In New Celebrity we talk about the faces that rise to the top on TikTok, and how Instagram algorithms encourage the stealing of facial structures. What does it mean to not recognise ourselves in the front-facing camera? We discuss why “aesthetic flattening” has been the vibe of the pandemic. Plus, we talk about why this is the age of the collab, and we explain the history of Smiley faces, Mickey Mouse, and the uncanny “mountain”.
Read More"We make things because we are alive". In this episode we’re all about how now is a time for art with messy edges. Hear about the aesthetics and language of DIY podcasting; the amateurs who make the web work; and the glamorising of the side hustle. We ask do qualifications matter? Why do we say "that’s on brand for me"? Plus a whole lot on joy, Oscar Wilde, boxing, and the “gentlemen amateur ”.
Read MoreLockdown has got us curious about online activism, with many people turning to it in times of massive change. We draw on our experiences to ask are petitions effective and safe and should you start one? What does it mean when we need issues to “keep on trending” to be relevant? What’s the reason behind the designs in Instagram slideshows? Plus - mapping as a protest tool, the concept of clictivism, unusual activism tools and more.
Read MoreRight now the thrill of a package arriving is one of our small joys, but who, how and why makes that happen? Hear about consumerism as a form of entertainment, from satirical reviews to Wish-haul videos. How indie artists are manipulating Disney’s god-like powers for good. Plus, Harry Styles, TikTok knits, ghost carts, hacking capitalism and more.
Read MoreIn a Halloween special Marianela and Ruth get round a virtual campfire and tell each other tales of the Internet. The things we fell for, and the things it revealed to us - from ugly apples to whether "blood is thicker than water". We talk about cute animal stories, ethics in psychology experiments, haunted emails and blessed tumblr posts. The twisted parables that have lost their meaning, and the real story behind the garage they say birthed Google, Amazon, Disney, Dell, Microsoft (?)
Read MoreIn Ritual we review the recent self-help book ‘The Power of Ritual’, and ask how is tech shaped by ritual? And rituals changed by tech? With companies like Headspace, WeCroak and SoulCycle, how is spirituality commodified, and how do we notice it happening? What are the rituals we have gained and lost in lockdown? Plus we talk about self-help, self-care, and rest as resistance.
Read MoreDoes the Internet have a gaze? What’s your advice on cultivating a bullshit radar? What has been surprising in the last decade of tech? It’s our 2 year anniversary episode! Marianela and Ruth interview each other with big reflective questions about the internet and how we think about it.
Plus we talk about our Internet pet hates and loves; the changing visual languages that represent the web – from Guy Fawkes to Witches; and the importance of silliness.
What are choices are built into games, and why? Why do they still inspire moral panic about young people playing them? We talk about games being used for political ends, sometimes by design, but best of all, when players get subversive with the mechanics. Plus, the power of gamers showing solidarity with the workers and creators, vs the toxic online communities that led to the rise of the alt-right.
We interview Marijam Didžgalvytė, games industry expert, worker rights organiser, and creator of the Left Left Up Up video series for her insights.
How can machines decide what is beautiful, and what is a beautiful machine? How did teen girls change phone hardware forever? How has Instagram changed our physical spaces? Plus, we talk about the many uses of YouTube make-up tutorials: for defiance, play, celebration, and … secret security lessons. And we celebrate how the Internet shows us there are #ManyKindsofHot
Read MoreHow do we communicate when disaster strikes and our phones and internet go down? How are communities in New York, Puerto Rico & Oaxaca building their own networks which survive?
What does resilience mean, and how can definitions influence what emergency responses look like? Can you get involved and build Internet without corporates involved at all?
We interview technologist, community organiser and badass Krusheska Quirós about her Portable Network Kits workshops, and how to build resilience through both social & technological means.
Plus, throwing in a little bit of Audre Lorde - what tools can be used to demolish the master’s house?
Read MoreHow is our culture informed by war? How has tech changed its myths and stories? We talk about the real-timeness of war footage, and military funding of Hollywood from Top Gun to the Avengers. Plus, can Google’s employee walkouts stop its defense contracts? What are our own roles in conflict? What happens when war looks inward and police are militarised? We speak to Scott Timcke, lecturer in political economy, about all this and more.
Read MoreRural places are often presented as “left behind”, especially when it comes to technology. But is that really the case? We speak to rural innovator Ashleigh Weeden for her incredible insights about the intersections of the rural and the digital. • What is rural data, and can it be a matter of national security? What are the tech innovations that cities are copying from rural places? What can robotics in agriculture tell us about privacy? Are people more ‘free’ outside urban places? Plus, what do Queer Eye and Taylor Swift tell us about rural representation, and when sunflowers need to hide from social media.
Read MoreWho was Henrietta Lacks? Are DNA tests the new astrology? What’s really happening with all the data genealogy companies are gathering? And why are they so popular? A lot of debunked “science” from the 1800s about our faces and our families is being treated as though this time it could be right, rather than racist, because “the tech is better.” We discuss the facial recognition ‘gaydar’ study aka 21st century physiognomy, forensic genetics, and the scammers claiming your genes can predict income.
Read MoreWhat is fanfiction? Who is making it? What’s the tumblr apocalypse and how has it changed fan community? And what on earth is a "tag-wrangler"? We talk with scholar and writer Milena Popova about all of these, and their research on fanfic and consent, the nature of trusting authors, and who owns stories. We also discuss the digital project and fan-owned Archive of Our Own, which is successfully doing incredible things with its tech, as well as with its culture.
Read MoreWhat actually is a smart city? Can consent work in physical spaces? Did apps kill the gay bar? What happens when the Olympics machine comes to town? Recording in London and Vancouver we’re very excited to talk about how technology is changing the places we live. We also discuss digital gentrification, the controversial project in Toronto putting Google in the role of city designer, and bat-tech.
Read MoreThe 'twentygayteen' year in review. We talk about our episodes from the last year, what we thought about differently, what we learnt more about. Plus thank a bunch of people who made this possible.
Read MoreHow do novels predicting the future influence the tech we’re making right now? Who are the writers creating science fiction novels for the military, and why? Whose future does sci-fi imagine? Why is space always being “colonised” in literature? We interview author of “Nigerians in Space” and “After the Flare”, Deji Bryce Olukotun, for his insights on these questions and more.
Read MoreHow did Peppa Pig videos get controversial? Can you control photos of your kids on Facebook? How is technology loved by stalkers being marketed to parents? We also talk about Elf on the Shelf, adult content filters in the UK, how we are all in the business of parenting, and if we can please just avoid falling into moral panic.
Read MoreIs the “death of cash” a good thing? What happens when we use algorithms to decide how much things cost? What exactly is the deal with Bitcoin, and how are bros using it to profit from the hurricane in Puerto Rico? In our episode on Money we also chat about the "illusion" that is designer clothes, the theatre of branding, and the brilliant economic theory found in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books.
Read MoreWho do we put up on our 'rockstar' pedestals? How does genius status and disruption ideology in the tech sector create the conditions for workplace harassment and abuse? "Move fast, and break things" was Facebook's motto - does the attitude include people too? We interview whistleblower, security expert and all-round badass Leigh Honeywell for her wisdom on these challenging questions, and talk about our experiences with power dynamics in the tech sector.
Content warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual abuse and bullying.
