Shadow Banning Exposed: The Truth About Creator Suppression | Titus Ellis Smith DSH #1075

Summary

Digital Social Hour Summary: Shadow Banning Exposed with Titus Ellis Smith (DSH #1075)
Release Date: January 8, 2025
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Titus Ellis Smith

---

Introduction to Creator Suppression and Media Influence

In this episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly engages in a candid discussion with guest Titus Ellis Smith about the pervasive issue of shadow banning and the broader implications of media influence on creators and public opinion.

Key Points:

• Influence of Influencers on Political Perception: Titus highlights how prominent figures like Theo Vaughn and Elon Musk shifted their public personas to support Trump, altering public perception and diminishing the influence of legacy media.

  "Seeing all these people come out of the woodwork and really influence culture and say, hey, it's okay to like Trump... that really shifted a lot of people's minds."
  [00:50] Titus L. Smith

• Shift in Media Power Dynamics: The discussion touches on the decline of traditional media power as social media influencers gain more control over public narratives.

  "...legacy media lost. They don't have the power of the people. They have influence over us anymore."
  [00:58] Titus L. Smith

Election Insights and Community Reactions

Titus shares his experiences and sentiments surrounding the 2020 election, expressing confidence in Trump's victory influenced by social media leaders.

Key Points:

• Expectations vs. Reality: Despite initial nervousness due to the pandemic, Titus remained confident about Trump's prospects, akin to his feelings during the 2016 election.

  "...he's gonna win. I felt the exact same way I did in 2016."
  [01:40] Titus L. Smith

• Community Engagement: He recounts staying up until 4 AM on election night, reflecting the intense engagement and hope within their community.

  "I just feel like we got this. And then I stayed up the whole time. I was up till 4am."
  [02:00] Titus L. Smith

Critique of Debate Formats vs. Genuine Conversations

Titus advocates for meaningful dialogues over traditional debate formats, which he views as combative and unproductive.

Key Points:

• Debate Limitations: He criticizes debates for creating "gotcha moments" and fostering unnecessary conflict, hindering genuine understanding.

  "The premise of a debate is so convoluted with negative connotations now... You're just trying to win."
  [05:17] Titus L. Smith

• Preference for Conversations: Emphasizing the importance of understanding differing viewpoints through open discussions rather than adversarial debates.

  "Can we just talk about why you actually think this way... I just would want to understand how they come to that conclusion."
  [06:42] Titus L. Smith

Shadow Banning and Its Impact on Creators

A significant portion of the conversation delves into the mechanics and repercussions of shadow banning on platforms like X (formerly Twitter).

Key Points:

• Personal Experiences: Titus expresses frustration over the sudden disappearance of content and follower loss due to shadow banning.

  "They just hide you... your videos aren't showing up in my for you page."
  [08:10] Titus L. Smith

• Platform Policies: He discusses Elon Musk's policies that, while allowing diverse expressions, still permit censorship tactics that suppress certain creators.

  "...it’s all about do what you want to do unless you're breaking the law."
  [08:28] Titus L. Smith

• Community Backlash: The suppression leads to diminished trust and engagement from audiences, negatively affecting creators' reach and influence.

  "You lost your viewership because you were just inauthentic."
  [05:14] Titus L. Smith

Sexualization of Women in Media

Titus and his co-host Jordan tackle the troubling trend of sexualizing women in media, particularly concerning underage representations.

Key Points:

• Normalization of Explicit Content: They critique how modern media, including Disney productions, increasingly incorporate sexually explicit scenes, blurring ethical boundaries.

  "You can't turn on the TV show without seeing a porn scene... It's soft porn."
  [10:02] Titus L. Smith

• Psychological Impacts: The discussion highlights the adverse effects on both men and women, fostering unhealthy perceptions and objectification.

  "It's affecting the psychology of a lot of men and women probably, too."
  [10:51] Jordan or Xavier

• Exploitation Concerns: Titus condemns platforms like OnlyFans for enabling the exploitation of young women, emphasizing the moral decay driven by financial incentives.

  "...you can make millions of dollars from it. Sophie rain got like $43 million for like soft porn... it's so disgusting."
  [12:10] Titus L. Smith

Call to Action and Final Remarks

Towards the episode's conclusion, Titus urges creators to maintain authenticity and warns against monetizing intimate aspects of individuals' lives.

Key Points:

• Authenticity Over Profit: He emphasizes the importance of genuine interactions over financial gains derived from personal struggles.

  "You shouldn't be profiting off something so intimate... between two individuals."
  [09:50] Titus L. Smith

• Support Across Platforms: Titus shares his social media handles, encouraging listeners to engage with him across various platforms.

  "You can find me on all platforms. Titus L. Smith."
  [13:47] Titus L. Smith

Conclusion

In this episode, Digital Social Hour presents a thorough examination of shadow banning and its detrimental effects on creators. Titus Ellis Smith offers insightful critiques on the current state of media influence, the pitfalls of debate culture, and the rampant sexualization in modern media. His passionate discourse calls for more authentic conversations and ethical standards in content creation and platform management.

---

Notable Quotes:

• "Shadow banning just takes your videos down. They'll hide you and it's like, I know I don't just go viral insane amount and then just stop."
  [08:10] Titus L. Smith

• "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil... you're willing to do evil, immoral, corrupt things just for a bag."
  [12:57] Titus L. Smith

• "Debates are stupid to me because we're not actually getting anywhere. We're just getting gotcha moments and unnecessary anger."
  [07:56] Titus L. Smith

---

For more insights and discussions, visit Digital Social Hour on your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Libsyn Ads Host]

Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host. You seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements or run a pre produced ad like this one across thousands of shows to reach your target audience audience in their favorite podcasts with Libsyn ads go to Libsynads.com that's L I B S Y N ads.com today.

[Titus L. Smith]

And Theo Vaughn, like all these people just came out of the woodwork to even Elon Musk before, like now he's seen as a huge loyalist to Trump, but beforehand he wasn't as alt right, conservative guy. So seeing all these people come out of the woodwork and really influence culture and say, hey, it's okay to like Trump, I think that really shift a lot of people's minds. And we're like, well, maybe he's not as bad as the media saying and that like legacy media lost. They don't have the power of the people. They have influence over us anymore. So.

[Jordan or Xavier]

All right, Titus Smith is back. What's up, my brother?

[Titus L. Smith]

What's up? How you doing, man?

[Jordan or Xavier]

First AM fest for me.

[Titus L. Smith]

Oh, really? Yeah.

[Jordan or Xavier]

You're a vet in this space?

[Titus L. Smith]

Hell yeah. Well, I've been there a few years and I'm like, I still feel like the newbie because there's so many people that are friends and like have these long term connections and like, I just, I'm like, hey, yeah, it's been a.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Great event though, dude. Met some solid people.

[Titus L. Smith]

Oh, dude, it's awesome. There's so many great people, so many great speakers. It's just after the big win, it's like super exciting because it's like a party. They're just so excited because this could have been super sad or it could have been super exciting based off the results of November 5th.

[Jordan or Xavier]

So yeah, I think when you came on, it wasn't decided yet.

[Titus L. Smith]

Right. It was like, it was probably a few weeks or before. Yeah, yeah.

[Jordan or Xavier]

And then a landslide victory.

[Titus L. Smith]

Landslide.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Crazy.

[Titus L. Smith]

Were you shocked? Yes and no. I was. You know, because of 2020, everyone in this space was super like, what's going to happen? Obviously it was a different time the pandemic and everything. But, like, I was a little nervous, but then on a. I had. I was so confident because there were so many people that were not outspoken about Trump in the past that were, like, willing to, like, sacrifice their careers to promote. Like, we got Bryce Hall, Aiden Ross, Joe Rogan, Theo Vaughn. Like, all these people just came out of the woodwork to even Elon Musk before, like, now he's seen as a huge loyalist to Trump, but beforehand he wasn't an alt right conservative guy. So seeing all these people come out of the woodwork and really influence culture and say, hey, it's okay to like Trump, I think that really shift a lot of people's minds. And we're like, well, maybe he's not as bad as the media saying. And that, like, legacy media lost. They don't have the power of the people. They don't have influence over us anymore. So that really shifted it. So I wasn't that surprised. And on election night, I was sitting there and I was like, he's gonna win. I felt the exact same way I did in 2016. I was just like, with my friend Jordan and Xavier, a lot of influencers in Florida and we were just like, we got this. I just feel like we got this. And then I stayed up the whole time. I was up till 4am Oh, I was going to see the win. I was going to see it.

[Jordan or Xavier]

So, yeah, some of those states took forever to count.

[Titus L. Smith]

I know. Two weeks. I know it's still counting after. But they called it because it was overwhelming. But yeah, it was awesome.

[Jordan or Xavier]

They need to change that, though. That's annoying.

[Titus L. Smith]

I know, I know.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Next election, like, do you. Do you like the melons?

[Titus L. Smith]

No. No. Because I think anything. Things can happen within that. I mean, it is what it is. Like if you're like, serving or a war or something. Yeah.

[Jordan or Xavier]

I don't mean for those people.

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah, Yeah. I don't. I think if you're someone who's like, in. You're in your county, you're in your state, like, you're at home, go, going. Yeah. You shouldn't be able to. Just lazy. You can drive a couple minutes down the road and do it.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Yeah, we'll see what they do in 28. Yeah, we'll see who the Democrats nominate.

[Titus L. Smith]

Who do you.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Who do you predict?

[Titus L. Smith]

Gavin News scum.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Not aoc.

[Titus L. Smith]

No. No. Oh, it could be her too. Pretty privileged, like, might think that they might like her. Yeah. Anyways, she's hoping not.

[Jordan or Xavier]

She's not getting the same, like, attention she Used to get, though.

[Titus L. Smith]

No, people are people. She's, like, unhinged to people unhinged. And then it's funny. And then she has people like the view coming to her defense that it's not a good look.

[Jordan or Xavier]

It's not a good look.

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah. So, like, we have Sunny host in the same. Oh. Everyone's calling her this unhinged radical and all. She's for all these things that we disagree with. I'm like, yeah, exactly. We don't like that. So, yeah.

[Jordan or Xavier]

What do you think of Don Lemon leaving Twitter?

[Titus L. Smith]

Just like, okay, bro, you don't gotta announce your departure. Nobody cares. Nobody cares. Good riddance. You're annoying. He's just such a disingenuous communicator. I see him have conversations with people and always moving the goalposts and arguments, and he just doesn't seem like a genuine person. There's people on the left who I. Well, who I respect. Even if I disagree, I respect the fact that they're willing to have a conversation and have dialogue. And I really want to know how you feel about your positions and why you are there. And, like, even if we have opposing views, like, you just care about what you care about, just like we do. But you, like, don't think of me as a villain. You don't characterize me that way, and you just want to, like, see America become better. I have no issue with you being a leftist or a liberal with those opposing views. But when you're just hateful.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Yeah.

[Titus L. Smith]

Like, disingenuous. It's just annoying. And then, like I said, no one cares. Go, go, go, go. Leave. Leave Twitter. No one cares.

[Jordan or Xavier]

He's someone. I questioned their intentions.

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah.

[Jordan or Xavier]

You know, one of those people you can't really figure out. You're like, is someone funding this or something?

[Titus L. Smith]

Exactly. We just. On you, bro. You. You got fired from cnn, and all you're doing is propagating. And they're same talking points that got you fired. I mean, they get you fired, but they're still propagating that nonsense. But you are fired because people don't trust you. You're not. You lost your viewership because you were just inauthentic.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Yeah.

[Titus L. Smith]

So, yeah.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Would you debate Harry Sisson?

[Titus L. Smith]

I would have a conversation with Harry Sisson, yes. I don't like the. The premise of a debate is so, like, convoluted with negative connotations now. That's just like. You're just trying to win.

[Jordan or Xavier]

It's trying to get a gotcha moment.

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah. It's like, can we Just talk about why you actually think this way. I don't want to debate. I saw that you debate or had a conversation with him.

[Jordan or Xavier]

I don't do debates.

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah, I don't like that because it's just, it's too. I don't want to argue with you. I want to like really shout out.

[Prolon Sponsor]

To today's sponsor, Prolon, if starting the year with a fast feels a little daunting. You're not alone. There's an entire community of individuals who wanting to make a meaningful decision in their health. Just like you. This is what makes group fasting so powerful and why I'm joining in on Prolon's January Longevity Challenge, which is a coach led program to set you up for fasting success. Prolon's Fasting Mimicking diet is a revolutionary plant based nutrition program that nourishes the body while making cells believe their fasting. I got all five boxes here and I'm starting day one tomorrow. It's researched and developed for decades at USC's longevity institute and backed by leading US medical centers. It helps promote healthy blood sugar, enhanced skin appearance, fat loss and improved energy and focus. It all starts with their five day program which contains snacks, soups and beverages designed to keep the body in a fasting state. No guesswork or planning required, which is a relief after a busy holiday. If you guys are Ready to make 2025 your healthiest year yet, order your Prolon 5 Day Kit at prolonlife.com dsh and they're offering Digital Social Hour listeners 15% off their 5 Day Nutrition Program. Use the code [e-mail] dsh Age, understand.

[Titus L. Smith]

Why you think that way and a good faith conversation. Well, why do you think that it's okay for five year olds to begin to transition? Why do you think it's okay to like force us to pay for those transitions? Like explain to me how that's ethical. Explain to me how that's moral. Like these are issues, fundamental like psychological issues that people have and you're trying to say it's fine. Why are you saying that? Yeah, so, but I wouldn't be like you're this and this and this and like you know, try and get them in a gotcha movement. I just would want to understand how they come, how they come to that conclusion. Yeah, it's okay.

[Jordan or Xavier]

When I had David Pacman on, I was just trying to have a conversation but he wanted to debate me.

[Titus L. Smith]

They always want to debate. They want to make you look stupid, which is like shows you're not coming from a genuine place. You want to come in and make, like, make your side look like the intelligent side, like we're the smart ones. And it's like, who wins the debate does not mean who is right. It's all about who has is more well researched or at least can articulate what they've learned in a better way that, you know, translates to people 100%. It doesn't mean that you are your points are right. It just means you argue to them better. Yeah. And so like, that's why debate's stupid to me because we're not actually getting anywhere. We're just getting gotcha moments in unnecessary anger.

[Jordan or Xavier]

You could have a losing take, but if you're good at debating, like if you did debate team growing up, you can win with that take.

[Titus L. Smith]

Exactly.

[Jordan or Xavier]

So I agree with you.

[Titus L. Smith]

You can just move the goalpost. And like, people don't even realize that you like switched up what they were even trying to say. And because you're like, they're thinking they're in good faith and it's like, wait, hold on. No, no. And they kind of get like stuck. And so it's just. You're not. It's not helpful. It's not helpful. Yeah.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Are you excited to finally get rid of your shadow ban now?

[Titus L. Smith]

Dude, man, it's. It's crazy how they that happen, you know, like they just take videos down. They'll hide you and it's like, I know I don't just go viral insane amount and then just stop. The people don't just stop watching. And you have so many people. I was following you. And now I'm not. I was subscribed to you and now I'm not. Yeah, man. Why am I. Your videos weren't showing up in my, in my for you page. Your videos aren't showing up. And I'm like, yeah, I'm so excited for that. I'm so excited to see Trump like make sure that everyone's equally represented. That's what people love about X. It's like Elon Musk is like, you can say what you want if you're an extreme crazy leftist. And you can say, you can say what you want if you're extreme, crazy right. Alt rightist. And he, I mean, unfortunately he does allow porn on there, but it's still, it's a, it's a great. He allows them to do that. So yeah, it's all about do what you want to do unless you're breaking the law.

[Jordan or Xavier]

You got a lot of engagement on that.

[Titus L. Smith]

That Po, I saw some poor stars in your comment section. Well, if you have a problem, just say that. I'm like, it's not about having a problem. A lot of people have problems, and a lot of people struggle, and that doesn't need to be there. It's an intimate thing that people. There's between two individuals that doesn't need to be promoted for financial gain. And there's a lot of psychological issues that come with people that are addicted to that. The dopamine hit that you get from that is on parallel with, like, cocaine and, like, drugs. This is a legit problem, and they just kind of dismiss it. So. Oh, if you have a. Like, trying to, like. Like I said, trying to make people look bad and. And shame them. They're like, things that. It's like, no, this is a fundamentally wrong, and it shouldn't be done. You shouldn't be profiting off something so intimate. Yeah. Between two individuals. So I still stand by that.

[Jordan or Xavier]

They sexualize women in media, too.

[Titus L. Smith]

They do.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Like, on TV shows, movies.

[Titus L. Smith]

Oh, yeah, all the time.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Under 18, by the way.

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah. Really?

[Jordan or Xavier]

That's the creepy part. I mean, looking at all this Disney stuff, it's almost like these women are being groomed.

[Titus L. Smith]

Really? And it's. It's. Man, it's so frustrating to see, like, the way Holly and people are calling it out now. Yeah. It's like, what are you. Why are you doing? Why was it so normalized? Because in social, like, in the real world, it wasn't, like, crazy or it wasn't, like, done like that. Like, people weren't accepting insane, like, lifestyles and insane things, but because they are. Now that they're seeing the tv, you can notice it even more. It's like, oh, you're really propagating this terrible, disgusting, like, sexualization. You can't turn on the TV show without seeing a porn scene. Yeah, you can't. It's like soft porn. You understand? I'm like, I just wanted to watch a good story. Yeah. Why are you showing me that?

[Jordan or Xavier]

You can't go. Like, when I fly, I watch movies. You can't even pull up a movie without a porn scene.

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah. It's kind of awkward if it came out in 2018 or 2014 to now, it's just porn. Yeah. It's soft porn. I'm like, fast forward. But yeah.

[Jordan or Xavier]

It's affecting the psychology of a lot of men and women probably, too.

[Titus L. Smith]

But you think about the way that men, like, look at women. Like, women get some. Men are trash. Men only see us as Objects. It's like you present yourself as an object. Like, there's a reason why guys are more attracted to in the long. Because they don't. They don't understand the difference between I'm attracted to for it tonight and I'm attracted to you for life. Yeah. Like, if you're dressed super provocatively and you're a beautiful girl. Yeah, they're gonna be. You're gonna get the attention that you want. You're gonna get a guy that's gonna want to talk to you, but he would never want to marry you. He would never want to take you home to his mom. Like, they just. They just don't want to do that. But if you. If you get a girl who's like, covers herself up, is modest, you can look. Be fancy, or you can be fashionable and modest and look beautiful and show your shape even in a nice, you know, covering or covered up. Fit guys are going to be attracted and drawn to that because, like, they know, okay, this woman is mine. She's not for the streets, as people say. She's not for the world. She doesn't care to probably show her body off to look. And I don't do it for you. I do it for me. I was like, then take your picture at home on your camera roll and look at it whenever you want a confidence boost. You don't need to post it on the world. You don't need to go around the world and let everyone, like, see how big you are. It's like. Or how fit you are, whatever. So you know what you're doing. And that's just. The guys are going to treat it the way that they are. Like, you can. Yeah.

[Jordan or Xavier]

And you got a thousand guys about to sleep with Lily Phillips.

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah. That's just sad.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Like, why are you subjecting yourself for that?

[Titus L. Smith]

She looked broken, that video.

[Prolon Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah. And then she's, like, trying to play it off, like, oh, no, I'm fine. And I'm. I'm going to do a thousand now. And it's like, you. She's. She's like a clearly very disturbed woman. She's obviously had a lot of trauma in her life. The fact that her mom is, like, her manager or something is just so disheartening. Imagine raising a child, seeing them from infancy, seeing them in their toddler stage, seeing them so innocent and pure, and you're managing their porn, like, business. That is insane to me. You are not a good mother. That is demonic.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Where's the father?

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah, where's the dad?

[Jordan or Xavier]

Man, dad would not Allow that?

[Titus L. Smith]

No, absolutely not. And if you. Except for apparently that one Nala girl, Her dad. Her dad got money from her. Like he was a pastor. I'm like, that's what, that's what I heard.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Is that the redhead girl?

[Titus L. Smith]

Yeah. I heard that her dad was like a pastor and he was like, he said taking money from her and didn't mind her doing it because he was getting a. Take a good paid cut out of it, which just shows like the love of. I'm not opposed to money. I think having money is fine. Being a millionaire is fine. But the love of money is rooted of all kinds of evil. And that's so true because you see with all these things, whether it be pedophilia, trafficking, anything, people are willing to do immoral, evil things for profit. Onlyfans on a smaller scale. Immoral, Wrong. But you can make millions of dollars from it. Sophie rain got what, 40 million, 3. $43 million for like soft porn or like whatever she's doing. I don't know if she's actually revealing or not. She says she doesn't, but it's so disgusting. And it's like, really? People who do anything for money. And that's why it says it about the love of it not having money. But the love of it is the root of all kinds of evil. Because you're willing to do evil, immoral, corrupt things just for a bag. Absolutely.

[Jordan or Xavier]

It's messed up, man.

[Prolon Sponsor]

Where can people find you? And what do you got Coming up next?

[Titus L. Smith]

You can find me on all platforms. Titus L. Smith. It's literally the whole name. I don't know why I did the three name thing, but I just did and I'm sticking with it. So Titus L. Smith on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and yeah, you can find me there. Boom.

[Jordan or Xavier]

Check them out, guys. Peace, peace.