One would think that our society has evolved beyond the point of turning to a former Fear Factor host and comedian who tested positive for Covid-19 and imbibed an array of drugs — including horse deworming agent, Ivermectin — for medical advice. One would, however, be wrong. Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, reportedly brings in an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, most of whom tune in to his interview with anti-vaxxer Dr Robert Malone and far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of fake news website InfoWars, who overplays the risks of giving children the polio vaccine and claims that masks are futile against the spread of the coronavirus. The latter is the same rabble-rouser who terrorised the parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims by calling the shooting a hoax.
Modern internet has sent the attention economy into hyperdrive, plunging us into a world trapped in dopamine loops and filter bubbles that do not prioritise the truth, but whatever is most compelling. And that very often means whatever that riles us up. In reality, a healthy democracy urges one to mull over one’s opinions before expressing them. In the virtual world, however, attention accrues to those who do the opposite. Therefore, Spotify’s recent debacle — in which Joe Rogan (the freewheeling host of a wildly successful podcast that the streaming giant acquired through a ballyhooed US$100 million exclusive deal in 2020) precipitated a cascade of high-profile boycotts for spreading misinformation about Covid-19 — feels especially resonant right now.
Controversy sells, and tech firms are more than willing to invest in clickbait and exaggerated news feeds to court those who greedily seek it. Rogan was supposed to be Spotify’s biggest acquisition, a gold rush that would transform the Swedish company into a one-stop shop for all means of online audio. But did the streaming service get more than it bargained for when it made a Faustian pact with the world’s most famous podcaster?
