There Are No Girls on the Internet

Have you ever wondered about the origins of some of the digital symbols and icons we use in the world of technology? Bridget Todd shares the story of Susan Kare, the woman behind some of the most iconic designs woven into the fabric of what it looks like to use computers and the internet. And speaking of, what does needlepoint have to do with it? Listen to find out! Learn more about your ad-choice...

Archivist Sydette Harry wants to build a more accessible internet future, one where everyone can see themselves reflected. Read Sydette’s Wired piece Listening to Black Women: The Innovation Tech Can't Figure Out: https://www.wired.com/story/listening-to-black-women-the-innovation-tech-cant-figure-out/ Follow Sydette here: Twitter.com/BlackAmazon Questions? Comments? Just want to say hi? Hello@Tan...

To celebrate her birthday, Bridget honors one of her tech heroes, Estella Pyfrom, who brings technology to communities who need it most with Estella’s Brilliant Bus. IN HONOR OF BRIDGET’S BIRTHDAY, PLEASE DONATE TO ESTELLA’S BRILLIANT BUS: TANGOTI.COM/BUS If you’re moved by Estella’s story but can’t donate at this time, we’d love to donate in your honor! Hit us up at Hello@Tangoti.com Learn more a...

Research is clear that Black women are disproportionately the targets of online harassment. And even though she’s rich and famous, the story Meghan Markle’s shared in her interview with Oprah is no different than the kinds of abuse that has been normalized against Black women for years. Want more info about how the media can spread biases about women public figures? Here’s a guide we made at Ultra...

A few weeks ago, we spoke to Meghna Mahadevan, Chief Disinformation Defense Strategist at United We Dream, the country’s largest immigrant youth led organization, about how bad actors inflame existing tensions between communities to spread chaos and distrust. The tragic death of Mexican American soldier Vanessa Guillen is a good example. On this ep, we’ll revisit her story and how it was used to f...

Activist Emily Gorcenski uses her data science background to track and combat Nazis and white supremacists. She explains why the dangerous work of resistance has often fallen to women. Follow Emily on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilyGorcenski First Vigil: https://first-vigil.com/ Question? Comments? Just wanna say jambo / hola / hello? hello@tangoti.com ( If you’re reading this far, why not take...

Next week, we’ll hear from Emily Gorcenski, an activist who uses her data science background to fight Nazis (seriously!) This work isn’t easy and Emily faces transphobic attacks on her identity as a trans woman. This, unfortunately, isn’t an isolated thing. Just this week, Rand Paul and insurrection enthusiast Marjorie Taylor Green both attacked trans people to score ideological points. In this pr...

Meghna Mahadevan is Chief Disinformation Defense Strategist at United We Dream, the country’s largest immigrant youth led organization. She explains how dis and mis information is threatening immigrant communities and how immigrant youth are fighting for a more just digital media landscape. Learn more about United We Dream: Join me on Clubhouse Friday, Feb 26th: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event...

Facebook’s hasty ban on all news content in Australia has already had far reaching consequences. Digital organizer and founder of OrganiseUs, Tabatha Fulker, explains the impact this is already having on digital activists in Australia. Follow Tabatha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tabful Learn more about OrganiseUs: https://www.organiseus.com.au/ Here’s Bridget and Tabatha in Melbourne, Australia...

Ifeoma Ozoma pioneered groundbreaking work to keep dangerous health misinformation off Pinterest, even before we were in a pandemic. But it came at great cost to her own health and safety. Follow Ifeoma: https://twitter.com/IfeomaOzoma Listen to the full TANGOTI episode about Ifeoma and Color of Change’s work on Pinterest and slave plantation wedding venues: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

In this week’s episode, Pen America’s Nora Benavidez talked about how slowing down on social media is a concrete step anyone can take to curb disinformation. Even the most extremely online can get fooled into sharing inaccurate information online. On this short mini ep, host Bridget talks about the time she shared something dubious. That Viral Tweet About Suicide Rates in the Pandemic Is Wrong and...

It's the first day of Trump’s second impeachment trial. And no matter what happens, it’s clear he used social media to threaten our democracy with disinformation. Nora Benavidez, civil rights attorney and director of Pen America’s US Free Expression Programs, explains how so many are getting it wrong when it comes to platforms and free speech and how we could all benefit from just slowing down onl...

AOC took to Instagram Live to share her story of being in the Capitol complex during the insurrection. But now she's at the center of a coordinated right wing disinformation attack. Digital organizer Leslie Mac explains the double edged sword of being a political woman of color in the public eye comes disinformation campaigns and harassment.  Follow Leslie: https://twitter.com/LeslieMacWatch AOC's...

The internet laughed at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green's unfounded conspiracy theory that laser beams from space controlled by the Rothschild banking firm caused California's wildfires. Yes, she's ridiculous, but it also shows how dangerous it is when disinfo traffics in lies, distortions, and bias about identity.   Anti-semitic, racist disinformation can spread via memes and other online content. But...

On this week's episode of DISINFORMED, Shireen Mitchell explored how Black women were among the first to speak up about the threat posed by disinformation, including Shafiqah Hudson. In this "best of" episode from July, we talk to Shafiqah about how she uncovered a coordinated network of bad actors pretending to be Black women on Twitter to spread disinformation and confusion. After tech leaders f...

Black women have been sounding the alarm about the threat posed by disinformation for years. But people with power weren’t listening. Shireen Mitchell, founder of Stop Online Violence Against Women, wants to know why. Follow Shireen: https://twitter.com/digitalsista?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See o...

Melissa Ryan, extremism and disinformation expert, joins Bridget to talk about how disinformation and conspiracy theories led to the riots at the Capitol and where we go from here. Subscribe to Melissa's newsletter, Ctrl Alt-Right Delete:  https://actionnetwork.org/forms/subscribe-to-ctrl-alt-right-delete/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/...

On the heels of the insurrection at the Capitol, There Are No Girls on the Internet introduces Disinformed, a new series chronicling how the spread of dangerous disinformation got us here and the underrepresented organizers, researchers, and culture-creators trying to stop it.  Subscribe on iHeartRadio, Apple podcasts, Spotify or whenever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad-choices at...

Who doesn't love video games? We all play them, yet women and communities of color can be shut out of the business end of this increasingly lucrative industry.  Dr. BerNadette Lawson-Williams developed the first esports management program at a Historical Black College to make sure gaming and esports are for everybody.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See om...

It’s a shame to think about audio of some of the most influential civil rights leaders collecting dust in a basement somewhere. Preservationist and audio producer Jocelyn Robinson has made preserving the audio archives at HBCUs her mission. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lynika Strozier was a promising scientist who died of COVID at age 35. Her friend and colleague Dr. Corrie Moreau remembers her friend and talks about efforts to keep Lynika’s legacy alive. Read more about Lynika: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/obituaries/lynika-strozier-dead-coronavirus.html Gofund me for Lynika: https://www.gofundme.com/f/552b3q-lynika039s-funeral-expenses We hope you enjoye...

Why is Washington DC's professional football team changing their offensive name? In part because of people like Jacqueline Keeler, who helped create the #NotYourMascot movement. Go to Pollen Nation's Facebook page to check out Jacqueline's podcast: https://www.pollennationmagazine.com/ Follow Jacqueline on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jfkeeler?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor...

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist turned climate activist. Here's why she has hope for the future.  Get Dr. Johnson's book: https://www.amazon.com/All-We-Can-Save-Solutions/dp/0593237064Listen to Dr. Johnson's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-save-a-planet/id1525955817 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/l...

Here's a quick rundown of the controversy behind Netflix's new film Cuties. The Netflix Movie "Cuties" Has Become The Latest Target Of #SaveTheChildren Conspiracy Theorists: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemcneal/netflix-cuties-qanon-target Did you see the film? Let us know what you think at hello@tangoti.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com Se...

This episode is a little different than the usual ones. Bridget is feeling out of sorts and is joined by Anne Helen Peterson, author of Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation and editor of Substack's Culture Study to talk about why so many of us are feeling burnt out and what can be done about it. Get Anne's book: https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Even-Millennials-Burnout-Generation/d...