Seriously Sus

Send Us Your Side Eye

Comment sections have become their own form of entertainment—but why?

In this episode, Nanette and Miranda look at the psychology behind online behavior: why people say things online they'd never say face-to-face, how group identity can turn disagreement into “us vs. them,” why people pile onto an existing criticism, and how social feedback can reinforce outrage.

Then we turn the question around.

Why do so many of us skip straight to the comments? Why are we fascinated by strangers arguing? Why do we look for validation, context, information, or simply the funniest person in the thread?

The answer is more complicated—and more human—than “people are just awful online.”

Online environments can change the social cues, group dynamics, and feedback people experience. And sometimes the person creating the spectacle and the person watching it are the same person.

Yes.  We're all a little Sus.

Seriously Sus is hosted by Nanette and Miranda, who dig into crime, trends cultural drama, internet chaos, social behavior, and the questionable things humans do when nobody is watching.

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Research & Sources

• John Suler — “The Online Disinhibition Effect” (2004)  The Online Disinhibition Effect — SAGE Journals
• Postmes & Spears — “Deindividuation and Antinormative Behavior: A Meta-Analysis” (1998) Deindividuation and Antinormative Behavior — University of Groningen
• Brady et al. — “Emotion Shapes the Diffusion of Moralized Content in Social Networks” (PNAS, 2017) Emotion Shapes the Diffusion of Moralized Content in Social Networks — PNAS
• Crockett et al. — “How Social Learning Amplifies Moral Outrage Expression in Online Social Networks” (Science Advances, 2021) How Social Learning Amplifies Moral Outrage Expression in Online Social Networks — PMC
• Ahn, Lelkes & Levendusky — “Sanctioning Political Speech on Social Media Is Driven by Partisan Norms and Identity Signaling” (PNAS Nexus, 2024) Sanctioning Political Speech on Social Media — PNAS Nexus
• Grubbs et al. — “Moral Grandstanding in Public Discourse” (PLOS ONE, 2019)Moral Grandstanding in Public Discourse — PLOS ONE
• Khan — “Social Media Engagement: What Motivates User Participation and Consumption on YouTube?” (Computers in Human Behavior, 2017) Social Media Engagement: What Motivates User Participation and Consumption on YouTube? — ScienceDirect

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Send Us Your Side Eye

Why did you post that???

Seriously. You filmed it. You watched it back. You edited it. You added music. You wrote a caption. And then, somehow, you still thought, "Yep. This should go on the internet."

Welcome to The Internet's Greatest Crimes Against Common Sense.

People have always made questionable decisions. The internet just gave those decisions an audience, a comment section, a reward system, and absolutely no guarantee that anyone will be around to say, "Maybe don't."

In this episode, Nanette and Miranda explore the strange ways the internet can mess with our judgment:

• Why people behave differently online than they do face-to-face
• How social media collapses audiences that would normally stay separate
• Why "my people" might actually include your boss, your mother, and 40,000 strangers
• How likes, views and engagement can reward increasingly questionable behavior
• Why rage bait works—even when we're convinced we're punishing the person who posted it
• How three million views can somehow start feeling like a credential
• Why a screenshot can feel like evidence even when it's just... a screenshot
• How repeating something can make it feel more true
• Why online communities can make incredibly niche behavior seem completely normal
• And what happens when the internet remembers something you desperately wish it would forget

We'll talk TikTok challenges, dangerous social-media behavior, fake screenshots, rage bait, van life, BookTok, online communities, social proof and the psychology behind our increasingly questionable digital decisions.

Because maybe the internet didn't kill common sense.

Maybe it just changed the environment in which we use it.

And sometimes the most important question you can ask before doing something online is incredibly simple:

"And then what?"

What's the greatest crime against common sense you've ever seen online?

Tell us in the comments. We want the weird, the absurd, the baffling and the "you had SO many opportunities to reconsider this" moments.

If you enjoy Seriously Sus, like, follow, subscribe and share the episode with someone who needs to ask themselves "And then what?" a little more often.

We're an independent podcast, and every share, comment, review and new listener genuinely helps us keep making the show.

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• Got thoughts, questions, or stories? DM us or email [email protected] 
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Send Us Your Side Eye

You'd never fall for a scam. You're too smart. Too skeptical. You'd spot the red flags immediately.

Right?

Then how do otherwise intelligent, capable people end up sending strangers millions of dollars, falling in love with people who don't exist, paying fake fees to collect prizes they never won, or buying gold bars because someone told them their computer had been hacked?

How did they fall for that?

That's the question Miranda and Nanette are digging into in this episode of Seriously Sus.

We're not just talking about scams. We're talking about what happens inside the human brain that makes a scam feel believable in the moment.

Along the way, we're getting into urgency, authority, fear, hope, attachment, confirmation bias, sunk costs, overconfidence, shame—and the bizarre ways our brains try to protect us from admitting we've made a mistake.

Come for the outrageous stories. Stay for the uncomfortable realization that the person most capable of being manipulated by a scammer might not be some gullible stranger.

It might be you.

Seriously Sus is hosted by Miranda and Nanette, exploring crime trends, internet chaos, cultural nonsense, questionable human behavior, and all the things that make us stop and go...Seriously?

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Send Us Your Side Eye

What if your attention is one of the most valuable resources in the world... and you've been giving it away for free?

Every day, thousands of companies, creators, apps, and advertisers compete for one thing: your attention. But how did we get here? When did "just checking your phone" become part of a trillion-dollar economy? And why does everything—from streaming services and social media to news alerts and loyalty programs—seem determined to keep you coming back for "just one more"?

In this episode of Seriously Sus, Nanette and Miranda investigate the attention economy: how attention became a commodity, why businesses measure and compete for it, how urgency and FOMO became profitable, why "free" isn't always free, and what all of this means for the choices we make every day.

This isn't an episode about deleting your social media or throwing your phone into a lake. It's about understanding the invisible marketplace we're all participating in—and why recognizing it might be the most powerful thing you can do.

Because once you understand what your attention is worth, you may never look at a notification the same way again.

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Send Us Your Side Eye

Apparently we all have shorter attention spans than goldfish.

Which is awkward...

...because it's not actually true.

So why does it feel like you can't finish a chapter of a book anymore, but somehow you can watch six straight episodes of The Bear without moving?

Why do you walk into a room and immediately forget why you're there?

And why is your brain suddenly convinced checking your phone is an emergency when absolutely nothing happened?

This week, Nanette and Miranda investigate one of the internet's favorite claims and discover that psychologists don't even agree on what an "attention span" is.

Along the way, they uncover why multitasking is mostly a myth, why boredom might actually be doing your brain a favor, why poor goldfish deserve a better publicist, and why your best ideas always seem to show up in the shower.

Spoiler alert: Your brain probably isn't broken.

It's just dealing with a lot.

So grab your phone...

Actually, maybe don't.

Let's investigate.

Warning: Side effects of listening may include:

• Looking suspiciously at your phone.

• Wondering why you're in the kitchen.

• Feeling unexpectedly sympathetic toward goldfish.

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Send Us Your Side Eye

Everyone online seems to have discovered the secret to success.

Make six figures working two hours a day. Build passive income while you sleep. Escape the rat race. Become your own boss. Retire early. And if you act fast, they'll teach you exactly how they did it... for just $997.

But here's the question we couldn't stop asking:

If these methods really work, why are so many people making their money teaching other people how to do them instead of actually doing them?

In this episode of Seriously Sus, Nanette and Miranda dive into the strange world of internet gurus, business coaches, side hustles, passive income, and the growing industry built around selling the dream of financial freedom.

This isn't an episode about calling every coach or course a scam. Many are legitimate and genuinely helpful. Instead, we're exploring the incentives behind the modern creator economy, why confidence so often gets mistaken for expertise, and how social media has blurred the line between education, marketing, inspiration, and manipulation.

Along the way, we examine:

• Why luxury lifestyles have become marketing tools
• How social proof influences our decisions
• The psychology behind "limited-time" offers and guru culture
• Why attention has become one of the world's most valuable currencies
• The red flags that separate real expertise from performative success

Because in an economy where everyone is selling the secret to getting rich...

Who is actually getting rich?

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Send Us Your Side Eye

Sharks kill about five people a year. Humans kill around 100 million sharks. So... who should we actually be afraid of?

This Shark Week, we're diving beneath the sensational headlines to investigate one of the biggest PR disasters in history: sharks.

In this episode of Seriously Sus, we unpack Florida's controversial shark diving ban, the surprising science behind shark behavior, and how a single Hollywood blockbuster turned one of the ocean's most important predators into history's most misunderstood villain. Along the way, Miranda shares what it was really like swimming with bull sharks, we expose how movies, Shark Week, social media, and clickbait keep fueling our fear, and ask whether the real threat has been misinformation all along.

If you've ever been terrified by Jaws, binged Shark Week, or wondered why every shark sighting becomes breaking news, this episode might completely change the way you see the ocean.

In this episode, we discuss:
🦈 Florida's controversial shark diving ban
🦈 Why shark attacks are far rarer than you think
🦈 The surprising science behind shark behavior
🦈 How Jaws permanently changed public perception
🦈 Shark Week's complicated relationship with fear and conservation
🦈 How TikTok, YouTube, and social media amplify shark panic
🦈 Why sharks are critical to healthy oceans—and why humans pose the greatest threat to them
🦈 Our new game: Shark or Human: Who Did the Crime?

Expect plenty of sarcasm, questionable Florida decisions, movie myths, internet nonsense, and enough shark facts to make you rethink everything you thought you knew.

Because sometimes the most dangerous predator isn't swimming beneath the surface...

...it's writing the headlines.

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Send Us Your Side Eye

Everybody blames "the algorithm."

Your post flopped? The algorithm.
Your favorite creator disappeared? The algorithm.
Three hours vanished while watching pressure washing videos? Also...the algorithm.

But what is the algorithm, really?

In this episode of Seriously Sus, Nanette and Miranda pull back the curtain on one of the internet's biggest mysteries. Together they separate myth from reality, explore how recommendation systems actually work, why everyone's social media feed is different, and whether platforms are really manipulating us—or simply learning from our behavior.

Along the way, they tackle some of the internet's biggest questions:

• Is your phone really listening to your conversations?
• Why do outrage and controversy seem to spread so easily?
• How does something actually go viral?
• Is shadow banning real?
• Can anyone really "beat the algorithm?"
• And if algorithms are learning from us...what exactly are we teaching them?

By the end of the episode, you may never hear someone say "the algorithm hates me" the same way again.

Because the truth is both less mysterious...and a lot more unsettling.

In this episode:

• What an algorithm actually is
• Why every social media feed is different
• Recommendation systems explained
• Personalization and filter bubbles
• Why outrage grabs attention
• How viral content spreads
• The myths behind shadow banning
• Why every click teaches the algorithm something

For complete show notes, please visit https://seriouslysus.com/podcast/the-algorithm-unveiled/

Seriously Sus Challenge

For the next week, pay attention to what you pause on, what you share, and what you watch all the way through. Then ask yourself: Am I training my feed to show me more of what I truly value—or just more of what grabs my attention?

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Send Us Your Side Eye

The internet didn't invent Main Character Syndrome—it rewarded it.

In this episode of Seriously Sus, Nanette and Miranda explore the rise of influencer entitlement, gym "main characters," public nuisance creators, prank culture, livestream chaos, and the growing number of people who seem convinced the rest of humanity exists solely to support their content.

Why do some influencers expect free products, special treatment, and exceptions to the rules?

Why are strangers increasingly treated like props?

Why does social media reward behavior that would normally get someone kicked out of a restaurant, a gym, or a family gathering?

And perhaps most importantly:

Who told these people they were special?

Join us as we examine the psychology, incentives, and attention economy behind one of the internet's most exhausting trends.

View show notes: 

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Send Us Your Side Eye

Remember when we thought the Cinnamon Challenge was peak internet stupidity?

Those were simpler times.

In this episode of Seriously Sus, Nanette and Miranda dive into the social media trends that made millions of people ask, "What could possibly go wrong?"—and then immediately find out.

From the Cinnamon Challenge and Tide Pods to Devious Licks, the Kia Boys, the Milk Crate Challenge, NyQuil Chicken, and the challenges that turned deadly, we're exploring what happens when attention becomes more valuable than common sense.

Along the way, we'll examine:

• How social media rewards risky behavior
• Why people keep chasing viral fame
• The trend that helped fuel a nationwide car theft epidemic
• The challenge that made schools lose actual sinks
• Why gravity remains undefeated
• The internet's most questionable culinary experiment
• The real-world injuries, arrests, lawsuits, and consequences behind the clicks

We'll also track our official Internet Was a Mistake Meter™, introduce the Judge Judy Scale™, and attempt the impossible in a special edition of TikTok PR Team.

Somewhere between the emergency room visits, criminal charges, and pharmaceutical poultry, one question remains:

Is social media making people less cautious—or is it simply broadcasting bad decisions faster than ever before?

🎧 Listen now and vote for your pick for Most Embarrassing Moment for Humanity.

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• Follow us on social: @SeriouslySusPodcast
• Got thoughts, questions, or stories? DM us or email [email protected] 
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• Leave us a review your side-eye and sus

Like this episode, follow Seriously Sus,  and share with friends.