In this episode of the E+T: Off the Page podcast, regular contributors Tim Fryer, Jack Loughran and Tanya Weaver are joined by special guest Coral James O’Connor from City University London to dicuss social media and its potential to disrupt the democratic process. The discussion delves into the impact of social media on political communication, particularly its potential to spread misinformation and challenge established communication practices within political campaigns. As governments globally grapple with these issues, the conversation shifts to whether traditional journalistic standards can keep up with the rapid evolution of media technologies like deepfakes, especially in an election year when over half the world’s population will be voting.

A core part of the conversation also focuses on deepfake technology, with the team discussing how such media can blur the lines between reality and fabrication, making it increasingly difficult for viewers to trust what they see. The panel also highlights the challenge of self-regulation on platforms like TikTok and Facebook, noting how these networks often lack editorial oversight, leading to rapid misinformation spread. Ultimately, the discussion circles back to whether the responsibility of sifting truth from falsehood falls on the individual or if tech companies and governments must adopt more rigorous controls.

With special guests:
Chris Edwards
Paul Dempsey

The Digital Silk Road is China’s technological arm of its belt and road initiative. While the country has been known as the world’s biggest manufacturer, the Communist Party under President Xi Jinping has increasingly pivoted towards sectors that are expected to define future economic success, such as AI, chipmaking and 5G.

The Digital Silk Road also allows China to expand its soft power influence beyond domestic borders. It uses foreign investments – often from developing countries in Latin America and Africa – to provide jobs for its glut of engineers. It also gives Chinese companies such as Huawei the opportunity to become technology leaders on a global scale in a sector previously dominated by US firms such as Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook.

E+T editors Jack Loughran and Tim Fryer discuss how successful the initiative has been with regular contributors Paul Dempsey, and Chris Edwards who wrote this issue’s lead feature on the topic.

The E+T editorial team explore whether life imitates art when it comes to sci-fi.
From Doctor Who to Star Wars, Alien, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and more: the E+T editorial team take a look at how technology has played a role in entertainment and how entertainment – specifically science-fiction – has inspired technology.