My guest today is Tim O’Hearn, author of Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media—a #1 Amazon Bestseller that breaks down how our feeds, notifications, and recommendations are engineered to manipulate us.

But Tim isn’t just an author. He’s spent 8+ years as a software engineer in quant finance, made over $500,000 through social media growth hacking, and literally built the systems that shape what you see online.

In this episode, we dig into:

• How Tim reverse-engineered platforms to gain followers and virality
• The rise of bots, shadowbanning, and black hat marketing
• What it’s like to design feeds and push notifications from the inside
• Why your attention is more valuable than your data
• The Dead Internet Theory and the eerie rise of AI-generated content
• How he transitioned from quant finance to gonzo tech critic

Whether you’re a builder, marketer, or just curious about what’s really driving your social feed, this conversation will open your eyes.

🔗 Connect with Tim O’Hearn:

📘 Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media → Buy on Amazon

🌐 Website → tjohearn.com

💼 LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/tohearn

🧠 Topics Covered:

• [00:00] Intro: The Villain in the Feed
• [06:17] How Tim Made $500K in the Attention Economy
• [12:45] Reverse-Engineering Social Algorithms
• [19:32] Shadowbans and the Weaponization of Moderation
• [27:10] The Psychology of Notifications
• [35:22] The Dead Internet Theory and AI Content
• [42:55] From Quant Finance to Gonzo Tech Critic
• [49:30] Fixing Social Media: Can It Be Saved?
• [57:03] What Tim’s Reading Now
• [1:05:45] Final Thoughts and Where to Follow