The only podcast exploring digital incarceration and wellness through a Black perspective.
Hosted by LeRon Gaskins, The Escaping Digital Incarceration Podcast (formerly Broken Traditions) is a weekly deep dive into how our devices, apps, and platforms are engineered to keep us locked in — what LeRon calls Digital Incarceration. Every Wednesday, we break down a different piece of the digital cell: doomscrolling, social media addiction, porn addiction, online gambling and AI-driven targeting, phone addiction, and the everyday habits that quietly control our attention, our relationships, and our mental health.
We bridge the gap between digital habits and cultural identity, providing a much-needed lens on the "digital wellness gap" that mainstream tech conversations often ignore.
Whether you're looking to reclaim your focus, protect your peace, or understand the psychological effects of our hyper-connected world, this show gives you the insights and strategies to recognize the cell your phone has built around you — and actually escape it.
Support the Mission:
This podcast is community-powered. Join our channel memberships on YouTube or become a member through BrokenTraditions.com for exclusive deep-dives and early access to episodes.
🫶🏾 Support the show: https://brokentraditions.com
Reclaim Your Time:
Ready to take control? Download "The Digital Release" — a 7-day workbook blueprint designed to help you reset your digital habits.
➡️ Get The Digital Release: https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release-7-day-guide-to-escape-the-digital-cell-and-reclaim-your-freedom
Connect with us:
🌐 Web: http://brokentraditions.com
📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/leron.gaskins/
📧 Email: leron@brokentraditions.com
📍 Based in Atlanta, GA. New episodes every Wednesday.
Breaking cycles. Restoring focus. Escaping digital incarceration.
I Started to Hate My Niche But Was Afraid To Quit. Here's What Happened When I Did.
I traded views for something that feels more like me.
I started to hate my niche but was afraid to quit. In this episode, I talk about what changing direction cost me, why I held on to the Broken Traditions name for so long, and how to tell if you're a "digital correction officer": someone stuck making something that no longer serves them. This one is for creators, and for anyone doing something out of habit, status or a paycheck.
What we cover:
• The "digital correction officer" idea, inspired by Lupe Fiasco's "Prisoner 1 & 2"
• Why creators are scared to change
• My story: from social commentary to the overconsumption of phones
• Why I kept the old name too long, and what it took to let it go
• Creators who changed direction
• Five signs you're a digital correction officer
• A five-step pivot playbook
CHAPTERS
0:00 Creators, correction officers and digital incarceration
1:31 Where the idea came from: Lupe Fiasco's "Prisoner 1 & 2"
2:41 Why creators are scared to change
5:04 My story: trading views for purpose
8:22 The name I couldn't let go
12:22 Creators who changed direction
16:34 Five signs you're a digital correction officer
20:38 The pivot playbook and where you feel stuck
Where do you feel stuck? Tell me in a review or in the comments on YouTube.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
• "Prisoner 1 & 2" by Lupe Fiasco, from the album Tetsuo & Youth
• Clip courtesy of Not All Hood, hosted by Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Candace Kelly. In memory of Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
• Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman (1985)
Not political: I mention commentator Tucker Carlson only as an example of someone changing direction in public. The opinions are mine, and I stay in my lane.
Watch and listen everywhere:
https://brokentraditions.com/pages/podcast
Want less phone time while you figure out what's next? I use Brick to block distracting apps:
https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980
The Digital Release, a 7-day guide to escape the digital cell and reclaim your freedom:
https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release-7-day-guide-to-escape-the-digital-cell-and-reclaim-your-freedom
Disclosure: The Brick link is an affiliate link. If you buy through it, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Leron Gaskins (Big Ellie), Atlanta, GA
Escaping Digital Incarceration Podcast
21 Oct 2026
Is Your Social Media Feed Shaping How You Vote? What Every Voter Needs To Know
Is your social media feed shaping how you vote?
Before the midterm elections, LeRon "Big Ellie" Gaskins looks at how political content reaches your feed and why you should look beyond it before you vote.
The episode is based on The Atlantic's report by Ali Breland, "Inside a Conservative Operation to Hijack Your Social-Media Feed." According to the article, a service run from Latvia paid "clippers," many in Eastern Europe and the global south, to post pro-Republican clips from accounts made to look like ordinary Americans. LeRon explains what a clipper is, how clip campaigns pay, and why a clip that looks like an American's own opinion may not be one.
He also plays a clip of Candace Owens describing her own experience of being targeted. Her claims are unverified, and he says so on the episode. He then shares his own experience: an agency offered him $150 to $500 per post to make pro-Biden content, and he turned it down. This happens on more than one side, and not only in politics.
This is not a political episode and doesn't tell you how to vote. It's about getting your information from more than a feed.
In this episode:
- What a clipper is and how clipping campaigns work
- What The Atlantic found, and how clippers are paid
- Why location and identity are hard to check online
- Candace Owens' claim, with a clear note that it's unverified
- Why the same tactics show up in sports, entertainment and news
- How to verify what you see before you vote
References:
The Atlantic, Ali Breland, "Inside a Conservative Operation to Hijack Your Social-Media Feed": https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/09/conservative-hijack-social-media/688447/
Candace Owens podcast clip: https://www.youtube.com/live/0pSAhaAZz1w
Download the free 7-day workbook to escape digital incarceration: https://brokentraditions.com/products/the-digital-release-7-day-guide-to-escape-the-digital-cell-and-reclaim-your-freedom
Take LeRon's 1-minute survey, what's a good age for a child's first tablet? https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfchgPWw3LZVHh8i5Mqm84M5Ve5sUd0zDmXF1ZD8jsGUtKVRw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117045085449504592289
Affiliate partners & tools (LeRon may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you):
Brick: If your feed is where you get most of your news, Brick is a physical device that lets you "brick" your phone, removing addictive apps so you scroll less and stay present. https://getbrick.com/?snowball=LERON81980
Bark: Comprehensive parental controls to monitor and manage your family's digital exposure to the "Three S's." https://barkparentalcontrols.pxf.io/c/6687714/1430413/17000?adname=affiliate_home_page
If this episode hits home, leave a rating and review. It's the biggest way you can help the show grow. Follow Leron Gaskins wherever you listen, and find us on YouTube for the full video episode.
Email: leron@brokentraditions.com
Support the show: https://www.brokentraditions.com
The Escaping Digital Incarceration Podcast is a weekly conversation about the overconsumption of digital devices and how to break free.
16 Oct 2026
Dating Someone Who's Always On Their Phone? You're The Digital Third Wheel *LiveStream Replay*
Dating someone who's always on their phone? You might be the digital third wheel.
A listener wrote in after hearing me say on an earlier episode that when your partner is always on their phone, you become a third wheel in your own relationship. In this episode, recorded live with callers, we take that conversation further.
LeRon "Big Ellie" Gaskins talks about what it feels like to fight for attention against a screen, why some people struggle to put their phones down, and what you can do about it, whether you're the one waiting or the one scrolling. Listeners also call in to share their own stories and questions.
In this episode:
- What "digital third wheel" means and where the phrase came from
- Why attention is the currency of a relationship
- Signs your partner's phone use is hurting the relationship
- How to bring it up without starting a fight
- What to do if you're the one who can't put the phone down
- Caller stories and questions
Want to be part of a future live conversation? Follow the show and watch for the next stream.
Watch the video version on YouTube and Rumble, or find all platforms at BrokenTraditions.com.
The Escaping Digital Incarceration Podcast is a weekly conversation about the overconsumption of digital devices and how to break free.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,807,958
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.4 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 75 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
84
Social presence
97
YouTube
86
Engagement
31
Contact The Broken Traditions Podcast
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about The Broken Traditions Podcast
Who hosts The Broken Traditions Podcast ?
Leron and Leron Barton host the show. Published by Leron Gaskins.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does The Broken Traditions Podcast take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Host of The Broken Traditions Podcast ?
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