Subprime Attention: Will Ad Bubbles Collapse the Internet?
2 Feb 2022
・ 22 min listen
Advertising fuels much of the Internet today. But what if programmatic, targeted ads don't actually work? We read Tim Hwang's Subprime Attention Crisis.
The Essay: Like
22 Dec 2021
・ 25 min listen
Like buttons are everywhere. But is liking really all that likeable? We investigate it all, from zero likes to like hiding. With a touch of proper hedonism.
The Papers: Edit Wars (On a Wiki)
19 Nov 2021
・ 19 min listen
Wikipedia’s backstage is a battlefield. Well, sometimes at least. In this episode we look at the edit wars fermenting in articles on the world’s biggest encyclopedia.
The Papers: Got Phished
5 Nov 2021
・ 22 min listen
You've won a prize! Or have you? This week we look at recent developments in phishing research. Think: Do your personal values make you more phishable? And do phishers always run a profit?
The Essay: Can You See My Slides?
23 Oct 2021
・ 19 min listen
Does powerpoint make you dim? We look at the debate, the evidence, the history. We might even throw in a little slideware liberation manifesto.
The Papers: Big Tech Lobbying
12 Oct 2021
・ 18 min listen
Big tech companies are spending precious euros lobbying the European Union to resist, or weaken, regulation of digital markets. A recent report by two lobby-watching groups has the ghastly details.
The Papers: Algorithmic Accountability
7 Oct 2021
・ 20 min listen
How are public sector bodies accountable for using algorithmic systems? We look at a recent report.