What happens when the very platforms meant to connect us instead manipulate us?
In this eye-opening conversation, Tim O’Hearn — former black-hat growth engineer, bestselling author of Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media — joins Mehmet to expose the hidden mechanisms behind social media addiction, fake engagement, and the dark psychology driving today’s online behavior.
Whether you’re a startup founder, tech leader, marketer, or a concerned user, this episode will shift the way you think about algorithms, content, and influence.
Key Takeaways
• Why all social platforms eventually get gamed — and why they let it happen at first.
• How social proof, dopamine loops, and algorithmic feedback traps rewire our behavior.
• The blurry line between black-hat marketing and everyday online tactics.
• How social media evolved from community to manipulation machine.
• Realistic strategies to protect yourself and your mental health online.
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What You Will Learn
✅ How black-hat tactics exposed deep weaknesses in major platforms
✅ Why being controversial now beats being authentic in the algorithm game
✅ How kids and adults alike are losing control to tech-designed addiction
✅ Why the future of the internet might feel “dead” unless something changes
✅ Practical tips for healthier digital habits
About Tim O’Hearn
Tim O'Hearn is a software engineer who created some of the most pesky and effective bots to ever be unleashed on social media. Between 2017 and 2022, his agency gained millions of followers for its clients while generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.
His February 2025 debut, Framed: A Villain's Perspective on Social Media, was a #1 New Release in "Social Aspects of the Internet" on Amazon. Framed is Tim's confrontation with the Internet Age delivered by a video game cheater who outgrew gaming but never stopped breaking the rules.
Tim has spent his career working in quantitative trading and has freelanced as a sports journalist.
The book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DW2X8YSK
Tim’s Website:
https://www.tjohearn.com/links
Episode Highlights & Timestamps
00:00 — Intro: Welcome and overview of today’s discussion
01:00 — Tim O’Hearn’s journey: from black-hat engineer to bestselling author
04:00 — Building bots that beat the system: Early vulnerabilities of Instagram
08:00 — The psychology of fake followers, likes, and social proof
11:00 — How AI is changing (and worsening) manipulation dynamics
14:00 — Growth hacks vs black-hat: where’s the line today?
18:00 — Is the algorithm pushing creators toward extremes?
22:00 — How the algorithm manipulates our emotions and behavior
27:00 — Who’s really to blame: us, the platforms, or someone else?
32:00 — Are kids the biggest victims of addictive tech?
36:00 — The lost magic of early internet communities
40:00 — Dead Internet Theory and the rise of AI-generated everything
45:00 — If we could redesign social media from scratch: what Tim would change
48:00 — Final thoughts: How to regain control in a hyper-digital world
The CTO Show with Mehmet Gonullu 