In this bumper Very Special Episode ahead of this week’s UK General Election, we take it in turns to examine whether “the media” can “sway” election results. First, Ben examines the always-silly and sometimes-sinister British tabloid press and

Did The Beatles make fans hysterical?

14 days ago 1m 30s

In the 1960s, parents, the press, psychologists, and many others were confronted with a large, terrifying, global problem: Beatlemania. In this episode, Ben talks Rich through how the world tried to make sense of the screaming, potentially hyst

Did 13 Reasons Why increase teen suicides?

28 days ago 1m 41s

Can media representations of suicide really be “contagious”, driving vulnerable audiences to end their own lives? Rich introduces Ben to a frustratingly large field of psychologists, counsellors and youth charities who made this argument about

Did pro wrestling make kids try this at home?

May 23rd, 2024 1m 17s

After a defence lawyer blamed the killing of a six-year-old on pro wrestling, the Parents Television Council went to war with the World Wrestling Federation. Lifelong pro wrestling fan, Ben, talks Rich through this bad blood feud: in one corne

Does Cuties sexualise young girls?

May 9th, 2024 1m 14s

In 2020, a French indie movie called Cuties somehow found itself at the epicentre of the US culture wars. Outraged conservatives accused the filmmakers and Netflix of encouraging paedophilia and stoking the fires of global child sex trafficking

Do racing games cause reckless driving?

Apr 25th, 2024 1m 16s

From Death Race to Grand Theft Auto, driving games have long fuelled claims that players might be inspired to start mowing down pedestrians outside of the game. Starting with a story about a Toronto police officer linking a hit and run to a cop

Does background music make you more focused?

Apr 11th, 2024 1m 10s

Before “deep focus” and “study beats” playlists came muzak—one of the most widespread (and widely hated) forms of music of the 20th Century. But does background music really have the power to improve worker productivity? To dictate our wine pre

Did Lady Chatterley’s Lover corrupt wives and servants?

Mar 28th, 2024 1m 11s

Ben takes Rich back to the landmark case study of a book that was accused of changing the world forever by containing descriptions of sex and swearwords. Join us for a 150-year history of obscenity laws, the power of literature to corrupt, swin

Can YouTube turn you into a Flat Earther?

Mar 14th, 2024 1h 14m

Can the YouTube algorithm really turn you into a Flat Earther, or some other kind of radical conspiracy theorist? Rich takes Ben on a journey through terrible poetry, evangelical newsletters and 9/11 Truther videos. It turns out the “filter bub

Did Child’s Play 3 turn kids into killers?

Feb 29th, 2024 1h 31m

When two children murdered toddler James Bulger in 1993, the British media lost their damn minds and tried to blame a horror video. Rich tells Ben that this argument really started a decade earlier with the “video nasties” panic. Join us as we

Does Barbie give girls eating disorders?

Feb 29th, 2024 1h 27m

Barbie has been accused of a lot over the last 7 decades, but her most enduring criticism is that she sets unrealistic beauty standards for young girls. Ben talks Rich through the curious history of Barbie as a toy and a “role model”, the somet

Trailer

Trailer ILL EFFECTS - Series 1

Feb 26th, 2024 1m

Welcome to ILL EFFECTS - the good podcast about bad media influences. Can a horror film turn kids into killers? Can music make you more productive? Can a video game cause dangerous driving? Dr Rich McCulloch and Dr Ben Litherland investigate th

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