Exploring bleeding edge experiments, oddities, new and bizarre dicoveries, and fact-checking conspiracy theories since 2008. No question is out of bounds and no topic is too strange for a deep dive.
# oddities
Combine malicious propaganda with paranoid people who want to believe they know secrets they don’t, and you get a noxious mess.
# tech
With an invasion of Ukraine and thinly veiled threats of nuclear war, we’re living on the edge of World War 3 thanks to Rupert Murdoch, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
# politics
A massively profitable global industry got that way by showing people only what they already believe. Now we’re dealing with the fallout.
# education
Debunking scams and disinformation has become exponentially harder. We need to dig deep into why people believe what they do, and how social media exploits their fear and anger.
# podcast
Is your favorite influencer suddenly interested in cryptocurrency and really wants you to buy some? Don’t do it. It’s almost certainly a scam.
# tech
Social media platforms want to take a note from dystopian science fiction and lock you into a virtual world for growth and profit.
# tech
Facebook is now the poster child for all of Big Tech’s evils, and deservedly so. The big question is what comes next.
# tech
Once associated with lefty politics, hipsters, and hippies, wellness influencers and their audiences are taking a sudden right wing turn, and social media may be to blame.
# podcast
Wondering why your relatives are sharing QAnon memes and how a fringe conspiracy theory became a global religion for the far right? Us too. That’s why we talked to an expert.
# science
Plenty of pundits have quipped that social media and constant texting made us lonelier, more bitter, and less empathetic. A set of new studies says they may actually have a point.