Does 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. Happy birthday to the pod! References available at: https://www.theintersectionofthings.com/episodes/ep22-curiosity Find us: Intersection of T ..read more

How 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 ..read more

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". Full references available at: www.theintersectionofthings.com/episodes/ep28-new-celebrity @thingsintersect www.theintersectionofthings.com ..read more

Rural 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 ..read more

Lockdown 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. Full references available at: www.theintersectionofthings.com/episodes/ep26-clicktivism @thingsintersect www.theintersectionofthings.com Available on Apple podcasts ..read more

Right now the thrill of a package arriving is one of our small joys, but who, how and why makes that happen? How indie artists are manipulating Disney’s god-like powers for good. Hear about consumerism as a form of entertainment, from satirical reviews to Wish-haul videos. Plus, Harry Styles, TikTok knits, ghost carts, hacking capitalism and more. Full references available at: https://www.theintersectionofthings.com/episodes/ep-25-shopping @thingsintersect www.theintersectionofthings.com Available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/intersection-of-things/id1355495484?mt=2 Soundclou ..read more

In our Halloween special Marianela and Ruth gather round a virtual campfire and tell each other tales of the Internet. The things we fell for, and the things it revealed to us. We talk about cute animal stories, ethics in psychology experiments, haunted emails and blessed tumblr posts. The twisted parables that have lost their meaning, ugly fruit, and the real story behind the garages they say birthed Google, Amazon, Disney, Dell, Microsoft. Full footnotes available at: https://www.theintersectionofthings.com/episodes/ep-24-internet-myths Find us: Intersection of Things: @thingsintersect www.t ..read more

How 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. Footnotes: www.theintersectionofthings.com/episodes/ep12-scifi Find us: @thingsintersect www.theintersectionofthings.com Deji Bryce Olukotun @dejiridoo Ruth Coustick-Deal: @nesient Marianela Ramos Capelo: @undazedandsuch ..read more

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 video series for her insights. Full footnotes are available at: https://www.th ..read more

How 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. Full footnotes: https://www.theintersectionofthings.com/episodes/ep11-parenting Find us: @thingsintersect www.theintersectionofthings.com Ruth Coustick-Deal: @nesient Marianela Ramos Capelo: @undazedandsuch ..read more