We’re back with an update about what’s been going on with Bridget, and exploring a new low for the use of AI. AI-written obituaries are using technology to compound people’s grief and run roughshod over their privacy: https://www.fastcompany.com/91162990/ai-written-obituaries-are-compounding-peoples-grief Bridget has had it with digital scammers eating away at our humanity, just so they can make a lousy buck.  She has a very special set of skills.  And this time, it's personal. See...

Hi There Are No Girls On The Internet Fans! Take a listen to the trailer of our newest show, Weird Little Guys. About the show: Investigative journalist Molly Conger takes you beyond the headlines to examine some of the worst people on the planet, most of whom you’ve never heard of. These are the weird little guys trying to ruin life as we know it. Listen here and subscribe to Weird Little Guys on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

An update about Bridget and the show. TLDR: We're going on hiatus for a bit while Bridget focuses on some family matters, but we'll be back with new episodes soon!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon responds to Shein and Temu threat with new low-price storefront: https://www.techspot.com/news/103565-amazon-responds-shein-temu-threat-new-low-price.html Fast fashion retailer Shein’s brand trip didn’t quite go as they planned. They sent a group of influencers to China to tour their facility after a bunch of bad press, but now those influencers are facing backlash themselves, and renouncing their partnership with Shein. The whole thing raises questions about the ethics and harm of...

Want to write a book, be a musician, or be a podcaster? You’d better also be a social media branding expert, too. Bridget joins writers and creatives Yvest Jeffcoat and Katie Mitchell from the podcast On Theme to dive into why social media has turned everyone into personal branding experts and why it can sometimes be so exhausting.  Everyone’s a sellout now: https://www.vox.com/culture/2024/2/1/24056883/tiktok-self-promotion-artist-career-how-to-build-following LISTEN TO YVES AND KATIE'S...

What’s the Deal With ‘Hawk Tuah’ Girl? https://www.thecut.com/article/hawk-tuah-girl-viral-tiktok-video-explained.html  Exposing Cheaters Isn’t Always a Flex https://www.thecut.com/article/man-cheating-on-flight-tiktok.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Georgia Congressman Mike Collins tweeted in support of frat guys harassing a Black woman with racist tropes… nothing really happened. Popular Information's Judd Legum explores why we need better stories about our democracy, the intersection of media complacency with corporate money, and what's at stake. UPDATE: Congressman Collins feels the heat: https://popular.info/p/update-congressman-collins-feels See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friend of the show Abbie Richards explains why low effort AI generated conspiracy theory content is all over TikTok right now and who is profiting from it.  With TikTok creator program, AI-sped misinformation pays: https://www.axios.com/2024/03/26/tik-tok-creator-program-ai-misinformation Follow Abbie Richards on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tofology See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If a tree falls in the garden where a woman enjoys drinking coffee with her husband and no one’s there to hear it, should the Internet harass her anyway? In 2022, Daisey sent one innocuous tweet that launched a thousand takes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Pride Month, which is a great time to be thinking about the LGBTQ people who have been beacons of the vastness of what is possible for our communities. In this episode, Bridget highlights the incredible achievements of Lynn Conway, a trans woman who invented a lot of the tech we take for granted today. Despite a successful track record at IBM, her contributions were credited to others for almost 50 years until IBM formally apologized and recognized her in 2020. She was a bad ass...

2024 isn’t just an election year, it’s THE election year, with almost half the global population voting in elections this year. And unfortunately women leaders and candidates are facing identity based attacks just for wanting to serve their communities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Outspoken Network’s new pod But We Loved: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-but-we-loved-174494262/ Listen to Joey’s take on Bottoms on Stuff Mom Never Told You: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-mom-never-told-you-21123631/episode/feminist-movie-friday-bottoms-183565696/ Israel Secretly Targeted American Lawmakers With Gaza War Influence Campaign:...

Grant program for Black women business owners is discriminatory, appeals court rules: https://www.npr.org/2024/06/03/g-s1-2649/fearless-fund-grant-program-appeal-ruling Fearless Fund is a Black woman-led venture capital firm that offers investment, financial support, and mentorship to Black women-owned businesses.  But they are under attack for providing support for traditionally marginalized entrepreneurs. Edward Blum, the professional hater at the heart of the Supreme Court’s legal...

Hi There Are No Girls On The Internet Fans! Take a listen to the trailer of our newest show Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) About the show: Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) is a weekly show from Jamie Loftus that takes a closer look at the internet’s main characters – one part reported, one part interviews, and one part Jamie collapsing her permanently internet-damaged brain. Whether it’s an enduring meme or a dreaded Character of the Day distinction, it’s the kind of notoriety that often results in...

HE’S GUILTY song of the summer by Mad McFadden: https://www.tiktok.com/@madmcferrin/video/7374903247653326122 'All Eyes on Rafah' image shared by millions on Instagram following Israeli airstrike: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/-eyes-rafah-image-shared-millions-instagram-rcna154380 Donate to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund: https://www.pcrf.net/ 'Sextortion guides' sold on social media, BBC finds: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp00y03q93mo AI image misinformation has...

After the tragedy at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival that left 10 dead and hundreds injured and traumatized, the rapper announced a “partnership” to provide a free month of therapy through the app BetterHelp, which is basically the Tinder of therapy.  Jeff Guenthr, creator of Therapy Den, has been using his platform on TikTok to shed light on BetterHelp’s practices when it comes to data privacy and the way therapists are treated. Jeff joins Bridget and producer Dr. Michael Amato to talk...

Spike Jonze’s 2013 movie Her is in the tech zeitgeist. Have tech leaders watched the whole thing?  Brian Merchant’s piece on Her and Open AI is a must read: https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/why-is-sam-altman-so-obsessed-with?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Bridget rocking Google Glass in 2013: https://www.instagram.com/p/Z1xL1OHw-Z/?igsh=MTR0OXU5aGV2Z3V3NA%3D%3D Listen to our summary of the Open AI Scarlett Johansson controversy here:...

Scarlett Johansson says Open AI ripped off her voice for their ChatGPT4.0 even after she said no. No means no, Sam Altman!  Here’s what their behavior says about consent in tech. Scarlett Johansson Says OpenAI Ripped Off Her Voice for ChatGPT: https://www.wired.com/story/scarlett-johansson-says-openai-ripped-off-her-voice-for-chatgpt/ AI Art and the Problem of Consent https://artreview.com/ai-art-and-the-problem-of-consent/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The weekly news roundup is back! Bridget’s piece of Elizabeth Holmes’ hair: https://www.instyle.com/hair/elizabeth-holmes-white-privilege-messy-hair Zuck's new style was on full display at his birthday: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/rapper-swag-zuck-gone-too-085234346.html #Blockout2024: Why people are blocking celebrities on social media: https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-blockout-2024-celebrity-met-gala About 800,000 BetterHelp online therapy customers receive refund notices for privacy...

Kate Taylor’s reporting led to HBO’s new documentary Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion. She joins Bridget to discuss what Brandy Mellville’s rise says about social media, girlhood, and exploitation, and what it means for the rest of us.   Read Kate’s piece (all of her pieces are dope) https://www.businessinsider.com/brandy-melville-teen-fast-fashion-racism-exploitation-hitler-marsan-2021-9  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Campuses are canceling and shrinking graduation ceremonies after waves of student protests. The protests have also triggered a wave of harassment, doxxing, and online harm. Caroline and Sam, digital security and privacy experts with Convocation Research and Design, share some shocking facts and thought provoking perspectives about state surveillance during the protests.  They also describe steps people can take to help protect their own privacy and safety.  Follow Convocation Research and...

More and more workers are unionizing across the country.  Metalhead and labor journalist Kim Kelly on the exciting new wave of unionization and what it means. Follow Kim Kelly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrimKim Check out Kim’s new book Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fight-Like-Hell/Kim-Kelly/9781982171056 Join our newsletter: Tangoti.com/newsletter And you can follow our very own iHeart Podcast Union on Twitter:...

Even if you’ve never seen Lenna Forsén’s image, you know it, because an image of the Swedish former model went on to be one the most important images in internet history.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don’t freak out! You can still use TikTok for the time being. But here’s where we could be headed. Here's what TikTok's anticipated court challenge could look like: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/26/tiktok-congress-legal-00154688  Alleged pro-Palestinian bias was part of the argument used to justify banning TikTok, but that argument doesn't make a lot of sense: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/13/tiktok-facebook-instagram-gaza-hastags/ See omnystudio.com/listener for...