4 episodes
TechHuman Jonathan Ebsworth
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- Religion & Spirituality
Technology is reaching ever further into our lives, our homes, our relationships, our travels and our workplaces. In this podcast. We want to explore what the technology revolution means, how we see it enhancing, changing, threatening or damaging the world we live in. We discuss how we might seize the opportunities, minimise any threats and overcome the harms that have emerged.
Whether we love technology or are suspicious of it; it is increasingly hard to avoid. In this podcast, I will talk with some of my friends who particular experience or insight into important aspects of these changes. We want to understand what is happening and uncover some practical insights the most significant challenges and opportunities that emerge. Two intertwined themes will be at the heart of our conversations – what does it mean to be fully human and how can we live well in an increasingly ‘digital’ world.
This podcast is for anyone who is interested in understanding the impact of technology on human life and on society. It is aimed at adults and older teens who want better to understand the issues that surround technology innovation. We begin from the orthodox Christian perspective that humankind is created uniquely in the image of God – and that our humanity was designed for embodied relationships. Our conversations should be relevant to those of any faith or of none who are interested in better appreciation of the impact of technology on our lives today and in the future.
Professor John Wyatt, my co-founder at TechHuman.org will join me for many episodes …..
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Technology impact on Church communities - during lockdowns and beyond
John Wyatt and Jonathan Ebsworth discuss our experiences of how technology provided a lifeline for many Church communities through lockdowns. We explore both the blessings that came from this, the risks that follow and some of the longer-term consequences as we look to a future that seems to require a hybrid on-line and embodied expression of 'Church'.
Some groups - like the housebound - found they had unexpected access to collective events as online provision grew in response to the pandemic-driven lockdowns. Youth groups; that might have been expected to find the switch online easiest of all, often struggled to maintain contact with all those who were participating before lockdown. For us, this suggests that while digital presence for Youth work can be helpful - it is hard for a fully online youth work to compete unconstrained access to brighter, more addictive expressions of technology engagement, like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
We speculate that the hybrid expression of Church is here to stay - and consider a few of the challenges that follow. There is going to be a need for creativity, and we feel that our existing theology may need to be refined in the face of these emerging expressions of Church.
Come and join the conversation on TechHuman.org. -
Has the pandemic changed adoption of digital technology?
In this episode Professor John Wyatt and I look at how technology adoption has accelerated through the Pandemic, asking whether these changes are permanent or temporary, and what they mean for our lives post-lockdown.
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Ethical Algorithms - an introduction
Algorithms touch almost every part of our lives - but what are they? Do we really need to care what they are or how they work?
In this episode John Wyatt and I introduce provide some simple answers to these questions, and then explore by way of a case study, the Public Examination fiasco of 2020 in England. In doing this we raise a number of questions about the use of algorithms, and suggest some possible ways that we could protect people better from the unintended consequences of getting things wrong.
(this episode was originally recorded at the end of 2020) -
TechHuman Podcast Trailer
Whether we love technology or are suspicious of it; it is increasingly hard to avoid. Technology is reaching ever further into our lives, our homes, our relationships, our travels and our workplaces. TechHuman.org is keen to understand the impacts of those technologies – and to find and promote ways that we as human beings can live well with technology.
We are excited to announce a new podcast, where I will talk with some fascinating people, including my TechHuman co-founder, Professor John Wyatt, who bring their own perspectives and expertise at the intersection of human life, technology and faith. We will explore what the technology revolution means to us, how they see it enhancing, threatening or damaging the world we live in. We will discuss how we can seize the opportunities, minimise the threats and overcome any harms that have emerged.