Ditto Nation launches in January 2023; a monthly documentary series by Ben Ditto with additional podcasts, live streams and other exclusive content.

COMING SOON

The inaugural episode of Ditto Nation takes the form of a chat-show, with Ben Ditto in conversation with writer, editor and curator Shumon Basar. This show sets the scene for this new monthly documentary series, by examining "the self" within a contemporary technological environment. Future episodes will focus on how contemporary subcultures are formed by technology, environment, conflict and other factors. The monthly shows will be supplemented with podcasts and other adjacent content.This episode is only available to Patreon subscribers for the first 30 days. We hope you enjoy it...

DITTO NATION VIDEO #1: EXTREMELY SELFISH

The first of our (pretty much) weekly live-streams. Recorded on Instagram Live, the topic is announced in advance and then we all talk about it for an hour. This week: Euthanasia, MAID, state-assisted death and monopoly on violence

DITTO NATION LIVE #1: EUTHANASIA

This week we talk about the ethics of datasets trained on existing artworks being used for generative AI projects like Dall-E, Midjourney and so forth, and legal cases being bought against Stability AI by artists and Getty Images. We also talk about some more general AI / ethics topics.

DITTO NATION LIVE #2: AI ART ETHICS

Episode 2 of Ditto Nation explores the culture and community surrounding 3D printed firearms. Focusing on the US ideology that birthed the movement, we speak to influential figures including Print Shoot Repeat, Ivan the Troll, Jake Hanrahan and many more. Members of Ben Ditto's Discord server and Telegram channel contributed heavily to the episode, which examines the technologies that enable the production of 3D printed guns, from printing hardware to digital communication networks. We ask questions about ownership, aesthetics, culture war and how hobbyists have directly influenced conflict in Myanmar through memetic ideas. This episode is only available to Patrons for the first month of release. Thank you for supporting, and we hope you enjoy the show.

DITTO NATION VIDEO #2: PRINTED FREEDOM

“Printed Freedom” is out now on YouTube, please share it with anyone who might be interested:<a href="https://youtu.be/xMUV4L7ha-I" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/xMUV4L7ha-I</a>We are hard at work on episode three, which is about diagnosis culture, dropping in March… In the meantime, we will be releasing 4 x extended audio versions of interviews from Printed Freedom, including Print Shoot Repeat, Ivan the Troll, and Jake Hanrahan And we are working on the membership cards, I promise… Getting custom credit cards manufactured is a fucker. Also some merch. Thanks again for your support 🖤 Ben

UPDATE 

Exclusive for Ditto Nation Patreon subscribers, the full interview with Jake Hanrahan from Popular Front where we discuss the cultural impact of his work with JStark and 3D printed firearms

DITTO NATION AUDIO #1: JAKE HANRAHAN

We have been beavering away and are about to unleash Episode 3 of Ditto Nation: "Diagnosis Culture". In this episode we meet the professor who killed the notion that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. We explore the reasons why the pharmaceutical industry pushed this notion, and speak to a whistleblower about how insurance and pharmaceutical corporations are building pipelines across the internet which weaponise algorithms and metrics to sell drugs and harvest data.This episode will initially be available exclusively to you, beloved Patrons X

COMING SOON: Episode 3 "Diagnosis Culture" 

Are you an ‘ADHDer’? Have you ever suffered from clinical depression? Have you diagnosed yourself through an online quiz?The third episode of Ditto Nation examines contemporary mental health culture by challenging the discourse and assumptions that many have taken for granted for decades. It looks at how algorithms, techno-capitalism, as well as pharmaceutical and insurance companies have conspired to shape the way we think about the mind and how it works, often against our best interests.The episode features Joanna Moncrieff – Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London – whose work has been foundational in showing that there is no proven link between depression and brain chemistry. It also features a health industry whistle-blower who exposes a deliberate effort to provide prescription medication to self-diagnosed ‘patients’.Above all, we ask how we arrived at a place in time where our diagnoses define us, questioning if this is the best way to think about our wellbeing.

Ditto Nation video 3: Diagnosis Culture

Hello beloved patrons. I have been very busy working on the next episode of Ditto Nation: "Artificial Intimacy". It looks at AI companions and makes some sober predictions about where this technology is going, and why. I have spoken to a lot of people and conducted a few experiments with my colleagues, we can't wait to share the new episode with you soon. My original intention was to put out an episode a month, and this may happen but the last couple have taken a bit longer than expected. Once I am done renovating my flat it is OVER for long-turnaround docs and there will be a plague of content. We are also moving in to a new studio soon and will be doing more DN livestreams, building a permanent green screen and other exciting stuff. Thanks as always for making this possible Ben

!!UPDATE!!

Episode 4 of Ditto Nation is ~finally~ here."Artificial intimacy" takes a deep look at the future of artificial intelligence companionship and relationships with non-biological entities.This episode has been over 6 months in the making, as the more we investigated, the more nuanced the episode became. We conducted our own experiments and research and spoke to a range of AI chatbot users who offered a profound insight in to a future that probably awaits most of us... whether we like it or not."Artificial Intimacy" is available exclusively to Patreon subscribers for the first week, then will be released to the general public on YouTube.Thanks for supporting the series, we hope you enjoy the episodeBen x

Ditto Nation video 4: Artificial Intimacy

May I proudly present the 2024 Ditto Nation playlist: “Hot Summer, Cold War”⚔️The vibe: It is 1982. You’re driving a Golf GTI through Belgium with your accomplices, armed by a secret NATO slush fund. The years of lead are a recent memory, your associates are mercenaries, right-wing paramilitaries, Gladio operatives, corrupt politicians, blackmailers and arms dealers. ⚔️ The  sun is rising above the sand on a perfect flat beach to the side of the motorway. The radio is on full volume. Your trunk is full of stolen weapons, bundles of cash and fake bricks of heroin. Life is good. ⚔️ This playlist entirely comprises suggestions from you, my beloved hive-mind. I edited it down from 600 to around 100 tracks. The original idea was inspired by @belga_2020 (one of my favourite but short-lived IG accounts), Ghost Storied for the End of The World podcast, Man Bites Dog and my time spent in Belgium in the 1980s. Extra marks for anyone who can correctly connect this image series. I hope you enjoy🤍