They Put Warning Labels on Cigarettes. Social Media May Be Next.

Archer's Line Podcast · Mar 27, 2026 · 5m

There was a time when cigarette companies insisted their product wasn’t addictive. They ran ads saying doctors smoked. Their brand, of course.

You may recall scenes from Mad Men — tobacco executives sitting in a smoke-filled room, complaining about government rulings that their product was dangerous, all while coughing up a storm.

Their excuse was the same as drug dealers’: people chose to smoke. They said the science wasn’t settled. They said they weren’t responsible for what happened after someone lit up. They were just providing a service.

Then the documents came out.

Internal research…