Disconnected

Facebook forms part of our digital past and is a titan at present - do they have their future figured out, and how will their actions affect us…? Hot off the back of a lengthy and revealing interview with Lex Fridman, Mark Zuckerberg’s next moves with Meta, Facebook, and the Metaverse hold immense power over the internet going forward. For this week’s discussion on privacy, peer pressure and putti...

We live in a bizarre world where Kanye West can be embroiled in a feud with Peppa Pig. Social media has changed the way we communicate, engage, and in some unfortunate cases spit vitriol towards others - cartoon pig or otherwise. On this week’s episode of Disconnected, our panel of co-hosts consider the societal impact of our tech-driven lives, from blurred boundaries of work-life balance and rega...

Whether it’s social media, dating apps, podcasting platforms or the world stage of the Winter Olympics, the world is progressing ever closer to a tech revolution. We’ve seen the very nature of Facebook change over its 18 year lifespan, the emergence of new ways to find love, & watched podcasts take the world by storm - and there’s no going back. In this episode of Disconnected we’re breaking d...

Episode 13 of Disconnected marks the start of an engaging, entertaining, and deeply insightful new co-host format with some new and familiar faces. Returning to the podcast from past episodes are Ben Wiggins (E3) and Felina Tan (E12), and joining us to complete the lineup is MD of The Giles Agency, Jennifer Campbell.  We kick off with a look at Donald Trump’s imminent social media venture, Truth S...

Influencers have changed the internet forever - can we trust them to do so for good? Modern social media is awash with brand deals, collaborations, and audiences hanging on every word of these internet personalities.  This week I’m joined by career marketeer Felina Tan to look back at how exactly we got here, and what the future holds for influencer marketing; who’ll police the bad apples, will th...

WhatsApp’s initial dream of safe, encrypted, ad-free private messaging is far from intact… In 2009, WhatsApp’s creators Brian Acton and Jan Koum shared a passion for creating a free, global instant messaging app without the nuances that plague its current, Meta-owned definition of ‘encryption’.  Needless to say that Acton & Koum have started their own ventures since WhatsApp’s takeover. So wha...

The introduction of the smartphone to India is irreversible - but has it been for the better? For many in the country a smartphone presents their first calculator, camera, gaming device, and notably their first always-on portal to the constant stream of internet information. The implications are far-reaching, but journalist and fellow podcaster Mahathi Rangarajan is scrutinous in observing the enc...

It’s time to reset our relationship with technology, and the platforms to which we give our time, energy, and data. We’re often able to drill down into the nitty-gritty of malicious practices that impact our lives, but to apply it on a societal level takes a big picture perspective. Elizabeth Uviebinené is the multi-award winning author of The Reset, a book which offers us an opportunity to recons...

We’re being scored with secret formulas we don’t understand, with no course for appeal if things don’t go our way. Data scientists are writing code that learns from our every move, click, post and payment, and it’s tangibly changing the future of our tech-driven world.  One the one hand, we’re served posts tailored to preferences we may not know we had. On the other hand, mortgages, insurance, jai...

It's never been easier to fall foul of Cyber Attacks than right now… As the world continues its perpetual shift to an always-online ecosystem, even those with no coding skills can initiate a hack within minutes. Whether it's small-scale leaks of your personal files, or a coordinated attack on HBO demanding $6m for Game of Thrones' final season not to be released to the world, it see...

China’s technological progression has been nothing short of meteoric in recent decades, integrating systems long before we’re ready to do so in the West. But how well founded are our fears? Is China’s collective embrace of revolutionary technology being used and abused, or is our trepidation holding us back? The perfect man to answer these questions is one Blake Stone-Banks, who’s been living in B...

Three letters are taking the world by storm - N. F. T.  Non-Fungible Tokens are a growing phenomenon built on the emerging blockchain technology with far-reaching impacts on currency, art, collectibles, brand integration, and undoubtedly a number of other applications yet to present themselves. Here to demystify the world of NFTs and blockchain on this episode of Disconnected is Chris Ghent, a tra...

Apple and Facebook are two of the largest behemoths in the tech space, influencing every facet of software development and hardware design alike, and with iOS 14.5 the two are at war for the internet… As the ripple effects of Apple’s changes to privacy begin to emerge for us as users, small business owners, and the giant, influential players in the technology space, it’s time to break down this ba...

The beautiful game is as much a business to be run as it is an experience to be shared, and both of these aspects now happen in ways that connect us all more than ever before. As the almost-immediate response to global, social backlash towards the proposed European Super League demonstrates, social media’s power is potent, and has unlocked new opportunities for fans and clubs alike. As Senior Mana...

To truly understand how the world of applications has evolved over the years - for better and for worse - it’s vital to observe how the development tools, app store platforms and whole tech landscape has evolved from inception to current day. With app development pedigree spanning back to Microsoft’s Pocket PC, and a service used by around 20% of Londoners every month, Jason Kapadia’s credentials,...

We all have a story that goes much like this: you talk to a friend about a product, then hours or days later the adverts served to you are flooded with the very same product.  Where these two events have coincided so often, it’s given rise to the concern that our phones are always listening to us. So are big tech companies always eavesdropping, or could the truth be even more sinister? Join me for...

Welcome to Disconnected, the podcast that peers behind the giant tech curtain to discover the truth behind the social media platforms and technologies that impact our everyday lives.  Before diving into the depths of today’s ‘Web 2.0’ world, it’s time to get to know your personal guide through the algorithms and data collection behind social media - Jag Sharma.  I’ve spent the last 12 years creati...

Disconnected shines a light on the secrets and the impact that social media and technology is having on our society, culture, politics, human interactions, and behaviour.  My name is Jag Sharma - and I’ve spent the last 12 years creating, developing and executing social media strategies for a number of global brands across a variety of industries, and have witnessed first-hand the impact that algo...