the only one writing about this madness . . .
The smorgasbord of sub-cultures has created another dimension of delusion in America: Hardening minds not broadening them. The commentary in these communities speaks volumes about social media & the state of society: Habitually slinging self-congratulations and high praise for purveyors of virtue:
Virtues that vanish the second they’re called to put them to the test. Following facts going in the direction you desire — doesn’t count. Anybody can do that! . . .
Tolstoy’s Not Talkin’ About Me — He’s Talkin’ About You:
https://onevoicebecametwo.life/2022/05/24/tolstoys-not-talkin-about-me-hes-talkin-about-you/
"Joe Rogan can spread disinformation about Covid-19 to his heart’s content because he isn’t responsible for the millions of people dying from it. This is why we give responsibility to our elected leaders, public health officials, doctors and journalists at responsible media outlets. They have systems in place to keep them accountable — bosses, watchdogs, boards, editors and so on."
You just spent an entire article saying how much influence people like Rogan have, their ability to affect the national debate, how media outlets have to spend time countering them, and wrap up by saying they aren't responsible for the consequences of how they wield that influence?
Granted, we wouldn't have millions of people dying (passed the 700,000 mark in the US yesterday) if not for how politicians handled the pandemic. But excusing Rogen et al just because they aren't in official positions with established accountability controls in place when they very clearly have and are making things very much worse, is just wrong.