If I Only Knew

Matt brings you a very short episode today in the hubbub of the holidays to briefly tie up If I Only Knew for the year and let everyone know we'll be back next year - better than ever. Remember to follow or favourite the podcast now so we don't disappear from your recommended list over the break!

This week Fred and Matt discuss the feeling of schadenfreude - deriving pleasure from other people's misfortune. This is a common feature in online content and it has a powerful ability to attract attention. Listen in if this is your first time hearing about schadenfreude, if you're interested in the psychology that produces it, or to learn more about its role in online spaces.

This week Fred's back on the pod! Matt follows up his last discussion about SXSW by asking for Fred's thoughts on the ethics of children's presence online. Many kids today want to create and post content online, how should parents balance this with the risks of the internet? Moreover, what responsibilities might parents have when making the first digital footprints of their children on their own social media platforms. Finally, how does the allure of the influencer lifestyle impact on what kids today want? These are important questions for young people's online footprints, so listen in to learn more.

This week Matt reports back after a panel presentation at Sydney's SXSW on the datafication of Gen Z - is the collection of data about young people a good or bad thing? He disagreed with his co-panellists about the positives of this datafication, suggesting instead that it merely provides businesses with more tools to convince people to buy things.

However, an important point was raised by the supporters of this datafication: what if we actually had control over the data that was collected on us? Ultimately, a system where we could actually track where our data is, and then choose what to keep or remove, surely seems like the best-case scenario. Join Matt to learn a little more about these dynamics.

Matt's been left with the podcasting microphone today as Fred attends to far less interesting matters at Humanity Health Group. Wielding this power, Matt gives us a short tour of the possible future of information as AI image generation matures.

What happens when any image can be created with perfect fidelity? It might just undermine the unspoken reliance we all have on photography to validate our understanding of reality. Join us as Matt explains why young people don't answer their phones, why you never see a camera phone in Star Wars, and the externalities AI might just impose on society.

This week Fred has been intrigued by the political campaign to #ringarelo about the Voice Referendum. Join us to hear a bit more about the political mobilisation of young people, the benefits it can bring, and the costs it can impose on young people and adults alike.

This week Fred and Matt reach into their wheelhouse to offer some thoughts on the value of advisory committees to decision-makers. This is especially relevant as Australia holds a referendum to enshrine an advisory body in the constitution, but it is also a topic close to the heart of this podcast as Matt's first role with Fred was as Chair of Humanity Health Group's Youth Advisory Committee. Join us to learn how Fred makes use of advice when making decisions, how advisory committees can lead the way on constructive changes, and what this means for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

This week Matt makes use of Fred's extensive management experience to ask what it means to continue to educate and skill yourself once you join the workforce. Disillusioned by much of his time at university, Matt wants to know what other options there are for gaining more skills and improving his work in the future. Fred provides some interesting thoughts on the idea of 'education fatigue' and how cultivating passions and experiences can serve as important skills-building.

This week Fred and Matt chat about the recent Women's World Cup. This was a dramatically successful event in Australia, captivating audiences, but it was marred at the podium when Spanish star Jenni Hermoso was kissed on stage by Spanish football President Luis Rubiales without her consent.

This caused dramatic backlash, but Rubiales refuses to step down and was initially supported by the Spanish soccer club.

What does this event say about our social progress towards safety and equality for everyone? Is this a worrying signal of entrenched patriarchy, or merely a storm in a teacup? Listen in this week to find out.

Addendum: as of 11/09/2023 Luis Rubiales has resigned. This provides a fascinating backdrop to our discussion and the possible influence of collective action.

Fred brings his clinical experience this week to explore why people loves their pets so much. People are often willing to put pets before themselves, yet this doesn't seem like a very smart evolutionary move. What is it about pets that commands such devotion, and why are they able to bring such joy to our lives?

Join us this week to find out.