EAST LANSING, MI; Oct. 13, 2021 -- WKAR Public Media at Michigan State University announced today the launch of "Life, Meet Tech," a new weekly podcast exploring the ways in which our daily lives intersect with technology and the impact technology has on us.
How does technology help us live our best life and how does it hold us back? How can we harness the power of tech for good and how does it hurt us? "Life, Meet Tech" explores these questions and more.
The podcast is hosted by social scientist and technology enthusiast Prabu David, dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at MSU. Each episode features lively and provocative conversations with an array of notable experts, authors, journalists, and industry leaders on all things tech-life.
"I'm a social scientist who studies the influence of technology in our lives," said David. "How does technology affect us? What does the future hold, and how do we make sense of all this? These are the things I'm curious about."
Melanie Paul is the executive producer of "Life, Meet Tech." Based in New York City, her additional producing credits include projects for VOGUE, Vanity Fair, Food Network, and Discovery. Paul is a graduate of Michigan State University.
"Working with Prabu on this series has been a silver lining for me during the pandemic,” said Paul. “We did the entire thing remotely, and that allowed me this very unique opportunity to create something for my alma mater, which means a great deal to me."
The podcast launches today (Oct. 13) with two episodes. The debut episode, “Trust in AI,” features a conversation with S. Shyam Sundar, founder and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory at Penn State University. It's a look into the dilemma of a paradox – our willingness to trust machines with our data to give us better experiences; while at the same time we fear that our data could be exploited.
The second episode, “Forensic Technology,” examines how today’s forensic technology is applied in criminal investigations and trials. David is joined by Sarah Chu, senior advisor on forensic science policy for the Innocence Project.
Later episodes explore topics including "Technology and Justice," "The Attention Economy," and "The Future of Work."
Episodes publish weekly on Wednesdays through Dec. 1. The podcast can be found at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and at wkar.org
"Life, Meet Tech" is a co-production of WKAR Public Media and the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University.
