The Psychology of Pile Ons. Uncut with Clare Stephens episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 21, 2025 · 47 MIN

The Psychology of Pile Ons. Uncut with Clare Stephens

from Life Uncut · host LiSTNR

Clare Stephens is a writer, screenwriter, editor and podcaster. She’s the former editor-in-chief at Mamamia and host of the podcasts Cancelled and But, Are You Happy? Clare also worked as a writer and producer on the Binge series Strife starring Asher Keddie and is about to publish her first novel, The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done! It tells the story of Ruby Williams, a young woman working in digital media who publishes an article that sees her at the bottom of an online pile-on. More broadly, it’s about shame - the way it never truly leaves you, and how we bury it. Clare is here to speak about the psychology of pile ons, cancel culture, what type of people handle being cancelled better than others and the media narratives surrounding public shaming!Today we speak about: Why Clare chose to go out on her own after almost a decade at Mamamia Public shame and ‘metacognition’  How the psychology of online debates and conversations is different to in person How it feels to be at the bottom of a pile on How and why some influencers cause pile ons of other people and use outrage to grow their own platforms There’s no good response to a pile on; silence is interpreted as guilt, speaking back causes more headlines and fuel on the fire What makes someone more likely to be cancelled?   You can pre-order The Worst Thing I've Ever Done (out September 30) here. Follow Clare on Instagram  Subscribe to Clare’s substack  You can watch us on Youtube Find us on Instagram Join us on tiktok Or join the Facebook Discussion Group Tell your mum, tell your dad, tell your dog, tell your friend and share the love because WE LOVE LOVE! XxSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 21, 2025

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

The Psychology of Pile Ons. Uncut with Clare Stephens

0:00 47:12

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Life Uncut?

This episode is 47 minutes long.

When was this Life Uncut episode published?

This episode was published on August 21, 2025.

Can I download this Life Uncut episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!