Outsourced Thinking: How Systems, Feeds, and Algorithms Now Shape What We Feel, Fear, and Believe

by Richard Rawson, Virtual Voice (Narrator)

Most discussions of technology focus on misinformation, manipulation, or individual self-control. This book takes a different approach. It looks at how feeds, notifications, algorithms, and engagement-driven systems increasingly perform psychological work that people once did pacing attention, regulating emotion, prioritizing concerns, and determining what feels important or urgent.

The result is not constant persuasion, but something subtler. Judgment feels personal even when its starting points are externally shaped. Emotions feel authentic even when their timing is managed. Urgency feels internal even when it is structurally generated. Over time, this outsourcing weakens internal regulation, contributing to exhaustion, reactivity, and a fragile sense of stability—often without a clear cause.

Rather than offering productivity tips or behavioral prescriptions, Outsourced Thinking provides a clear framework for understanding these shifts. It traces how neutrality gives way to regulation, how judgment becomes delegated and then internalized as personal belief, and how emotional and moral attention are shaped by system design.

The book closes by exploring what it means to reclaim cognitive and emotional agency—not by rejecting technology, but by restoring internal capacities that were never meant to be fully externalized.

This is a book for readers who feel mentally stretched, emotionally taxed, or quietly disoriented, and want to understand why—without being told what to do next.

Audible Audio

Published February 3, 2026

About the author

Richard E. Rawson, Psy.D., MBA, is a marketing strategist and behavioral science expert who helps leaders, organizations, and communities turn insight into action. With over three decades of experience in psychology and marketing, he merges data-driven strategies with human-centered messaging to foster trust, engagement, and measurable growth.

As founder of Rawson Internet Marketing, Dr. Rawson has led executive branding, content strategy, and audience engagement initiatives across diverse industries. His work aligns brand messaging with consumer behavior, empowering professionals and organizations to connect authentically and lead with purpose.

Richard is also the author of several books that explore the intersection of personal development, collective action, and strategic communication.