Disconnected

The beautiful game is as much a business to be run as it is an experience to be shared, and both of these aspects now happen in ways that connect us all more than ever before.

As the almost-immediate response to global, social backlash towards the proposed European Super League demonstrates, social media’s power is potent, and has unlocked new opportunities for fans and clubs alike.

As Senior Manager for Marketing and Communications in the APAC region for one of the world’s most beloved clubs - FC Barcelona - Ben Wiggins joins me on Disconnected to share the incredible reach that sports teams possess in raising awareness for both themselves, and the sport as a whole.

This episode of Disconnected covers:

• How social media has more fans engaged with sporting events than ever before
• Sports stars using their platform for positive, global change
• The pack mentality afforded to fans by social platforms’ apparent anonymity
• How social media shut down the European Super League in a matter of hours
• Teams becoming brands vying for attention and opportunities beyond the sport
• What platforms can do to combat abuse as effectively as they combat copyrighted content

Links and references at: https://disconnectedpodcast.com/

Jag Sharma:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagsharma
https://www.instagram.com/jagsharma/

Jen Campbell:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-m-campbell/

Jason Kapadia:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkapadia/
https://www.instagram.com/jasonkapadia/

Felina Tan:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/felinagabrielletan/

Matt Webster:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwwebster/

To truly understand how the world of applications has evolved over the years - for better and for worse - it’s vital to observe how the development tools, app store platforms and whole tech landscape has evolved from inception to current day.

With app development pedigree spanning back to Microsoft’s Pocket PC, and a service used by around 20% of Londoners every month, Jason Kapadia’s credentials, experience and success place him perfectly to project the potentials and the pitfalls in the application space.

From resisting data harvesting advertising platforms to anticipating neural links as a high bandwidth interface of the future, we dive into the secrets behind the programs in your pocket on this riveting episode of Disconnected.

This episode covers:

• Jason’s early career in app development
• Key differences between iOS and Android’s platforms
• Resisting the industry norm of excessively storing our data
• How iOS 14.5 has changed advertising for large and small businesses
• Facebook’s battle with Apple for internet supremacy
• The future of high-bandwidth input sources and neural tech

Links and references at: https://disconnectedpodcast.com/

Jag Sharma:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagsharma
https://www.instagram.com/jagsharma/

Jen Campbell:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-m-campbell/

Jason Kapadia:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkapadia/
https://www.instagram.com/jasonkapadia/

Felina Tan:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/felinagabrielletan/

Matt Webster:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwwebster/

We all have a story that goes much like this: you talk to a friend about a product, then hours or days later the adverts served to you are flooded with the very same product. 

Where these two events have coincided so often, it’s given rise to the concern that our phones are always listening to us. So are big tech companies always eavesdropping, or could the truth be even more sinister?

Join me for the series premiere of Disconnected, where I unveil all the connections and data collection that your phone facilitates with intimidating regularity. How can we control our information? Who has access to it? And when we turn our phones off at night, are they really off…?

This episode of Disconnected covers:

• When our phones are really listening to us
• How mobile towers use signal strength to triangulate your position
• Location tracking through proximity to WiFi
• The hidden mission of the Google Street View vehicle
• Addressing the inequality of exchange between us and phone manufacturers

Links & references at: https://disconnectedpodcast.com/
Connect with Jag: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagsharma

Jag Sharma:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagsharma
https://www.instagram.com/jagsharma/

Jen Campbell:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-m-campbell/

Jason Kapadia:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkapadia/
https://www.instagram.com/jasonkapadia/

Felina Tan:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/felinagabrielletan/

Matt Webster:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwwebster/

Welcome to Disconnected, the podcast that peers behind the giant tech curtain to discover the truth behind the social media platforms and technologies that impact our everyday lives. 

Before diving into the depths of today’s ‘Web 2.0’ world, it’s time to get to know your personal guide through the algorithms and data collection behind social media - Jag Sharma. 

I’ve spent the last 12 years creating, developing and executing social media strategy for a number of global brands, witnessing the first hand impact of the negative feedback loops, ad targeting, and mass data collection that’s shaping the direction of our world.

Join me for the start of this journey, and subscribe to be notified of future episodes with compelling guests, fascinating debates, and social experiments from the discussions within each episode.

This episode of Disconnected covers:

• Jag’s global background in social media and content creation
• Remaining an advocate of social platforms despite its drawbacks
• Creating the world’s first fully shareable iPhone calendar app
• The advent of algorithmically targeted content
• How community monitoring helps regulate online hate speech

Links and references at: https://disconnectedpodcast.com/
Connect with Jag: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagsharma

Jag Sharma:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagsharma
https://www.instagram.com/jagsharma/

Jen Campbell:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-m-campbell/

Jason Kapadia:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkapadia/
https://www.instagram.com/jasonkapadia/

Felina Tan:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/felinagabrielletan/

Matt Webster:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwwebster/

Disconnected shines a light on the secrets and the impact that social media and technology is having on our society, culture, politics, human interactions, and behaviour. 

My name is Jag Sharma - and I’ve spent the last 12 years creating, developing and executing social media strategies for a number of global brands across a variety of industries, and have witnessed first-hand the impact that algorithms, behaviour modification, negative feedback loops, ad targeting, and mass data collection have had on shaping our world in a new direction.

This podcast is all about making you aware - giving you the insight, a look behind the giant tech curtain - and allowing you to make your own fully-informed decisions on how you strategically play (or don’t play) their game. 

This is not about advocating for going dark or deleting your accounts, this is about looking under the hood and getting more informed about what’s really happening to us on a societal level as result of our tech driven lives.

In each episode I’ll deep dive into a specific topic - from how social media and technology has swayed political debates, how’s it’s disrupting societies, how we are losing access to truth, how we are losing our ability for empathy, to how our behaviour is being subtly changed little by little without us even realising.

We’ll even be chatting to a number of high-profile guests along the way, discussing specific topics and seeing how they are navigating through this complex world in their professional and personal lives.I’ll be producing a new episode regularly, so be sure to subscribe to receive a notification for a new release - you can also follow me on either Instagram (@jagsharma) or add me on LinkedIn, where I’ll be conducting debates and social experiments from the discussions within the episodes.

I’d love for you to join the conversation and share your thoughts and opinions on how social media and technology is influencing our lives.

Jag Sharma:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagsharma
https://www.instagram.com/jagsharma/

Jen Campbell:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-m-campbell/

Jason Kapadia:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkapadia/
https://www.instagram.com/jasonkapadia/

Felina Tan:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/felinagabrielletan/

Matt Webster:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwwebster/

Part 1 of my interview on the 'Maharani Talks' podcast.  Part 2 will not be posted here, you'll need to go to the Maharani Talks podcast to listen :) 
In part 1 of this interview, I talk a little bit about my background and then go into my thoughts on the current state of social media, including how social is turning us into 'packs' on occasions when it's better for us to think for ourselves.  

In this episode I explore the difference between a 'user' and a 'customer' in the world of big technology and social media platforms. 
If something is free to use, then you are not the customer, you are the product that is for sale.  This is a simplistic way to look at your use of services like Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, WeChat, Weibo, and the rest.  A lot of people have the misconception that it’s our data being sold.  It’s not in these companies interests to sell our data.  
However, I wish it was this simple.  I wish it was as straight forward as us using a service for free in exchange for being served ads.  I wish it was as simple as us using a service and our data being sold.  
There’s something much deeper going on.  

With the 2020 US Presidential election on the horizon, I take a look back at the potential role that Russia played in interfering with the 2016 US election.  Many believe that social media was used as a tool for voter suppression.  The evidence appears to point towards Russian-run social media accounts targeting supporters of Black Lives Matter, encouraging it's followers to not bother voting.  Could the same happen in the 2020 US election between Trump & Biden?  

Has Facebook's mantra of 'Move Fast & Break Things' broken things beyond repair in Myanmar? 
Facebook's smartphone app is so popular in Myanmar, that the word Facebook & Internet are used interchangeably.  Hate speech towards a minority group grew on the platform, as did mob killings on the minority group.  Today, some would call what's going on in Myanmar as genocide.  Estimations of up to 25,000 deaths and a million people fleeing to neighouring countries.  To what level did Facebook & the Smartphone have to play in this, and could things have been done differently? 

Facebook are setting up an oversight board, which some describe as a type of 'Supreme Court of Facebook'.  In an attempt to win over concerned governments, free speech advocates, and users, Facebook want to show that they are taking big steps to combat some of the more controversial goings on within their platforms. The boards role is to judge what should and shouldn't be allowed to appear on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. In this podcast, I delve into how it plans to be rolled out, how it works, and why Facebook would even want to set up such an institution.