{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"LevelUp Russellville","title":"The Anti-Social Media Movement: Taking Back Our Towns from Big Tech","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1759,"description":"In this raw, on-the-go episode recorded under a full Arkansas moon, I reflect on my journey away from big tech and toward something better for local communities.\nFour months ago, I sold my iPhone and switched to a device without social media apps. Six weeks later, I deleted my Meta account entirely—no more Facebook, no more Instagram. This from someone who built his business helping companies run Facebook ads.\nThe irony isn’t lost on me. But neither is the relief.\nIn this episode, I open up about:\n\nWhy I’ve grown to dislike companies like Facebook and Google (even while still using some of their products)\nThe moment I realized Facebook had “killed the follow”—how the algorithm replaced genuine connection with manufactured engagement\nMy recent discovery of a tea house in Booneville that’s been open for two years, and how it mirrors businesses in Russellville that have been around longer than I’ve been alive—yet people still don’t know they exist\nWhere everyone’s attention actually is (spoiler: we all know the answer)\nWhat my team and I have been building for the past two and a half years: Town Square, a platform designed to reconnect residents with their local anchors—businesses, churches, clubs, and organizations\nHow AI and modern development tools are finally making it possible to build what seemed impossible before\nThe “neighbor” system: turning everyone into local journalists, content creators, and authentic influencers\nInteractive experiences and gamification that incentivize people to engage with their actual community instead of doom-scrolling\nWhy this isn’t about competing with Facebook or Google—it’s about going deeper than either could ever go on a single community\n\nThis episode is about reclaiming attention from the platforms that siphon it, and redirecting it toward the places and people that actually matter.\n\nKey Quotes\n\n“The platforms are free because you are the product. Advertisers are the customers. Your attention is the commodity being bought and...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/RpG-VgjTWIKJ5WSvdHaQobYf42mOUkT_OSKe2j-YNuU/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kMzgz/YTcwOWI0MTkwY2Fi/MDNkMjY0NTkxMWNh/MTI5NC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}