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MAD Warfare Podcast

MAD Warfare Podcast

By: STP Productions
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MAD Warfare™️ is a science-driven deep dive into the wild, weird, and sometimes wicked world of the "weaponization of everything." But don't worry—IT WILL BE FUN. Think of it as your covert ops manual for spotting how cyber hackers, rogue AI agents, and shady "bad actors" (who'd be terrible in a buddy comedy) are messing with our minds. Often in ways that evade detection… until it's too late. With expert interviews from unexpected places and plenty of offbeat insights, this podcast reveals the hidden battleground of everyday life. Each episode is a call to action: for those in power to step up—and for the rest of us to gear up, because we might be all we've got. (Also, may feature puppets.)All Rights Reserved Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Digital Coup w Darin Johnson

    Digital Coup w Darin Johnson
    May 18 2026

    🎙️ Get the ad-free version and exclusive bonus segments here:
    / madwarfare

    Remember when the internet was fun? Cat memes. Flash games. "All Your Base Are Belong to Us."

    Now it's AI slop, rage bait, troll farms, and foreign influence campaigns studying your uncle's Facebook habits like it's a military operation.

    Because… sometimes it is.

    In this episode, we talk with Darren Linvill Johnson — international lawyer, Howard University professor, and former Pentagon, White House, and State Department national security official — about how social media became a battlefield for democracy itself.

    We get into Russia's long game, the rise of disinformation economies, AI-generated propaganda, influencer manipulation, troll farms, algorithmic warfare, and why America's openness may also be its biggest vulnerability.


    We also talk about:
    • why authoritarian governments study America's social fractures like a playbook
    • how digital psyops exploit race, fear, identity, and outrage
    • the terrifying rise of "bots pretending to be people pretending to care"
    • why diversity and media literacy may actually be national security tools
    • the future of AI-generated influence campaigns
    • what ordinary people can realistically do right now

    If you've ever wondered why the internet suddenly feels like a casino designed by Machiavelli, this one's for you.

    Darin Johnson website:

    https://www.darin-johnson.com/

    ⸻

    Timestamps (approx)
    • 00:00 Remember when the internet was fun?
    • 01:00 Meet Darren Johnson + what "digital coup" actually means
    • 04:30 Russia's long-term strategy to divide democracies
    • 08:30 The shock of realizing fake accounts felt real
    • 11:00 Why social media is now a battlespace
    • 16:00 Diversity, democracy, and national security
    • 20:00 Why suppressing hard conversations makes democracies weaker
    • 27:00 The rise of the digital coup gig economy
    • 29:00 AI propaganda, fake humans, and synthetic influence
    • 33:00 Why people are shocked by how widespread this has become
    • 38:00 "Freedom of speech for who?" — bots, AI, and authenticity
    • 44:00 Should the internet require identity verification?
    • 47:00 Practical things people can do right now
    • 49:00 Where Darren finds hope

    ⸻

    Mentioned Topics / Concepts
    • Digital Coup
    • Russian disinformation campaigns
    • Troll farms and influence operations
    • Generative AI propaganda
    • Deepfakes and synthetic identities
    • Media literacy
    • Cognitive warfare
    • Psychological operations (PSYOPs)
    • EU Digital Services Act
    • Arab Spring and anonymous organizing
    • Ukraine and Taiwan's anti-disinformation ecosystems

    ⸻

    Want To Support MAD?

    Sponsor us.
    We'll make you a weird, wonderful custom video.

    Email: madwarfarepodcast@gmail.com

    (Or send snacks. Still counts.)

    ⸻

    MAD Warfare™ is hosted by narrative strategist Jocelyn Brady and cognitive neuroscientist Sean Anthony Guillory.
    Edited and produced by Amine el Filali.

    Visit madwarfare.com for extra giggles.
    Send dream guests, weird ideas, wishes, and sponsorship inquiries (yes, again) to madwarfarepodcast@gmail.com.

    ⸻

    Fair Use

    This show is MAD enough to include homages, short clips, and references that provide vital context and/or moments of joy. We deeply respect every creator's work and use these moments for educational, artistic, and transformative purposes under Fair Use. If we missed an attribution or you'd like to collaborate, reach out—we're happy to chat.
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • The War on Curiosity

    The War on Curiosity
    Apr 27 2026
    🎙️ Get the ad-free version and exclusive bonus segments here: / madwarfare What if thinking like a scientist is actually a form of self-defense? In this episode, we talk with Sophie Shrand — science educator, comedian, actor, founder of Science With Sophie, and executive producer at Cool Jacket Productions — about why curiosity, comedy, and critical thinking might be some of the best tools we have for surviving the information hellscape. We get into science as discovery, why adults get weird about "not knowing," how comedy helps us lower our defenses, and why asking better questions is a threat to people trying to manipulate what we believe. Sophie also breaks down the psychology of scams, phishing, AI voice fakes, cognitive de-skilling, science funding, bias, ego, Star Trek, and why joy is not a distraction from serious problems — it may be how we keep enough hope to solve them. If you've ever wondered why science became a swear word in some corners of the internet — or how to protect your brain from scams, certainty, and AI slop — this one's for you. ⸻ Science With Sophie https://www.sciencewithsophie.com/ Cool Jacket Productions https://www.cooljacketproductions.com/ Science With Sophie YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@sciencewithsophie Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithsophie/ ⸻ Timestamps (approx) • 00:00 Why science makes propagandists nervous • 01:00 Meet Sophie Shrand: science, comedy, brains, and big Frizzle energy • 02:00 The "Ms. Frizzle problem" and why representation in STEM still matters • 04:00 Why adults say "I'm not a science person" • 06:00 Curiosity, humility, and remembering how to learn • 07:00 Comedy, science, and why asking questions is the whole game • 09:00 Punching up, punching down, and comedy that doesn't punch at all • 12:00 Laughter, safety, oxytocin, and shared human ridiculousness • 14:00 What happens if we lose science and comedy? • 15:00 Sean's rat-tickling research side quest • 16:00 Science funding, whack-a-mole creators, and hope on the internet • 19:00 Bias, branded science, supplements, and who pays for "truth" • 20:00 Sophie's electric road trip and the search for climate hope • 22:00 Science, politics, and the myth of pure objectivity • 25:00 Semmelweis, handwashing, ego, and the politics of being right too early • 30:00 Why being wrong is how we learn • 31:00 Rock climbing, improv, and practicing humility • 33:00 How to become a better science communicator • 37:00 AI, writing, and the danger of outsourcing your brain • 39:00 Cognitive de-skilling and why "faster" is not always better • 43:00 The IKEA effect, effort, and why work matters • 47:00 Cybersecurity training, phishing, and scams that prey on your emotions • 49:00 Job scams, AI voice clones, and psychological manipulation • 51:00 When the "AI scam" is actually real • 53:00 Star Trek, dark futures, and why hope still matters • 56:00 Meeting people in real life and discovering we're less divided than we think • 58:00 Where to find Sophie • 59:00 End ⸻ Mentioned / Themes • Science as self-defense • Critical thinking • Science communication • Comedy as connection • Punching up vs. punching down • Curiosity and humility • Bias in science • Science funding • The Semmelweis effect • Ego and being wrong • Improv as brain training • AI and cognitive de-skilling • Human creativity • Cybersecurity training • Phishing scams • Social engineering • Deepfakes and voice cloning • Emotional manipulation • Climate hope • Star Trek futures • Community, libraries, clubs, and real-life connection • Science With Sophie • Cool Jacket Productions ⸻ Want To Support MAD? Sponsor us. We'll make you a weird, wonderful custom video. Email: madwarfarepodcast@gmail.com (Or send snacks. Still counts.) ⸻ MAD Warfare™ is hosted by narrative strategist Jocelyn Brady and cognitive neuroscientist Sean Anthony Guillory. Edited and produced by Amine el Filali. Visit madwarfare.com for extra giggles. Send dream guests, weird ideas, wishes, and sponsorship inquiries — yes, again — to madwarfarepodcast@gmail.com. ⸻ Fair Use This show is MAD enough to include homages, short clips, and references that provide vital context and/or moments of joy. We deeply respect every creator's work and use these moments for educational, artistic, and transformative purposes under Fair Use. If we missed an attribution or you'd like to collaborate, reach out—we're happy to chat.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Celebrity Monsters w Scott Bonn

    Celebrity Monsters w Scott Bonn
    Apr 13 2026

    🎙️ Get the ad-free version and exclusive bonus segments here:
    / https://www.patreon.com/c/MADWarfare

    We turned serial killers into celebrities.
    Then we made documentaries about them.
    Then we watched them… to relax.

    Cool cool cool.

    But why do we binge murder before bed?

    In this episode of Mad Warfare, we sit down with criminologist Dr. Scott Bonn to unpack our collective obsession with true crime—and what it reveals about how attention, fear, and storytelling really work.

    From Jack the Ripper to Netflix-era "celebrity monsters," we break down how killers become brands… and why they keep winning the attention economy.

    ⸻

    IG: (@docbonn25)
    Website: https://www.docbonn.com/

    ⸻

    Want To Support MAD?

    Sponsor us.
    We'll make you a weird, wonderful custom video.

    Email: madwarfarepodcast@gmail.com

    (Or send snacks. Still counts.)

    ⸻

    MAD Warfare™ is hosted by Jocelyn Brady and Sean Anthony Guillory.
    Edited and produced by Amine el Filali.

    Visit madwarfare.com for more.
    Send dream guests, wild ideas, and sponsorship inquiries (yes, again) to madwarfarepodcast@gmail.com

    ⸻

    Fair Use

    This show includes short clips and references used for commentary, education, and transformation under Fair Use.
    If we missed attribution or you'd like to collaborate, reach out—we're happy to chat.
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
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