YOU: Technology + Identity

The average life expectancy in the United States is about 78 years. But what if it were 120 years? Or 300 years? Can technology really improve our bodies to increase our longevity? We begin by hearing from Josiah Zayner, a bio-hacker who took his gut health into his own hands. Then, host Claire L. Evans talks with transhumanist researcher Natasha Vita-More about how living longer might change the way we live our lives right now, and how it could affect our society for generations to come.

In the age of “going viral,” 15 minutes of fame takes on a whole new meaning. What happens when people go viral? And what happens when that fame turns ugly? Host Claire L. Evans talks with Brianna Wu about the harrowing story of Gamergate, how it changed her relationship with the internet, and where she is now.

Digital assistants have become a normal, but not necessarily seamless, part of our lives. In this episode of YOU, host Claire L. Evans and Lillian Rincon, who leads the team developing Google Assistant, dig into what our growing relationship with digital assistants says about who we are and how we relate to one another.

Is virtual reality the ultimate escape? Done right, could it completely convince the user that they are in an entirely different place—or even an entirely different person? In this episode we explore how virtual reality is challenging our notions of who we are. Alvaro Morales, co-founder of the Reunions Project, uses VR to connect families across continents. Then, host Claire L. Evans talks with Unity Labs’ Timoni West about how VR isn’t just an escape: It could actually help make our reality better.

When it comes to technology, the United States government has a reputation for lagging behind the private sector. But in a time when technology runs our lives, the real question is whether the government can use it to be more transparent and connected to the public. First, we hear from Anna Piperal about e-Estonia, the most advanced digital society in the world. Then host Claire L. Evans talks with Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code For America, on how the government can better harness technology to serve a tech-hungry population.

This week on YOU, host Claire L. Evans digs into blockchain, this trendy new thing everyone seems to be talking about—but that no one really seems to understand. Our guest Saya Iwasaki of Bitski talks about the mysterious origins of blockchain; how it’s being used to protect our money, our information, our art, and our identities; and its potential to change the entire internet—and possibly the world—forever. Artist Mitchell Chan explores the uses and philosophy of blockchain in conceptual art, and Grayson Earle and Maya Binyam talk about using blockchain to make bail.

Family has always been a touchstone of identity, but how has technology changed our idea of who we consider our family? We now have the ability to communicate with our family in more ways than ever before. In this episode, host Claire L. Evans talks with Chris Mikkelsen of Refunite about how refugees are finding their way back to their families, and Wendy and Ryan Kramer, the mother and son co-founders of the Donor Sibling Registry, who are using technology to challenge traditional notions of what family means.

So many people are searching for love, and dating apps are one of the most popular ways to find it. How can looking at the ways people date online reveal more about what we want and who we are? In the first episode of YOU, host Claire L. Evans talks with app developer Justin Long about how he hacked Tinder, photo editor Kelly Rakowski revamps old school personal ads for the modern age on Instagram, and Bumble’s former in-house sociologist Jess Carbino reveals how much dating has changed over the years—and how it hasn’t.

Welcome to YOU, a podcast about the intersection of technology, humanity, and identity, brought to you by Okta. Each episode, host Claire L. Evans speaks with renowned experts in the fields of science, technology, art, philosophy, and design about how tech is changing the way we see ourselves, each other, and the world. Together, we’ll explore the many facets of identity: how we quantify ourselves, find love and belonging, engage as citizens, and so much more.