Can we reset the ragebait machine and how to get better rest

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of ragebait on social media and explores strategies to combat burnout.

Ten years ago, Facebook updated its platform to introduce new ways to interact with posts you see in your feed. Alongside a range of smiley face emojis sat a one-click shortcut to the most powerful emotion of all: anger. In the years since, it seems our online appetite for anger has only grown, with algorithms amplifying 60-second rants and spicy hot takes. Ed Coper, author of Angertainment, and Cheek Media founder Hannah Ferguson unpack whether there is an alternative to the ragebait economy. According to Beyond Blue, 1 in 2 Australians are facing burnout in the workplace. And we're so used to it we just accept this as a natural state of feeling awful all the time, feeling like there's never enough time to rest. Organisational psychologist Amantha Imber road tested strategies to fix her burnout without totally changing her life, with lessons for us all. Plus this week we Ask Aristotle to unpack the ethics of whistleblowing.

People in this episode

Guests: Ed Coper, Hannah Ferguson, Amantha Imber

Topics covered

• ragebait
• burnout
• social media
• ethics
• workplace
• rest

Keywords

• ragebait
• burnout
• social media
• anger
• rest
• ethics
• whistleblowing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Beyond Blue, Cheek Media, Facebook

More episodes of Life Matters - Full program podcast

• AI anxiety and fibbing about your religion for the greater good · June 11, 2026 · 53 min
• Dealing with anxiety after a health scare and chasing happiness · June 10, 2026 · 55 min
• Using maths to make the 'perfect' decision and why communities need trees and bookstores · June 9, 2026 · 54 min
• Our plastic shame and how to deal with dyslexia at work · June 8, 2026 · 54 min
• What Dr Billy Garvey wants you to know about raising boys and reflecting on Richard Scolyer's legacy · June 7, 2026 · 55 min
• Where looksmaxxing crosses the line and the guilt of pet regret · June 4, 2026 · 54 min