logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
1h 3m

Why Tech Makes Us More Insecure w/ Astra...

PARIS MARX
About this episode

Paris Marx is joined by Astra Taylor to discuss how capitalism creates insecurity to sustain itself, the way tech is used to make us more insecure, and what it will take to change that.
 
Astra Taylor is a writer, filmmaker, and political organizer. She’s the author of The Age of Insecurity and co-founder of the Debt Collective. Her next book Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea, written with Leah Hunt-Hendrix, comes out in March.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.
 
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham. Transcripts are by Brigitte Pawliw-Fry.
 
Also mentioned in this episode:

Support the show
Up next
Today
The Gilded Rage of Tech Billionaires w/ Jacob Silverman
Paris Marx is joined by Jacob Silverman to discuss Jacob’s new book Gilded Rage, which explores the radicalization of Silicon Valley leaders, who are exerting their growing influence to shape our society for the worse. Jacob Silverman is an independent journalist and the author o ... Show More
55m 1s
Oct 2
The Growing Divide Between MAGA and Big Tech w/ Tina Nguyen
Paris Marx is joined by Tina Nguyen to discuss the divisions within the American far-right between the Trump administration, the wider MAGA movement, and the tech executives trying to show they’re on their side. Tina Nguyen is a senior reporter at The Verge and author of The MAGA ... Show More
58m 26s
Sep 25
Is Tesla Still a Car Company? w/ Ed Niedermeyer
Paris Marx is joined by Ed Niedermeyer to discuss the mission to turn Elon Musk into the world’s first trillionaire, Tesla’s growing interest in making robots instead of cars, and how other automakers are coming for the EV market it once dominated. Ed Niedermeyer is the author of ... Show More
1 h
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Astra Taylor, "The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart" (House of Anansi Press, 2023)
These days, everyone feels insecure. We are financially stressed and emotionally overwhelmed. The status quo isn’t working for anyone, even those who appear to have it all. What is going on?In The Age of Insecurity (House of Anansi Press, 2023), author and activist Astra Taylor e ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 2023
Astra Taylor, "The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart" (House of Anansi Press, 2023)
These days, everyone feels insecure. We are financially stressed and emotionally overwhelmed. The status quo isn’t working for anyone, even those who appear to have it all. What is going on?In The Age of Insecurity (House of Anansi Press, 2023), author and activist Astra Taylor e ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2025
Exposing the Dark Side and Hidden Threats of Technology with Laurie Segall, the Investigative Tech Journalist
On the SUPERWOMEN podcast, I’m sitting down with Laurie Segall, the founder of Mostly Human Media and a former senior technology correspondent and editor-at-large at CNN. Throughout her award-winning career, Laurie has investigated the dangers of technology, and has interviewed s ... Show More
43m 26s
Apr 2023
Do we need technological progress? | Kenneth Cukier, Nolen Gertz, Caitjan Gainty
Is technology holding us back?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesFrom work to entertainment, communication to travel, technology has shaped every aspect of our lives. We think technological progress is relentless and inevitable. But ... Show More
47m 52s
Jan 2025
Taking On the Tech Oligarchs, with Taylor Lorenz
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.com ‘We’re Not Kidding’ is back! After a not-very-relaxing holiday break, Mehdi is joined by tech and online culture journalist (and new Zeteo contributor!) Taylor Lorenz to discuss the new age of American oligar ... Show More
40m 7s
May 2025
Decolonizing the Future: Karen Hao on Resisting the Empire of AI
In his New York Times review of the book, Columbia Law School professor and former White House official Tim Wu calls journalist Karen Hao’s new book, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, “a corrective to tech journalism that rarely leaves Silicon Valley.” H ... Show More
44m 32s
Sep 6
(BNS) Tech:NYC CEO Julie Samuels
Julie Samuels shares her journey from a journalism major to a prominent figure in the tech advocacy space, detailing her experiences at NCSA, her work with EFF, and her role in founding Tech NYC. She discusses the evolution of the internet, the cultural differences between Silico ... Show More
56m 21s
Oct 3
Can AI make us more human? A social psychologist and a business leader answer | Heidi Grant and Barry Cooper
As AI continues to integrate into our workplaces, how do we ensure we don’t lose what makes us human? Social psychologist Heidi Grant speaks with NiCE's CX Division president Barry Cooper about why the current era of AI is misunderstood and how working with this new technology — ... Show More
27m 23s
Aug 27
Rewired: How technology is changing us all
How is technology shaping the way we live, learn, and connect? And what does that mean for young people growing up in a digital-first world?In this bonus episode of Our World, Connected, host Christine Wilson revisits a powerful conversation with Baroness Beeban Kidron, crossbenc ... Show More
16m 45s
Nov 2023
Adam Grant on Your Potential, Gen Z and — oops — Elon
Are tech bros successful because of some innate talent, or could any of us be like them? Organizational psychologist and Wharton School professor Adam Grant takes on the myth of innate talent and the reality of growth in his latest book, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving ... Show More
59m 20s