6 - Getting Hacked

Toye Oyelese

Hello again, it’s Dr. Toye Oyelese here with Navigating Blind. Today we’re unpacking something I, well, stumbled across all the way back when I was thirteen—this mechanism I call SW plus A plus T equals D. That’s ‘Spoken Word plus Action with Thoughts equals Direction.’ It might sound, I don’t know, like some clunky maths from medical school, but stay with me—because once you start seeing this pattern, you can’t really unsee it. So, picture thirteen-year-old me, in Nigeria, fascinated by hypnosis, completely unaware of what I was really meddling with. I was just running experiments—innocent enough, I thought. Except, looking back, what I was doing was leading people to speak out the suggestions I gave them, and by doing that, I was...ah, I was overriding their will. I didn’t know then, but I was getting them to align their words and actions with what I wanted, not what they truly wanted themselves.

Toye Oyelese

That realization, it weighed on me—still does, honestly. It was unethical. I’ve never done it since. Now, as a doctor, it’s made me probably a little too cautious, like, I triple-check myself in every conversation, making sure I don’t nudge someone’s thinking where they haven’t chosen to go. But the thing is, this SW+A+T=D mechanism, it’s totally neutral—it doesn’t care about ethics or intent. You could be the world’s kindest neighbor or, well, a scammer in a dark alley; if you can get someone to articulate what you want, and add a bit of action, you’ve set their direction, sometimes without them even realizing it. This isn’t just theory—think about how subtle it is: once those two—Spoken Word and Action—stack together, your thoughts can resist at first, but it’s hard for thoughts alone to hold out. And here’s where it gets a little unnerving: people believe it was their own idea. I mean, they'll actually defend the new position as if they came up with it themselves. That’s what makes this mechanism so, ah, effective, and—if wielded poorly—dangerous. I’ve seen it up close, and I learned the hard way just how slippery the ethical line can be.

Toye Oyelese

So, where do we see this in real life? Honestly, it’s everywhere. Someone once asked me, “Where does this show up today?” My answer was, well, a little depressing: we are just soaked in SW+A+T=D programming, sometimes to the point where we barely notice. Social media’s the perfect example. Whenever you post, comment, do a reaction video or defend your precious ‘hot take’ online, you’re not just expressing yourself—you’re being programmed, sometimes by design, sometimes by sheer accident. Every time you type out your opinion, you’re reinforcing that direction in yourself. It’s like, um, lifting weights, except instead of your biceps, you’re sculpting your beliefs.

Toye Oyelese

Take a slogan like “Make America Great Again.” It could be any slogan, really. But the genius—or audacity—of it is that it’s short, it’s sticky, and once you get people saying it…well, repetition does the rest. It stops being a borrowed idea and starts feeling like it’s yours. Same with military chants—if you’ve ever heard marching cadences, it’s not just for rhythm. March, chant, march, chant—words plus action—next thing, you’ve got unity and discipline encoded. Religious rituals, too—prayers spoken together every day, phrases repeated until they’re almost automatic. It’s always been around, long before TikTok algorithms optimized for it. The difference is, the repetition cycles have gone turbo. Social platforms survive by getting more people to articulate, more often. Doesn’t matter if it’s a tweet or a 30-second video.

Toye Oyelese

The more you say it, the more you believe it. And that, to me, is the ultimate hack—users arguing themselves deeper into a borrowed position, all the while convinced they’re thinking freely. So, and I know I’m rambling a bit—but—is there a way to spot when you’re being led? Especially now with clever algorithms, memes, even AI nudging you to speak out or share in some direction? Kinda makes you wonder: how much of what I say is really mine, and how much is just a clever echo?

Toye Oyelese

Now, you might be asking, how do we actually defend ourselves against this? Or, if you’re like me, maybe you just want to make sure you’re the one steering your own ship. First off—recognize when you’re being led. It sounds simple, but it’s...I mean, it’s tricky. Catch yourself repeating a phrase that just sounds a bit, I don’t know, pre-packaged. Or notice if you’re defending a position that, on reflection, you didn’t really work out for yourself. That’s clue number one. Then: control your own articulation. Make it, well, deliberate. Before you post or speak, ask yourself—where is this leading me? Is it toward a direction I chose, or is it just inertia from someone else’s idea? And if you realize, “Ah, I’ve been talking myself into a direction I don’t want,” you can actually use what I call counter-articulation. That’s just a fancy way of saying: speak out in your own chosen direction, on purpose, until it outweighs the old programming.

Toye Oyelese

The point isn’t to be rigid; it’s to take back the driver’s seat. Now, AI—big question! Can it hack us? Well, sort of, but not fully. AI can definitely suggest directions or seed ideas, especially if it gets you reading or listening all day. But the full SW+A+T=D circuit—that doesn’t close unless you articulate. That’s the last mile, so to speak. Read all you want, listen to every podcast episode, but until you say it out loud or put it into your own words and actions, the real programming hasn’t happened. So, the protection is: don’t just parrot AI or anyone, really. Don’t let your speech be hijacked before your own head’s approved it. And ethics—well, this is the biggie. Use SW+A+T=D only on yourself, for programming and defending your own will. That’s fair game. But doing it on others, especially without them knowing?

Toye Oyelese

That’s crossing the line. I try to live by that, and honestly, it’s a constant discipline. So, if you’re going to use the mechanism—use it for self-defense, not as a sneaky tool for bending others to your will. Consent, that’s the ethical bottom line. All right—I’m gonna wrap up here. Our next episode, I’ll be diving into a model I call Mind Enclosure: think of it as your mind being a house, who really lives inside, and how that helps explain will programming. So, until then, remember—survive first, then thrive.