Self-driving cars are now logging millions of fully driverless miles, and the data say they are dramatically safer than human drivers. So why are we still accepting more than 1.3 million road deaths a year worldwide? In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we unpack the numbers, the psychology, and the politics behind autonomous vehicles.

Then we turn to the new map of American life online: Pew Research’s latest survey on where different ages, races, classes, and political groups actually spend their time on social media, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, X, Threads, Truth Social, and more.

Next, we examine how Big Tech is building its own media bubble: venture firms, CEOs, and platforms creating friendly podcasts, in-house journals, and AI tools that promote flattering narratives while bypassing independent journalists.

We also look at a thorny workplace case: a worker fired over an ICE joke in an office where edgy banter was the norm. Is it legal? Probably. Is it fair? That’s more complicated, and we break down what it means for your own career communication strategy.

Finally, we dive into sleep and performance: what a bad night does to your brain, why five hours of sleep is like being mildly drunk, and the most effective research-backed ways to rescue your day after terrible sleep, without sabotaging the next night.

Segments

• Self-driving cars as a public-health intervention

• The real social media map of America (Pew data)

• Big Tech’s “cheerleader media” and billionaire echo chambers

• Fired for a joke: navigating fairness and risk at work

• Rescuing your day after a bad night’s sleep

• Listener Q&A: Keeping online audiences engaged