We’ve entered a new era. The creation and collection of information play an ever-increasing — yet often hidden — role in our lives. Algorithms filter all sorts of experiences, from the mundane to the monumental. The fuel that powers and curates these experiences is…data. Data are the new oil; whoever controls data has power. Is this making things better? Worse? Raw Data is a show about how information becomes power. What are the implications for all of us, now that mountains of data are more accessible and malleable than ever?
Episodes post on Thursdays. From Stanford and PRX.
Hosted by Andrea Mustain and Mike Osborne.
We love hearing from you! Please email us at hello@rawdatapodcast.com
Within 15 years, social media has become the dominant force shaping the Valley. What does it mean for individuals around the world and for society at large to be publicly performing in so many aspects of our lives? Andrew Smith, Alice Marwick.
Silicon Valley reveres garage start-ups and the myth of the entrepreneur. But, in the wake of the dotcom crash, power dynamics shift. Have the entrepreneurs, these quintessential American characters,captured too much power? Steve Blank, Sarah Lacy.
Netscape’s IPO electrifies the dotcom era, and “New Economy” proponents insist that cyberspace will redefine the rules of prosperity. The data economy is born. Guests: Fred Turner, Kevin Kelly, Lou Montulli, Rosanne Siino, Tim Wu.
In the post-Watergate era, two academics battle the NSA and establish the technology that protects our online information. Cryptography remains a fundamental tool, but can it save us from entering a post-privacy world? Guests: Michal Kosinski, Whit Diffie, Marty Hellman, and Henry Corrigan-Gibbs
The Valley comes of age as the center of innovation and personal computing. Doug Englebart delivers the Mother of All Demos. Steve Jobs makes a fateful visit to Xerox PARC. On The WELL, people learn what it means to socialize online. Guests: Leslie Berlin, John Markoff, and Howard Rheingold.
Inspired by cybernetics and LSD, Stewart Brand creates the Whole Earth Catalog as a how-to manual for the commune movement. The catalog articulates a philosophy of tech idealism and individual empowerment. Guests: Fred Turner, John Markoff, and Kevin Kelly.
Before tech, there were orchards in the “Valley of Heart’s Delight.” Federal funding for Cold War research changes everything, and the semiconductor industry brings silicon to the Valley. The Traitorous Eight create Fairchild Semiconductor. And the weather here is “perfect.” Guests: Daniel Swain, Steve Blank, Margaret O’Mara, Leslie Berlin.
The seeds of Silicon Valley were sown long ago. The Gold Rush, the railroad barons, the founding of Stanford University, and myths of the American West still echo today.
Introducing the series. Silicon Valley’s power: how did we get here?
How are algorithms and data science making their way into the American criminal justice system? The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world, and it’s clear from the statistics that minorities – most notably, black Americans – are locked up at disproportionate rates. So there are good reasons to take a close look at how new technologies are creeping into police departments and courts. Perhaps we can "code" for more equality and fairness by taking some decision making p...
There are A LOT of unanswered questions right now about Russia’s role in the 2016 election. Whether it’s actually hacking into the DNC servers or more subtly spreading misinformation online, there’s widespread meddling afoot. Online information was weaponized in a targeted way, and this is new. In today’s episode, we think critically about what cybersecurity means and how Russia’s recent history brought us to this moment.
It's been a minute since we've checked in on the world's favorite cryptocurrency – Bitcoin! And man oh man is there a lot of upheaval in Bitcoin-land. The price is soaring, the SEC is debating, and other crypto-coins are on the move. Will Bitcoin and other blockchains pave the way for a new financial system, a global computer, a new and better “Internet of value,” or all of the above? Hard to know what happens next, but keep an eye out. Bitcoin is lurking...
Let’s face it – there’s a lot of bulls**t flying around on the Internet. But where is it all coming from? This week, we tackle fake news, propaganda, and misinformation from a few different angles. We talk to BuzzFeed’s Craig Silverman, who was one of the first reporters to break the story about a cottage industry of fake news run out of Macedonia. Then we meet Stanford Communication Professor Jennifer Pan, who is pioneering new ways of probing the censorship and propaganda machine in China. Thr...
There are massive changes underway in Hollywood – and a lot of the disruption is being driven by big data. In this week’s episode, we’re taking a deep dive into the ways companies like Netflix and Amazon are mounting a threat to the traditional studio powerhouses (think Disney, Sony, etc.) We meet Michael Smith, a professor at Carnegie Mellon who tells us about the “perfect storm” of tech forces hitting Hollywood. For more insight on how exactly Netflix is using customer data, we talk to their d...
On the Internet there’s a never-ending, epic battle to catch – and keep – your attention. We don't really think about it much, but attention is a precious and personal resource, and these days the name of the game is to monetize your attention through clicks and shares. Today on the show, we talk to Tim Wu, author of "The Attention Merchants." He explains how attention is the essential currency of the Internet, and that the stakes are not merely an ad-filled online experience, but in fact our ve...
It’s nearly impossible to know if you're having a truly private, unmonitored conversation today. Big data and online communications open the door for widespread surveillance. But even if you feel like you personally have nothing to hide, surveillance is about much more than individual privacy – it’s about the necessary conditions of a free and just society, and protecting a space to criticize the status quo and the powers that be. Today on the show, we hear three perspectives about how privacy i...
Welcome to Season 2 of Raw Data! There's been a lot of buzz about big data in the past few years. The success of companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon has helped fuel the growth of second generation data companies seeking insights in data like miners hoping to strike gold. But is all this data we’re collecting really that valuable? What will our daily lives be like if the big data promise is fulfilled – or for that matter, if it fails? Music: “From the Outset,” (Raw Data theme) Nick Carloz...
We’ve reached the end of Season 1 of Raw Data! (Don’t worry, there’s a second season coming soon.) In this episode, producers Mike and Leslie break from the usual format, and sit down in studio for a conversation with Worldview Director Brie Linkenhoker. They reflect on the big ideas, issues, and questions that cut across Season 1, especially as it relates to how our everyday decisions – both big and small – are increasingly being shaped by data and algorithms.
Language is a window into our minds. So with all the digital text trails we're creating these days, what can we learn about our inner psychology, mental health, and well-being? In this episode: how Twitter language correlates with heart disease, what insights can be captured in crisis counseling text conversations, and a glimpse of the future of therapy.
LOVE!! Why is it so hard to find?! The seemingly endless options of online dating should make it easy, right? Is there data that can predict lasting love? Argh!! Maybe we just haven’t digitized the right information yet? Who knows. So many questions.
What happens to our data when we die? Digital estate planning is becoming an increasingly important topic, though many of our laws have not yet caught up. These days, we leave behind entire histories of our lives online, which can hold both monetary and sentimental value for our family and friends. Through the lens of death, we can also begin to appreciate the value of our digital histories for civil society more broadly.
How do you get your news – and how do you think your news gets to you? The pathway of information flow involves layers of decisions that in many ways are opaque. So are we achieving the universal access to all knowledge that the early Internet idealists had hoped for, or are we increasingly seeing the world through filters that we're not even aware of?
As we hear over and over again, environmental issues are mounting, and the stakes are huge. So how might big data be used to tackle the issues of sustainability, climate change, habitat loss, and species extinction? And even more than that, can it offer us new ways of engaging in a relationship with nature?
Are we addicted to the Internet? Is it even appropriate to use the language of addiction about smartphones and other digital devices? After all, tech companies intentionally appeal to human nature – our desire to connect with others, our boredom, our love of surprise, our loneliness – to hook us onto their products. So how much responsibility do they hold in all this?
Elections and political messaging are changing in the new media landscape. Campaigns are using big data to target voters with better precision, and tech companies are making decisions behind the scenes about how political information is being presented to us. What does all this mean for the future of democracy? This podcast is supported by Worldview Stanford and the Stanford Cyber Initiative.
Cryptocurrencies could revolutionize money and finance. But even more than that, they symbolize how trust is changing as we increasingly rely on technology rather than traditional institutions - like banks and governments - to handle some of our most important problems. Right now, money has only been partially digitized, and it plods around the world at a snail's pace compared to how fast data moves. But all that could change with truly digital cryptocurrencies. This podcast is supported by Worl...
Big data is revolutionizing health and medicine, from genomics to wearable technologies to precision health. But is our medical care system prepared for algorithms that can diagnose us and make decisions about treatment? And even more than that, what will the doctor-patient relationship look like in the era of big data?
What is the future of work? Today, all of our careers are being transformed by big data, from how we find it, to how we collaborate with others, to how our professional reputations are shaped. We explore both the opportunities and risks of moving our work online. This podcast is supported by Worldview Stanford and the Stanford Cyber Initiative.
Welcome to Raw Data! In this first episode, hosts Mike Osborne and Leslie Chang explore how normal, everyday digital footprints can reveal surprisingly intimate facts – like whether your parents are divorced, and whether you own a gun. This podcast is supported by Worldview Stanford and the Stanford Cyber Initiative.
