Disconnected

The US is at war once more. This time, it seems, with TikTok. The app is under fire from all angles, and if it’s banned in the US it could spell trouble for a platform boasting 1 billion monthly active users… So where do the US concerns lie, where can TikTok go from here, and should you be worried about your data? We cover all this, and so much more, with Jag, Jen and Jason on episode 66 of Discon...

Who knew that Elon’s pursuit of a secure platform would have him revealing IP addresses… The new feature on his platform presents one of many stories in the tech world this week that’ll put our guards back up - Jag, Jen and Jason bring us the latest on Disconnected, from policy-making chatbots and the 4 day work week to criminal influencers and how a brand new car was sold for just $1.  This episo...

Are our brains being reshaped? 🧠 🤔 Uncover the effects of constant digital stimulation on attention spans and cognitive functions in the latest episode of the Disconnected podcast.  This week, hosts Jag Sharma, Jason Kapadia, and Felina Tan uncover challenges and opportunities presented by the digital revolution including:  🧠 Popcorn Brains and AI Dreams: Shedding light on the constant stimulat...

TikTok taking on an industry titan, VR taking over, and Facebook taking a look back at 20 years - there’s no such thing as a quiet week in tech. This week we round up some huge stories from the past fortnight, from Universal Music Group’s artists finding their songs removed from TikTok, to Apple’s Vision Pro headset being subject to rave and ridicule alike. Join the usual suspects - Jag, Jen and J...

It took just two weeks for one of Jason Kapadia’s predictions to come true, thanks in no small part to Samsung… With AI being injected directly to our phones, VR solving the challenge of walking, and Apple embroiled in yet another controversy that puts them under fire, it’s a hell of a week on the Disconnected Podcast. This episode of Disconnected covers: Samsung’s new phones incorporating Galaxy...

If 2023 is anything to go by, we’re in for a wild year of technology changing our everyday lives… AI continues to thrive, and industry leaders continue to bring new, innovative ideas to the fore, so where will we be this time next year? As has become something of a tradition on Disconnected, we kick off 2024 with a look at Jen, Jag and Jason’s predictions for what the year will bring to the tech a...

Navigate the 2023 Tech Landscape as Jag, Jen & Jason dissect the accuracy of last year’s tech predictions, whilst also future gazing at Elon’s view of 2024; From neuro link trials to the integration of robots and navigating the evolving realms of AI, virtual reality and social media search.   We delve into the world of influencer marketing, unravelling the complexities of authenticity and the...

It wouldn’t be AI if it didn’t come with some controversy… The past fortnight has been a whirlwind of events surrounding OpenAI's recent drama. Jag Sharma and Jason Kapadia dissect the news of Sam Altman's journey – from a surprising firing to a reinstatement that turns heads. Jag and Jason discuss the rapidly evolving world of AI, the role of the big players like Microsoft and the impli...

Don’t you wish your chatbot was a little less bot, and a little more chat? That’s what Elon Musk’s vision of the future hopes to solve, and in a tech landscape that’s seen GPT-4 Turbo and the Humane AI Pin grace us so recently, it’s AI all the way in this week’s Disconnected. Join all the J’s - Jag, Jen and Jason - for the latest on how you can create chatbots from scratch, fresh threats to the ed...

It’s judgement time for Elon. We’re a year on from the fateful day that he spent $44 billion on Twitter, and with high expectations have come the fair share of plaudits and pessimism. So let’s cut through the noise - how is he REALLY doing so far? Who better to lead the debate for Elon than Jason Kapadia in the blue corner, and the more sceptical Jag Sharma and Jen Campbell in the red corner… This...

Web3 is the future of our internet, but what on earth does that even mean? It stands among esteemed company for misunderstood jargon alongside blockchain, cryptocurrency and the Metaverse - that’s where we come in to demystify it all. Jen, Jag and a returning Jason muse over the tech that’s leading our internet, what’s yet to be proven, and where it could lead us for the future of the web… This ep...

Who would you rather win over, a jury or the internet? Trial by social media is a powerful wrath which can work for or against you, so the question remains - does it hold too much power? In a pertinent time for social justice, Jag, Jen and Felina mull over the web’s effects on cancel culture… TW // This episode contains heavy discussions around potentially distressing topics, particularly surround...

The farthest reaches of the globe have never felt so close, all thanks to technology. Living and working abroad was once an intimidating prospect, but as expats themselves, Jag Sharma and Jen Campbell have an arsenal of indispensable apps to make the transition simple. This week’s Disconnected podcast is perfect for anyone travelling abroad, and perhaps thinking of staying for months, or even year...

Have you ever seen a social post and thought, ‘How the hell did they approve this?’ No longer is that the sign of a disgruntled employee, but a viable tactic known as ‘unhinged marketing’, and it’s taking social platforms by storm. It’s the topic that kicks off a packed Disconnected where we tackle Threads’ waning user base, the Metaverse’s demise, algorithm-busting bills, and more with Jen Campbe...

No username is safe from X (the artist formerly known as Twitter). The platform is making yet more sweeping changes, reclaiming handles from users and introducing a revenue sharing model - and that’s not even the most world-altering social media news this week… Join Jag & Jason as they take us through Meta’s news ban in Canada, Gen Alpha introducing a new kind of split screening, and Zoom… ord...

Of all that’s in the media right now, two things are inescapable: the Women’s World Cup and Barbie. That’s thanks, in no small part, to a shift in the way that tech and media are bringing these spectacles to life; a fascinating evolution which centres this week’s episode of Disconnected… Join Jen Campbell & Felina Tan as they dive into the world’s most influential influencer, the best use of d...

Threads is taking the world by storm - but is it full-force or just a tempest in a teapot? It’s only one of the battles on Meta’s warfront, as they look set to fight the corner for end-to-end encryption against the UK Government’s plans to create a back door. Join us as we pull on the biggest tech threads this week with Jag Sharma, Jason Kapadia, and a special guest in our Producer, Dan Johnston!...

Mark Zuckerberg is engaged in battles on many fronts these days… While he prepares for a much anticipated cage match with Elon Musk, it’s Meta’s sizable losses that are prompting a rethink of the VR space - especially since Apple’s major steps last month. Grappling with this and more on Disconnected, Jason, Jen and Jag bring us the latest on YouTube’s misinformation policy, AI already taking jobs,...

A chatbot is for life, not just for 2023. Everyone seems to want a piece of the AI chatbot pie, even the likes of IKEA and Instagram, prompting the key question: why? Answering that question this week on Disconnected, we have a magnificent return from the lovely Felina Tan, alongside the usual suspects of Jen & Jason!  We touch on homes getting too smart, changes to YouTube’s Partner Programme...

When AI grows smarter than the human race, could we stop it wiping us out? There’s plenty of good in artificial intelligence tools, like Adobe’s generative fill revolutionising photo editing, but where the AI train stops, nobody knows… Jen, Jag and Jason mull over our very existence in a dramatic episode of Disconnected, along with a warning for Android users and Elon’s latest battles. This episod...

Your new girlfriend could cost you a dollar per minute. AI chatbots are nothing new now, but a clone of influencer Caryn Marjorie is paving the way for a future where you can converse with anyone, anytime - but is that more of a thrill or a threat to society? Elsewhere in this week’s Disconnected, face-altering filters are put under the microscope, TfL using TikTok to crack down on fare-dodging, a...

Do you own the copyright to your own likeness? We’re in the wild west of ‘deepfakes’; enabled by AI, and now being monetised by Tencent.  Beyond this trust-wavering news, we’re seeing a Twitter competitor from Twitter’s own former CEO, and a pivot towards long form content from the very platforms that demanded shorter content in the first place… Jen Campbell, Jason Kapadia & Jag Sharma take us...

Your voice is no longer uniquely your own. With AI at the centre of two controversies this past fortnight - voice clones and fake photography - it’s clear that we’re seeing new uses for technology at a rate beyond which we can hope to keep up. Meanwhile in the tech world, social media trends have transformed the approach to drinking water, and Twitter’s ‘freedom of speech, not freedom of reach’ is...

Amazon claims to be able to cover 90% of the US with its Echo and Ring devices - is this a connected utopia or a data privacy hell? With Amazon Sidewalk on the way and the recent merger with iRobot, we’re one step closer to every house’s inner workings being detailed by our ‘Amazon overlords’, as Jag Sharma might call them… On Disconnected, Jag considers how Jeff Bezos’ titan company is continuing...

TikTok troubles, Trump’s return and banks going bust - three huge stories with tech at the heart of it all… Social media can be the catalyst for so many challenges, and simultaneously become the solution to them too, and the past fortnight’s events have proven that in spades. Coming together to break down the platforms at the core of the world’s biggest stories on Disconnected this week are the ev...