Every once in a while, a passion project becomes something real. And I’m over-the-moon to share with you news of our new podcast, called “So…Bob?” — a weekly conversation about the unintended consequences of technology. I haven’t been this excited about a new project since the birth of The Red Tape Chronicles.
Alia Tavakolian and I will take on the big (tech) issues of our time: Is the Internet making us dumber and lonelier? What does consent mean in the age of click-wrap agreements? What will we do when robots take all our jobs? And why can’t I stop watching Netflix all night?
There’s lots of great things about technology, of course. Many us enjoy living in a privileged time. But technology has also added a lot of frustration and alienation to our lives. It’s easy to miss, but you can feel it. When was the last time you enjoyed conversation uninterrupted by a glance at a cell phone? Or worked on a project for two hours without a bloop, bleep, or blink “attacking” your attention?
Regular readers know I’ve spent years writing about these topics, most recently in my Restless Project series. I only began to scratch the surface there, however.
I harbor a deep concern that most people are slowly being hacked by corporations and their gadgets, and it’s become harder and hard to be a smart, independent consumer in our world. As one of our show guests put it recently, technology and its subtle hacking of our humanity has the ability to take away our very freedom to make rational choices about life.
Alia, who you all know from the Breach podcast series, is the perfect person to join me on this journey. Her curiosity and open spirit mean she is always asking the right questions and she has a knack for getting great answers out of people. Together, we will try to make sense out of this new world for you. Along the way, we’ll be joined by many of the experts I’ve gotten to know during my past 20 years of reporting on these issues. Hopefully, you’ll join us, too. As with the Red Tape Chronicles, my hope is that the show is ultimately fueled mainly by all the great questions that you provide.
What’s the show about? What will it sound like? Click play above (if the button appears) or click on the link to listen to a two-minute trailer using the podcast player of your choice. And subscribe so you don’t forget: Our first show hits Monday morning, and we’ll keep bringing you new episodes every week.
You can follow us on Twitter at @SoBobPod. Or email us questions at SoBob@spokemedia.io
There’s lots to talk about: Can’t wait to get started.
Click here for the iTunes link
or
Click here for the Sticher link
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