Spark

This week, a look at TikTok's "witch hunt effect" and how the design of digital online communities and platforms contribute to the spread of hero/villain narratives that centre on everyday people.

It's a cliché to say the world is getting smaller. But where the distance between countries, people and even cultures was a material thing, some say technology is making the concept of "space" irrelevant. What will space and our sense of place be like in 30 years?

Description From cultural appropriation to algorithmic bias to the commodification of trauma, Black creators and consumers of digital media are forced to confront a variety of challenges online. (This episode first aired in October 2021, and has been updated to reflect that.)

A look at what makes us distinctively us in a world we share with animals and artificial intelligence— from the dreams we have, to our unique type of brain power.

A look at the evolutionary psychology of friendship, and how digital tech has shaped our friendships and our fundamental sense of togetherness.

How will technology influence the way we govern and are governed in 2050?

From submarine cables to weather satellites, we look at some of the hidden technology that processes the data we use every day. (This is an encore presentation)

Big tech has been buzzing about the metaverse for months. A deep look into what it actually is and why digital currency may be the coin of the virtual realm.

New theories on the nature of human consciousness and what this means for how we think about artificial intelligence.

A Spark guidebook on how to concentrate in a world of near constant digital distraction. (This episode first aired in March 2020, and has been updated to reflect that.)