In keeping with our season long discussion of trust on the internet, on this bonus episode of Function - we explore online safety. Writer and activist Feminista Jones talks about the lasting effects of online harassment. Then, Anil talks with Tarah Demant of Amnesty International about an Amnesty report that calls out the abuse and harassment women face on Twitter. Finally Anil speaks with Gina Bianchini, CEO of Mighty Networks, about her platform and what it takes to build safer online communit...
Mar 06, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 22
The integrity of the internet is at stake -- what have we lost and how do we get it back? At the 2019 Texas Tribune Festival, Anil spoke with web scholars and writers about reclaiming the internet through historical context, how we are tethered to social media and the inventive ways marginalized people have always reinvented the platforms available. Panelists Charlton McIlwain Anne Helen Petersen Sarah T. Roberts Siva Vaidhyanathan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adcho...
Dec 19, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Are social networks downplaying their complicity in the problem that is “fake news?”Anil talks to Fadi Quran of the people powered social advocacy group, Avaaz, about how tech is used to target groups of people and spread disinformation that affects our elections, relationships, and social justice movements. Together they discuss insidious nature of disinformation and misinformation, meet its victims, and go over solutions. Listen closely for the steps that platforms can take right now to stem t...
Nov 27, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 8
What happens when social networks become social media, and tech starts making editorial decisions? Anil talks with NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen about the priorities of tech companies and how their faux neutrality and feigned ignorance has taken a toll on our news cycles and elections. Together, they identify the problems that the press is facing, like attention hacking and misinformation, in order to focus on how the press and us as citizens can reclaim “the news” and what they care about....
Nov 20, 2019•49 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Part 2 of Anil's discussion of Prince's complicated relationship with technology. How do you go from fan to colleague to friend with an icon? Prince’s manager, Phaedra Ellis Lamkins and Sam Jennings, one of Prince’s webmasters take us on a journey of growth and evolution of an artist realizing his worth and his power. As part of a team of trusted friends and confidants they helped “The Artist” realize tech dreams that would serve us all. We also learn that the vision of freedom we often associat...
Nov 13, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 6
What does it mean to be on the receiving end of a Prince direct message? This week on Function, Anil takes us through Prince’s complicated relationship with technology through his eyes and the eyes of super fans Jay Smooth, social commentator and former host of WBAI's Underground Railroad; and Andrea Swensson, host and writer at Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current, where she helms The Local Show, a weekly show dedicated to exploring the Minnesota music scene. From being summoned to Paisley Park...
Nov 06, 2019•51 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Function is back next week with a new episode. In the meantime, check out Reset from Vox and Recode. Students across the country are graded by artificial intelligence. But does an algorithm really know how to write? Links to resources discussed: Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays How I’m using AI to write my next novel Featuring: @SigalSamuel @ToddFeathers About Reset Every story is a tech story. We live in a world where algorithms drive our interests, scientists are re-e...
Oct 30, 2019•24 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Anil speaks with Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Associate Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University and author of Race After Technology, about design discrimination. They discuss how systemic racism is replicated in the technology we use and how tools like artificial intelligence, machine learning and software used in the criminal justice system are shaped by racial bias. Then he speaks with James Cadogan, VP of Criminal Justice, and Kristin Bechtel, Director of Crimina...
Oct 23, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 4
It seems like every month a new cringe worthy picture of a public official in Blackface is shared on social media. The pictures usually surface decades after they were taken but they are born out of a long tradition of Blackface and racial mockery in America. But that tradition isn't just a part of our history, it's being replicated online through our use of GIFs. Anil talks with Dr. Lauren Michelle Jackson, author of White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue & and Other Thoughts on Cultural Ap...
Oct 16, 2019•39 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Are we making sure the tech we create is usable for the people we say we want to help? Accessibility is more than a buzzword. Anil speaks with Emily Ladau, co- host of The Accessible Stall podcast; Alex Haagaard, Director of Communications at the Disabled List, and Vilissa Thompson, founder of Ramp Your Voice, about accessibility bias in tech and what abled designers can unlearn in order to create more inclusive apps. These activists are dedicated to making sure disabled people are represented i...
Oct 09, 2019•48 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Does the internet help or harm our mental health? In this season two premiere of Function, Anil explores how the web made an impact on his mental health and talks to experts like Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, Stanford University psychiatrist and author; and web creators Desi Rottman and Angelo Stavrow about the how the internet is changing the way we see ourselves and interact with others. Together, they explore the consequences of our love affair with the internet and discuss ways to use the internet t...
Oct 02, 2019•40 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Function with Anil Dash is back with all new episodes on October 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 25, 2019•2 min
On our season finale of Function, Anil sits down with Alex Kleinco-founder and CEO of Kano Computing live from the Google Assistant Playground at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Coding education for kids is wildly popular, from books and toys to after school programs from non-profit organizations, companies are putting lots of money and resources behind helping create the next generation of programmers. But is that enough? A few years ago, Anil wrote about his skepticism behind...
Jan 21, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 12
On Function, our focus is about how technology has influenced culture and communications, and nothing encompasses the intersection of these concepts more than social media. It's allowed us to express our innermost feelings, meet people that share our interests, and find community with others from all over the world. This week, we're doing something a little different. Anil sits down with some of the pioneers of the social web — Bruce Ableson (founder of Open Diary), Lisa Phillips (former senior ...
Jan 14, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Saving money is at the top of a lot of people's lists of new year's resolutions. According to Fidelity Investments, nearly one-third of Americans want to make some type of money resolution for 2019. Maybe you want to pay down debt, or maybe you just want to save more of your hard-earned cash. Regardless of the goal, there are a number of mobile apps to help you make it happen. But are they worth the download or do they just make you feel bad about your spending routines? We're kicking off 2019 h...
Jan 07, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 10
It's the end of 2018, and charities and nonprofit organizations are gearing up for their most important fundraising campaign of the year. Over 30% of all annual giving occurs in December, with approximately 12% of giving happening in these final three days of the month. Whether it's SMS, mobile apps, social media, email newsletters, or a simple donation button on your website, technology has now made donating to your favorite cause easier than ever. We're looking at digital giving this week on F...
Dec 31, 2018•46 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The 2018 midterm elections have wrapped up here in the U.S., and issues with voting machines are back in the news. It's not a hanging chad situation like the 2000 presidential election recount in Florida, but malfunctions, outdated tech, and talk of interference from foreign powers has tanked voter confidence. With the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign season about to kickoff, how do you rock the vote when you're not even sure your vote is being properly counted? And how do you put trust in a voti...
Dec 17, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 8
On November 1, 2018, thousands of Google employees around the world staged a mass walkout in protest of how the company handled claims of sexual misconduct. While this is not the first time we have seen protests at this scale, it does signal to the larger community that workers at huge tech companies like these are at an inflection point. When is enough, enough? This week on Function, we take a look at the rising labor movement in tech by hearing from those whose advocacy was instrumental in set...
Dec 10, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Squarespace. Mailchimp. Casper. Blue Apron. If you're a regular podcast listener, then there's no doubt you've heard ads from these companies, among many others. Podcasting's reach has grown exponentially over the past few years, and companies like these are spending millions of dollars to reach listeners whenever, wherever and however they tune in. But is this truly effective? What type of ads work best? And if you're not a podcast from a big media organization, how can you can get a piece of t...
Dec 03, 2018•56 min•Season 1Ep. 6
YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the Internet, and millions of users upload all kinds of videos to it every day. Some of these are original productions, but there are also song covers, clips from television or movies, and lots of other content that occupy a murky gray area with respect to copyright. Including a caption like "no copyright infringement intended" might offer you some protection, but YouTube's Content ID system could ensure that your video is demonetized or blocked fro...
Nov 26, 2018•35 min•Season 1Ep. 5
If you're an active Twitter user, you've probably made a typo or a mistake in a tweet before that you wish you could correct. You could delete the tweet and just write another one, or Twitter could create a feature that users have adamantly requested for years -- an edit button. Even Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey has mulled over this feature, and according to recent news, it may just happen. Enabling a button to edit your tweets sounds like an easy thing to set up from a user standpoint, but like mo...
Nov 19, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Ah, the humble animated GIF. We use them on social media or in text messages as a way to signify a reaction, tell a story, or just to have a laugh. Some are even making animated GIFs of entire movies! It's not all fun and games though — organizations and media companies are cracking down on animated GIF usage, with some going as far as issuing copyright notices against animated GIF creators. Even the IOC, the governing body of the Olympic Games, banned news organizations from creating animated G...
Nov 12, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 3
What does the latest celebrity mea culpa and your weekend shopping list have in common? If your answer is the Apple Notes app, then congratulations! You're not alone. Apple Notes has become the de facto tool of choice for social media apologies, circumventing the brevity of Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms to provide lengthy additional context in a single update. But why? In this week's episode, we explore the reasons, motivations, and compromises behind this behavior with wr...
Nov 05, 2018•33 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Epic Games' Fortnite is one of the most popular video games in the world, and a big part of that popularity comes from their emotes -- dances and other gestures which are used in the game as taunts or celebratory moves. However, many have called out Epic Games for these emotes, claiming that they have been stolen and renamed in Fortnite without permission or citation from their creators or sources. On this week's episode of Function, we explore the concept of commodifying culture through video g...
Oct 29, 2018•41 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Anil Dash is a world-renowned technology expert and the CEO of Glitch. From the Obama White House to the Lower Eastside Girls Club, he’s spent decades advising people on the ways tech can transform government, society, and culture. On Function, he’ll bring those conversations to you, offering insight into the way makers think, users act, and communities shift with new technologies and products. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 20, 2018•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1
