episode-header-image

Jul 2021

28m 1s

Inside the world of internet pickup arti...

About this episode

An investigation by The Sunday Times has uncovered a dangerous network of pickup artists who profess to know how to coach other men to improve their sexual prowess. How does this website operate and what does it offer its users?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.

Guest: Shanti Das, News and features journalist for The Sunday Times.

Host: David Aaronovitch.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next

Porn, strangulation and the law

<p>A recent survey revealed that more than half of 16 to 34-year-olds have taken part in strangulation during sex, despite the risks of a loss of consciousness and stroke. Many feel a rise in choking in pornography is to blame, a practice the UK government is set to ban. Baroness ... Show More

Is the trad wife dream ending in divorce? - the Sunday Story

<p>Across the Deep South, women raised to believe marriage was their destiny are now walking out, challenging the religious, cultural and political pressures that have shaped their lives. Meanwhile, the booming 'trad wife' movement, championed by conservative powerhouses like the ... Show More

The world's first AI actress and 'her' creator - the Saturday Story

<p>Tilly Norwood, the world's first 'AI actress' has rocked Hollywood, sparking union protests and denounced by actors such as Whoopi Goldberg, George Clooney and Emily Blunt. For some she's a threat to the artform, for others an inevitability. She'll never forget her lines, turn ... Show More

Recommended Episodes

Introducing The Headlines: May 22

<p>Our new show brings you the biggest stories in about 10 minutes. It's the complement to The Daily you’ve been waiting for. </p><p><strong>This episode includes: </strong></p><ul><li><strong>A Group of 7 Summit Wrap-Up</strong>, <i>with our chief White House correspondent, Pete ... Show More

Swat off the press: Meta v Canada’s news ploy

<p>A bid to squeeze money from social-media platforms that link to news content has backfired: what was intended to help publishers is instead <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/05/16/canadas-law-to-help-news-outlets-is-harming-them-instead?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medi ... Show More

The Headlines: May 24

<p>Our new show brings you the biggest stories in about 10 minutes. It's the complement to The Daily you’ve been waiting for. </p><p>This episode includes: </p><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/22/us/uvalde-shooting-anniversary-families-guns.html">A Year After a Sc ... Show More

The Real Housewives of Today, Explained

Taking cues from striking actors and writers, reality TV stars are lobbying for better treatment from networks like Bravo and Netflix. This episode was produced by Siona Peterous and Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by David Herman a ... Show More

The Intelligence: No water, no lights, no beds

<p>Hardened war-zone doctors say the situation in Gaza is the worst they have witnessed—and that will cost lives long after the current conflict is resolved. Numbers from America’s tight labour market suggest that long-standing gaps between black and white workers <a href="https: ... Show More

Huffington Post Media Founder Arianna Huffington Talks Generative AI

Huffington Post Media Founder Arianna Huffington discusses how Thrive is working to bring generative AI into daily behaviors with Bloomberg's Caroline Hyde.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Intelligence: Ukraine’s war, two years on

In this roundtable discussion our editors examine how the past year has progressed, discuss how things may go over the next year and consider a few fundamentally positive truths about the whole conflict. Meanwhile our senior producer travels through Ukraine, getting a measure of ... Show More

The Fani Willis testimony.

<p><em>The Fani Willis testimony. On Thursday, the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney took the stand in dramatic fashion. Willis is fighting the claim that a relationship between her and private attorney Nathan Wade should disqualify her and her team from carrying on with ... Show More

The Mend is Nigh: Hannah Ritchie on How to Build a Sustainable Planet

Hannah Ritchie is the influential data scientist and researcher whose new book adds a rare glimpse of optimism to the conversation surrounding the future health of the climate. Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet asks us to l ... Show More

Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami