Remember when the internet felt fun. That noise you associate with getting online back in the day, that dial up modem noise, that was like my cry of freedom. I can still hear my mom screaming at the top of the stairs, get off the dang computer. I'm trying to make a call. But that really was it for me. It was freedom. Remember when getting online felt like freedom, community and connection instead of feeling like a slog that you wish you could quit but feel like you can't.
How did we get here? I'm bridgitad and since twenty twenty, I've been answering questions like these on my award winning tech and culture podcast, There Are No Girls on the Internet and iHeartRadio podcast that chronicles technology, the Internet and social media that actually centers the diverse artists, creators, researchers, and advocates who are building better writer digital futures. We're talking about technology and social media's impact on culture from influencer fueled fast fashion.
This system of fast fashion wouldn't exist that influencers to the polarized, often toxic online discourse that's wrecking all of our mental health and threatening our democracy.
One of the most destructive things that TikTok specifically has groomed people into doing is viewing political content as solely through the lens of those like clap back videos that lots of people do right.
The Internet is not just created by coders and tech companies. It's created by all of us who use it every day. It can and should be a force that connects us. So why does it feel so toxic? And who benefits from the hate and mistrust that are rampant on social media?
I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the Internet belongs to everyone, all of us, and I wanted to spotlight the creative women, black folks, queer folks, and others who are creating and building at the forefront of the Internet to make that shared promise a reality for all of us. Our fifth season is launching in May twenty twenty five. Listen, I don't need to tell any of you that there are some big change is happening in our world right now, and we need an
Internet that helps us face them together. So I hope you will join me and my guests on There Are No Girls on the Internet as we explore where keech went wrong, where it went right, and how we can build a better, brighter Internet for everyone. I think it'll be a good time and we'll find connection like we have in a long time. Listen to There No Girls on the Internet on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.