Ben Tarnoff has a radical idea: unprivatize the Internet. The writer, Logic Magazine founder, and tech worker activist joins us to talk about his new book outlining what a truly public Internet would look like, from the fiber optic cables to the social media platforms platforms.
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Will Google and Meta Control Africa’s Broadband? with Andrew Blum and Carey Baraka
Google and Meta have been spending a small fortune to lay undersea cables bringing more broadband to Africa. Journalists Andrew Blum and Carey Baraka join us this week to talk about their years-in-the-making article for Rest of World asking if those companies will control what Africans can and can’t access onli
The Attention Economy with Vincent F. Hendricks and Camilla Mehlsen
Loads of stimulus, quick hits of dopamine, and no natural light: does this describe a casino or Facebook? The Danish philosopher Vincent F. Hendricks and digital media researcher Camilla Mehlsen join to walk us through their new book The Ministry of Truth, which explore how the attention economy incentivizes social media companies to make products… Continue reading The Attention Economy with Vincent F. Hendricks and Camilla Mehlsen
Prospect (UK): If you don’t trust banks, why should you trust cryptocurrency?
Ethan tackles the question of trust in cryptocurrency, as well as the question of why Europe just doesn’t care as much about Bitcoin.
Brandy Zadrozny, NBC’s Conspiracy Theory Sleuth
Brandy Zadrozny just made one of our favorite podcasts of the year, NBC’s Tiffany Dover is Dead, so we needed to get her on the show to talk about the ins and outs of debunking conspiracy theories with gumshoe reporting.
Internet of Goldfish with Bruno Patino
Bruno Patino thinks the economics of the Internet are set up to give us the attention spans of goldfish. In this week’s episode, Bruno tells us why France, a country such good public broadcast media, has so much trouble reigning in corporate social media.
Prospect (UK): Can Russia really disconnect from the rest of the digital world?
Ethan addresses the long-standing idea that Russian can create its own so-called splinternet, potentially with the goal of limiting citizens’ access to information that would foster dissent against military actions in Ukraine.
How do we reimagine Twitter?
With news that Elon Musk is purchasing Twitter, we recorded a rare hot takes episode. In addition to Ethan sharing his thoughts, we invited Deepti Doshi from New Public and Nathan Schneider on to talk about the need for platforms that bolster democracy.
Brandon Silverman, ex-Crowdtangle/Facebook: “legislation is coming”
Brandon Silverman developed a news analytics tool called Crowdtangle that was so good at tracking popular stories on Facebook that the company acquired it. Today on Reimagining the Internet, Brandon tells us how he’s working to regulate his former employer. Transcript Ethan Zuckerman: Hey, everybody. Welcome back to Reimagining The Internet. I remain Ethan Zuckerman.… Continue reading Brandon Silverman, ex-Crowdtangle/Facebook: “legislation is coming”
Prospect (UK): “War as mediated catastrophe”
Ethan writes about the role of social media and Russian propaganda in the Ukranian invasion.