Your Feed Wants You To Believe The Worst Of People

Scrolling On Toxic Social Media Feed Will Destroy You.

"The cell phone is called a 'cell' for a reason. It's a cell that keeps us locked in digital incarceration." Can an online echo chamber completely rewrite a person's psychological profile, character, and values in just over a year? On this episode of Broken Traditions, Leron Gaskins (Big Ellie) uses the viral, tragic case of Jeff Metcalf as a crucial case study on how toxic social media exposure corrupts human nature. Jeff Metcalf is the father of Austin Metcalf, a white teenager tragically killed at a Texas track meet by a black teenager, Carmelo Anthony. Immediately following the incident, Jeff was a model of grace, poise, and biblical forgiveness—strictly demanding that the public not use his son's memory to fan racial or political divisions. Yet, 13 months later, following a strict legal gag order while trapped on the internet, Jeff delivered a shocking, racially charged, two-hour live-streamed tirade. Big Ellie moves past the surface-level internet commentary to expose the structural engine behind this shift. By examining Stanford psychologist BJ Fogg's behavioral formula—B = MAP (Behavior = Motivation + Accessibility + Prompt)—Leron maps out how the infinite scroll, automated dopamine hits, and red notification prompts fuse with a user's organic negativity bias to alter their psychological baseline. From political race grifters attacking a grieving parent to viral TikTok trends mocking a family's real-world murder, this episode serves as an essential warning. Whether you are a grieving parent, dealing with a bitter breakup, or struggling in a toxic cultural climate, social media is the absolute last place you will find mental recovery or healing. 💎 JOIN THE COMMUNITY ON PATREON The Broken Traditions Podcast is community-powered. By joining our Patreon, you aren't just a listener—you're a partner. Get exclusive deep-dives, early episode access, and behind-the-scenes content. 🫶🏾 Support the mission: https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins [https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins] The Broken Traditions Podcast is the only space dedicated to exploring digital overconsumption through a Black perspective. We bridge the gap between tech habits and cultural traditions to help you live more intentionally. Affiliate Partners & Tools Bark: Comprehensive parental controls to monitor and manage your family's digital exposure to the "Three S's." https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page [https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page] Brick: A physical device that lets you "brick" your phone, removing addictive apps and helping you stay present. https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980 [https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980] Reference Content: Full: Austin Metcalf's Dad GETS HEATED During Response To 'Karmelo Trial', Ends Unfiltered - HP News https://youtu.be/Qy6p46XJx4A?si=jJrhXw5BQbktohyU [https://youtu.be/Qy6p46XJx4A?si=jJrhXw5BQbktohyU] ⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCABZ7Z6SBTp4IsARDceOq7w] Racists Furious as Karmelo Anthony Stands His Ground https://youtu.be/7G5mbptd-dw?si=IVQ1jWy8L79t1hWU [https://youtu.be/7G5mbptd-dw?si=IVQ1jWy8L79t1hWU] One-on-one interview with Austin Metcalf's father after fatal Frisco track meet stabbing https://youtu.be/Bttezu3i_I4?si=R2Io8Tyt6eA_PFck [https://youtu.be/Bttezu3i_I4?si=R2Io8Tyt6eA_PFck] ⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCBu0KdNokE4MqdkacvH37_A] Austin Metcalf father Calls Jake Lang of "Protect White Americans" Rally to Condemn it, Frisco Texas https://youtu.be/iQXhVisCmCI?si=9_bUQBcDe5q5o36P [https://youtu.be/iQXhVisCmCI?si=9_bUQBcDe5q5o36P]

⚫️ Black vs. ⚪️ White = 💰Green: How the Internet Profits From Your Outrage

Since the beginning of time, the media engine has thrived on racial division—creating a "Black vs. White" narrative that has become as American as hamburgers and fries . But behind the television screens and social media feeds lies a multi-million-dollar industry designed to keep you digitally incarcerated, angry, and divided for the sake of corporate and independent profit . On this episode of Broken Traditions, Leron Gaskins breaks down the media circus and internet reactions surrounding the high-profile Texas trial of Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf . Instead of making another standard reaction piece, Leron strips away the noise to look at the true culprit: the overconsumption of digital devices and the absolute weaponization of negativity bias for online engagement . To show how both sides of the digital landscape are forced to drink the metaphorical "Kool-Aid," Leron divides the outrage industry into two distinct, highly calculated corporate formulas : * Diet Coke (The White Side): How right-wing media outlets and independent commentators exploit "Black Fatigue" content, manipulate post-verdict narratives without real footage, and target an audience that is tired of being labeled the oppressor . * Sprite (The Black Side): How modern race grifters try to convince their audience that it is 1926 in Montgomery, Alabama instead of 2026, pushing half-truths, riding toxic narratives, and building algorithmic wealth on the backs of perpetual victimhood . Leron exposes a dark reality of the 2026 creator economy: the terrifying theory that content creators are actively pooling their money to fund paid actors and courthouse agitators to stage viral public screaming matches just to manufacture endless reaction content . From deepfake AI images used as engagement traps to legacy news networks changing narratives on the fly, it's time to look past the simulation, understand how your biology is being hijacked for cash, and break free from the digital prison To watch the full episode to see the vidoes I'm reacting to click here https://youtu.be/T3khsXph07I [https://youtu.be/T3khsXph07I] 💎 JOIN THE COMMUNITY ON PATREON The Broken Traditions Podcast is community-powered. By joining our Patreon, you aren't just a listener—you're a partner. Get exclusive deep-dives, early episode access, and behind-the-scenes content. 🫶🏾 Support the mission: https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins [https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins] The Broken Traditions Podcast is the only space dedicated to exploring digital overconsumption through a Black perspective. We bridge the gap between tech habits and cultural traditions to help you live more intentionally. Affiliate Partners & Tools Bark: Comprehensive parental controls to monitor and manage your family's digital exposure to the "Three S's." https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page [https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page] Brick: A physical device that lets you "brick" your phone, removing addictive apps and helping you stay present. https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980 [https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980]

We Go Out Just To Look At Our Phones (Why This Is Problematic)

"When we're locked in a digital cell, we are nothing but flies hitting the window." Why do we pay good money to go out on dates and link up with our closest friends, only to spend the entire night staring straight down at a glowing screen? On this episode of Broken Traditions, Leron Gaskins (Big Ellie) breaks down an unfiltered, boots-on-the-ground social study he conducted while sitting at an Atlanta hookah lounge with his wife, Lex. Observing a single long couch against the wall, Leron witnessed three distinct groups demonstrating the exact modern crisis of digital incarceration. In this episode, we unpack the psychological, biological, and spatial damage of public phone dependency: * The Couple: The clinical reality of "Phubbing" (phone-snubbing) and how it registers in the human brain as a painful micro-rejection rather than a harmless distraction. * The Friend Group: Why "F-Phubbing" spreads like a highly contagious social virus across dinner tables, completely destroying voluntary equity and real-world conversation flow. * The Solitary Scroller: The physical dangers of becoming an "Earphone Zombie" in public spaces, including the acute collapse of your peripersonal space defense bubble down to the exact 6-inch parameters of your smartphone. Finally, Leron gives major props to a well-known hip-hop artist who bucked the trend, and issues a non-negotiable table challenge to help you and your circle reclaim your shared reality. 💎 JOIN THE COMMUNITY ON PATREON The Broken Traditions Podcast is community-powered. By joining our Patreon, you aren't just a listener—you're a partner. Get exclusive deep-dives, early episode access, and behind-the-scenes content. 🫶🏾 Support the mission: https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins [https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins] The Broken Traditions Podcast is the only space dedicated to exploring digital overconsumption through a Black perspective. We bridge the gap between tech habits and cultural traditions to help you live more intentionally. Affiliate Partners & Tools Bark: Comprehensive parental controls to monitor and manage your family's digital exposure to the "Three S's." https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page [https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page] Brick: A physical device that lets you "brick" your phone, removing addictive apps and helping you stay present. https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980 [https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980]

Why the "Next Episode" Button Is Secretly Destroying Your Life

Have you ever found yourself trapped in an endless midnight loop, promising yourself "just one more episode," "just five more minutes of scrolling," or "just one more game"? On this episode of Broken Traditions, Leron Gaskins (Big Ellie) exposes the hidden, daily toll of the "Next Episode" trap. Driven by a personal wake-up call after staying up late binging a series on Netflix, Leron tracks the devastating physical and neurological consequences of choosing a screen over sleep. From the corporate strategies of tech and streaming platforms explicitly designing interfaces to target your sleep as market competition, to the terrifying reality of involuntary "Microsleeps" while driving down the highway, this episode serves as an unfiltered look at digital incarceration. Leron breaks down the cutting-edge science your feed won't show you: how a sleep deficit drops male testosterone levels by 10 to 15%, how it creates micro-lapses in stabilizer muscles that lead to gym injuries, a 2017 UCLA study equating sleep-deprived neurons to a state of alcohol intoxication, and a 2025 MIT study revealing why awake brain-cleansing pulses induce severe mental fog. Finally, discover why sleep loss sparks a massive 60% reactivity spike in your emotional control centers, turning minor daily annoyances into major relationship friction. It's time to stop watching the simulation, go outside, and live in reality. Take the 1-week, 9:00 PM digital blackout challenge and reclaim your mind. 💎 JOIN THE COMMUNITY ON PATREON The Broken Traditions Podcast is community-powered. By joining our Patreon, you aren't just a listener—you're a partner. Get exclusive deep-dives, early episode access, and behind-the-scenes content. 🫶🏾 Support the mission: https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins [https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins] The Broken Traditions Podcast is the only space dedicated to exploring digital overconsumption through a Black perspective. We bridge the gap between tech habits and cultural traditions to help you live more intentionally. Affiliate Partners & Tools Bark: Comprehensive parental controls to monitor and manage your family's digital exposure to the "Three S's." https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page [https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page] Brick: A physical device that lets you "brick" your phone, removing addictive apps and helping you stay present. https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980 [https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980] STAY CONNECTED: 🌐 Website: http://brokentraditions.com [http://brokentraditions.com] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/broken_traditions/ [https://www.instagram.com/broken_traditions/] ✉️ Business Inquiries: leron@brokentraditions.com [leron@brokentraditions.com]

Your Feed Wants You To Believe The Worst Of People

"The internet hides reality, but it amplifies the chaos." Why does your social media timeline always default to outrage, division, and toxicity? On this episode of Broken Traditions, Leron Gaskins (Big Ellie) exposes the psychological and corporate traps designed to warp how we view the world. Triggered by a recent family trip to a high school graduation on the south side of metro Atlanta—a school with a 90% Black student body—Leron contrasts the peaceful, high-class reality of the event with the chaotic viral moments our feeds have conditioned us to expect. Pulling back the curtain on the tech industry, Leron breaks down Negativity Bias—a primitive biological survival mechanism hardwired into our brains to look for danger. While our biology hasn't evolved to tell the difference between a real physical threat and a 60-second video looping on a smartphone, social media platforms ramp this glitch up a thousandfold for profit. Discover how modern algorithms turn toxic exceptions into cultural rules across all groups—from Black history to modern political wedges—and learn how to execute a 7-day digital audit to reclaim your sanity, your community, and your real-world relationships. 💎 JOIN THE COMMUNITY ON PATREON The Broken Traditions Podcast is community-powered. By joining our Patreon, you aren't just a listener—you're a partner. Get exclusive deep-dives, early episode access, and behind-the-scenes content. 🫶🏾 Support the mission: https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins [https://www.patreon.com/c/LeronGaskins] The Broken Traditions Podcast is the only space dedicated to exploring digital overconsumption through a Black perspective. We bridge the gap between tech habits and cultural traditions to help you live more intentionally. Affiliate Partners & Tools Bark: Comprehensive parental controls to monitor and manage your family's digital exposure to the "Three S's." https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page [https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page] Brick: A physical device that lets you "brick" your phone, removing addictive apps and helping you stay present. https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980 [https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980] STAY CONNECTED: 🌐 Website: http://brokentraditions.com [http://brokentraditions.com] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/broken_traditions/ [https://www.instagram.com/broken_traditions/] ✉️ Business Inquiries: leron@brokentraditions.com [leron@brokentraditions.com]