Helen Lewis delves into the strange and fascinating world of internet gurus - BBC

Helen Lewis

Whether it's wellness influencers, Bitcoin evangelists oregon the self-styled 'anti woke' warriors, today's net gurus person tremendous powerfulness to signifier our shared culture, whether we cognize their names oregon not."

Almost everyplace connected the internet, radical are giving - and receiving - advice. Advice that promises to alteration our lives. How to eat. How to think. How to get rich. How to get a date. But who are these self-appointed gurus? Where did they travel from, and however overmuch powerfulness bash these charismatic individuals wield?

Across 8 episodes, Helen Lewis travels done the often unusual and sometimes hidden integer spaces created by these caller icons. She asks if Steve Jobs, the antheral who gave the satellite the iPhone, besides gave commencement to the conception of the net guru. Her travel leads her to a assortment of integer worlds: from Jordan Peterson to Russell Brand, who person millions of followers worldwide, to the murky satellite of prime up artistry and the gamification of romanticist encounters.

Over the people of The New Gurus, Helen questions wherefore truthful galore of america person turned distant from mainstream medicine, mainstream authorities and the mainstream media to clasp the powerfulness of charismatic individuals instead. From productivity hackers to dating coaches, from crypto bros to wellness influencers, erstwhile did the net get taken implicit by gurus? And has the diminution successful organised religion and assemblage near a void that these caller net gurus are capable to fill?

Helen Lewis says: "I've been fascinated by net civilization since my teens, and however big, dynamic, influential communities tin beryllium which are often invisible to outsiders. Whether it's wellness influencers, Bitcoin evangelists oregon the self-styled 'anti woke' warriors, today's net gurus person tremendous powerfulness to signifier our shared culture, whether we cognize their names oregon not.

"With this series, the BBC has fixed maine the accidental to spell spelunking done immoderate of the astir absorbing corners of the internet. There is simply a immense marketplace online for spiritual, ethical and applicable guidance, and truthful sorting the omniscient teachers from the mendacious prophets is 1 of the biggest challenges of the modern world."

Daniel Clarke, Commissioning Editor for Factual astatine BBC Radio 4, says: “The net has helped to make a guru for everything, and much of america than ever earlier look to beryllium going online to find the idiosyncratic to hole our problems. In The New Gurus, the superb Helen Lewis takes Radio 4 listeners connected a travel into immoderate of the astir absorbing pockets of the integer world, to effort and recognize the entreaty – and, sometimes, to emblem up the dangers - of the charismatic individuals who connection a beingness way for their devoted online followings. Over 8 episodes she provides a almighty penetration into what this says astir america arsenic a society.”

The New Gurus (8x30’) is simply a caller bid by Helen Lewis, whose different Radio 4 programmes see Great Wives and The Church Of Social Justice. It is simply a Tempo & Talker accumulation for BBC Radio 4. The bid producers are Tom Pooley and Morgan Childs. The exertion is Craig Templeton Smith. It was commissioned for Radio 4 by Daniel Clarke.

The New Gurus volition broadcast weekdays connected Radio 4 from Monday 19 December astatine 12pm, and it volition beryllium disposable connected BBC Sounds.

JH