What is a viral scare and where do they come from? This episode we look at internet urban legends and how hoaxes spread in the age of online misinformation. Featuring: Marcella Tambuscio - Postdoctoral Fellow at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Giovanni Luca Ciampaglia - Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Florida. Anne Kruger - Bureau Editor of First Draft Australia, University of Technology Sydney. Produced by Jake Morcom and Vi...
Oct 10, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 112
And why it's not being used to improve the public transport system. Featuring: Claudine Moutou - Transport Sociologist at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney. Mat Hounsell - Senior Research Consultant at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney.
Oct 01, 2019•17 min•Season 1Ep. 111
What happens to your digital life when you die? Featuring: James Meese - Senior Lecturer in the School of Communication at the University of Technology Sydney. Megan Yip - Estate Planning and Post Death Admin Attorney in California.
Sep 24, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 110
What makes video games such a nostalgic medium? This episode we look at the uniquely nostalgic qualities of video games and how the gaming industry is profiting off your nostalgia. Featuring: George Mitri - Avid Gamer and Graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Games Development degree at the University of Technology Sydney. Aaron Chetcuti - Avid Gamer and Graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Games Development degree at the University of Technology Sydney. James Sweeting - PhD Researcher and As...
Sep 17, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 109
The rate of unemployment for those with intellectual disability is more than four times that of the non-disabled population. Stigma and ableism continue to widen this gap. On this episode, you'll hear about a program tackling this divide and how the online world is helping make career goals a reality. Featuring: Jonathan and Annette - Participants of Start Up. Katie Butler - Program Director for Start Up at Challenge Community Services. Beth Innes - Grants Coordinator at Challenge Community Serv...
Jul 23, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 108
The video gaming world is full of digital geniuses, but this isn't limited to those designing the games. The Modders are an international community of gamers reengineering the code and backend of video games to alter the in-game universe. Many do it for fun, some for prestige, but others are more politically driven. Featuring: Karl Munstedt - Digital Artist and Technologist, Creator of Grand Theft Homo. Dr William Raffe - Codiretor of the Game Studio Research Group and Senior Lecturer in the Fac...
Jul 16, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 107
Porn performers and sex workers face heavy stigma. This stigma is pervasive and socially excludes in multiple ways. In this episode, we look at how many mental health services are discriminating against those working in the adult industry and the online networks offering support for performers. Featuring: Max Arion - Sex Worker and Porn Performer. Leya Tanit - President and Founder of Pineapple Support. Paul Byron - Researcher in the School of Communication at the University of Technology Sydney...
Jul 10, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 106
With Earth's natural resources diminishing at a rapid rate, many tech giants are dubbing space as our salvation. Billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are pumping out extravagant technologies intended to establish human life on space bodies with unlimited resources. But what's wrong with these aspirations? And what does having billionaires at the fore of these conversations say about our space goals? Featuring: Damien Williams - PhD Researcher in the Department of Science, Tech and Society ...
Jul 04, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 105
The stories we tell about technology are mostly positive, they connect our world and make the impossible possible. But when it comes to the technologies used by disabled people, these stories are often lazy and reinforce damaging stereotypes. In this episode, Ashley Shew (Virginia Tech) explores what these stereotypes are and how technology isn't always the fix it's promised to be. Simon Darcy (University of Technology Sydney) unpacks the ableism in disability research while Josh Halstead (UC Be...
Jun 18, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Waiting for your next Think: Digital Futures fix? We’ve got something else for you in the meantime. Introducing a new season of All Things Equal. This series will take you into the school yard and beyond, where kids learn that things aren't always fair. Through the stories of real students and staff, Uniform will change the way you think about education; because when it comes to learning, one size does not fit all. Subscribe to All Things Equal in your favourite podcast app, or listen to the sho...
May 09, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 103
The survival rate of CPR is incredibly low and hasn't changed in more than 25 years. While a compulsory skill for health professionals, research shows CPR performance drastically declines just weeks after receiving training. So why is a skill that helps save lives failing so many? In this episode we look at how feedback devices could help boost the survival rate of CPR. Nursing student Bec Karslake (University of Technology Sydney) explains what it's like to use these devices firsthand, while re...
Apr 16, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Smart devices have connected our world, but not without a price. The rise of the internet of things, an interconnected ecosystem of smart devices, raises concerns about the security and privacy of your personal data. But in the digital age, are security and privacy a myth? This episode, hardware security blogger Limited Results explains how IoT tech is failing to keep your information secure. IoT Security expert Imran Makhdoom (University of Technology Sydney) calls out the manufacturers and Par...
Apr 09, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 101
The narrative of the pirate is a potent one. The pirate is a devious, morally corrupt criminal who doesn't care about you or the law. But where does this narrative come from? And just how accurate is it? This episode, James Meese (University of Technology Sydney) introduces us to the original pirates and runs through the timeline of copyright law. Tom MacDonald (Queens University) pleads the case for the political digital pirate, articulating how piracy pushes back against the control of copyrig...
Apr 02, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 100
The adult industry continues to face heavy stigma. Not only are they demoralised for what they do, they're excluded from the financial institutions that many of us take for granted. This makes it extremely difficult to secure a loan, get insurance and keep their business afloat. This episode we unpack how cryptocurrency offers financial autonomy for the adult industry. Mattias Hulting (Ramblin' Brands) walks us through his journey with the vibrator line, Smile Makers. Leah Callon-Butler (intimat...
Mar 26, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Virtual assistants have become core to smartphones and speakers, but why are they all women? In this episode, feminist AI researcher Josie Young explains that a series of research projects in the 90s set a problematic baseline for gendering technology. While Josie illustrates how narrow minded design can be damaging, data scientist Theresa Anderson (Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation - University of Technology Sydney) makes the case for an ethical AI framework.
Mar 19, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 98
When it comes to the workplace, nowhere are the barriers of gender-based discrimination felt more keenly than in the STEMM fields. This episode we explore where the lines are drawn when it comes to "getting ahead" in male-dominated workplaces, and what we can all do to challenge this hierarchy. Producer Cheyne Anderson chats to Meredith Nash (University of Tasmania) about why the dominant "lean in" philosophy just doesn't cut it. Karen O'Connell (University of Technology Sydney) explains the inv...
Dec 04, 2018•25 min•Season 1Ep. 97
As the world's pre-eminent gay networking service and the first gay geosocial app to launch on iTunes, Grindr offers its users a filter heavy experience where they can refine the selection of men around them to connect with those they find the most attractive. However, for as long as the app has been running, Grindr has been awash with criticism that one particular filter fosters a culture of racism - an ethnicity filter. This episode, you'll hear from Sinakhone Keodara who not only denounces th...
Oct 29, 2018•24 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Across all mental illnesses, anorexia nervosa has the highest rate of mortality. But pro-eating disorder websites on social media platforms like Instagram and Tumblr host communities of individuals who promote disordered eating as a choice, not as an illness, and use the internet to share tips and discuss their food restrictions. We spoke with author Dr June Alexander, Dr Ysabel Gerrard, Lecturer in Digital Media and Society at The University of Sheffield, and Rachel Cohen, psychologist at the B...
Oct 22, 2018•25 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Digital technology is increasingly used in domestic and family violence. Research from the University of Queensland shows that almost any technology, including social media and GPS-trackers, can be used for abusive purposes. The rise of digital technologies in our everyday life have raised a whole new set of questions concerning preventing domestic violence and enforcing apprehended violence orders. We spoke with Professor Heather Douglas from the TC Beirne School of Law at the University of Que...
Oct 15, 2018•21 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Earlier this year students in years three, five, seven, and nine were assessed on their reading, writing, language and numeracy as part of the National Assessment program, or NAPLAN. The data obtained from the NAPLAN tests are collated and used to show all schools' average performance against other schools in the country on the Government MySchool website. Just last month students and parents all over the country received their NAPLAN results admits growing national controversy surrounding the c...
Sep 17, 2018•21 min•Season 1Ep. 93
The rise of artificial intelligence has as many anxious as it does excited, with people concerned that autonomous technologies could automate them out of a job. But as technology continues to make huge leaps forward, there’s very little in the way of policy to ensure these innovations don’t disrupt people's working lives and contribute to a more unequal society. Producer Cheyne Anderson teams up with Think: Sustainability's Jake Morcom to offer two perspectives on the possible impacts of growing...
Sep 10, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Journalist and novelist Behrouz Boochani has been detained on Manus Island since 2013. And despite living in a highly controlled environment designed to prevent access to digital technologies allowing him access to the outside world, Behrouz has been our eyes and ears in to the Manus Island Regional Processing Centre for the last 5 years. We chat with Behrouz from Manus over Whatsapp and we speak with Associate Professor Linda Leung, from the University of Technology Sydney.
Sep 03, 2018•25 min•Season 1Ep. 91
In 2013, Texan crypto-anarchist Cody Wilson uploaded blueprints for The Liberator, the world's first 3D printed gun. What followed was a fiery debate over whether or not 3D printed guns should be legal. Producer Cheyne Anderson explores how the 3D printed gun taps into deep anxieties playing out in the United States. She chats to Tim Lytton from the Georgia State University College of Law about the historical context of the debate. Then she chats to Aaron Seymour (University of Technology Sydney...
Aug 27, 2018•30 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Australians have until the 15th of November to opt out of having a My Health Record. This episode, producer Joe Koning explores why "opting out" is a problematic way of drawing users into a system. We meet Lisa, a 31 year old woman living in Sydney who discovered she had a My Health Record created for her, without even knowing about it. We also chat to Jane Hall (University of Technology Sydney) and Joshua Badge (Deakin University) about the economic and ethical "Nudge" theory behind the My Heal...
Aug 20, 2018•31 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Would you spend hours watching someone you’ve never met play computer games? What about watching them hang out in the living room with their dog or baking cookies? This episode tackles ideas about digital identity and friendship in live streaming communities and how it’s changing the way we approach our emotional wellbeing. We chat to streamer ThisNancy, IRL streamer and TV Presenter Angharad Yeo, and researcher Rob Gallagher (King’s College London).
Jul 30, 2018•26 min•Season 1Ep. 88
A conversation with Rob Gallagher from King's College London on identity, aesthetics and the ASMR community. He wrote the article Eliciting Euphoria Online which you can read here. The video you heard was from ASMR-tist Heather Feather and you can find the online community on Reddit.
Jul 27, 2018•13 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Wiradjuri physics and astronomy student Kirsten Banks chats to Myles Houlbrook-Walk about what she sees when she looks up at the stars
Jul 23, 2018•12 min•Season 1Ep. 86
The NBN rollout is nearly complete across rural and regional Australia and with it the promise to shrink the digital divide. But it still doesn’t feel that way for many regional Australians still struggling with poor internet speeds and connectivity. This episode we meet the people building independent internet networks for their local community. We meet John Sinclair from the Kangaroo Valley Broadband Network and Tim and Aaron from rural SA and Tassie respectively. We also chat to Robin Braun (...
Jul 16, 2018•23 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Whoever controls the data controls the story. Across the globe, Indigenous peoples are coming together to take control of the data collected “about” them but not “for” them. How can data be used to help rather than problematise? We chat to Maggie Walter (University of Tasmania) about the perceived threat of sovereignty and Bhiamie Williamson (Australian National University) about just saying "no" to data collection.
Jul 08, 2018•32 min•Season 1Ep. 84
A reflection on time, and how we mediate it through digital technology. Thanks to Tara and Andrew McLennan.
Jul 02, 2018•21 min•Season 1Ep. 83
