The Data Fix

Mél Hogan

Hi everyone, my name is Mél Hogan and I’m a critical media studies scholar based in Canada. I’m working on a project called The Data Fix through a series of conversations with scholars, thinkers, and feelers. Together we explore the significance of living in a world of data, and especially the growing trend of “digital humans” in the form of chatbots, holograms, deepfakes, ai images and videos, and even tech that revives the dead. The conversations are minimally edited, and serve as an archive of the collective thinking and feeling that is going into the Data Fix project. Please see thedatafix.net for more details and show notes. Thank you so much for listening.  Cover art by Oona Ode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1d ago

    Mourning, with Marina Otero

    This conversation could have been titled, feral, excess, collective, uninvited...but I went with mourning because it best captures the the feeling of this moment, inundated with data and data logics, that requires us to think deeply about who we are, what to preserve, and which stories to tell to make sense of ourselves as humans. As longterm committed researcher of data centers, Marina Otero and I talk about infrastructure, waste heat, and how AI companies make us eat their shit... Recorded Oct 27, 2026. Released Nov 9, 2026. Profile: https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/person/marina-otero/ Wheelwright Prize Lecture: Marina Otero Verzier, "Feral Clouds" https://youtu.be/RI9anDtWq2Q?si=6I-Mu1z9ion4rVHd Data Mourning: https://www.designacademy.nl/page/5494/dr.-marina-otero-verzier-patricia-reed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Oct 26

    Frenemies, with Cecilia Rikap

    Cecilia Rikap explains better than anyone else how and why our focus should be on cloud companies -- namely the big 3: AWS, Azure and Google Cloud -- to be able to understand the future that's being set up logistically, affectively, and structurally for us all. She also explains the weird dependencies -- 'frenemy' relationships -- that underguird so much of the digital and exodigital corporate world. Recorded October 12, 2026. Released October 26, 2026. The Rulers: https://www.versobooks.com/ Profile: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/94616-cecilia-rikap On Tech Won't Save Us: How Cloud Giants Wield Their Power Against Us All w/ Cecilia Rikap Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Oct 12

    Trust, with Kate Kaye

    Please treat yourself to the Trust Control podcast series with journalist Kate Kaye, who I get to be in conversation with for this episode of The Data Fix. We unpack what trust means to researchers, scientists. and entrepreneurs, especially in relation to AI, automation, and the media. We'll give you trust issues! Recorded October 5, 2026. Released October 12, 2026. Trust Control https://open.spotify.com/show/033Vfy3ziT4cPbCs8nZ2ZG RedTail Media https://redtailmedia.org Follow @KateKaye.Bsky.Social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Sep 14

    Care, with (Jennifer) Jill Fellows

    This episode is about care, attentiveness and the skill of being in relationship(s). (Jennifer) Jill Fellows and I discuss the rise of AI intimacy and the programmed sycophancy of generativeAI today, and what it reveals is that our emotional attachments to chatbots might be more about how easily we can convince ourselves of its significance than about any sophisticated technology. That said, when you talk to these chatbots, you enter into a relationship with a corporation that always already has money as a bottom line, not your wellbeing. This serves as an analysis and a warning. Recorded Sept 4, 2026. Released Sept 14, 2026. Trigger warning -- we discuss self-harm and harm to others. Joseph Weizenbaum on ELIZA: https://dl.acm.org/doi/epdf/10.1145/365153.365168 Sherry Turkle: https://sherryturkle.mit.edu/ Hilde Lindemann's book on identity work: https://academic.oup.com/book/4499?login=false Joan Tronto: https://cla.umn.edu/about/directory/profile/jctronto Shannon Vallor on Moral Deskilling: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-014-0156-9 Helen DeCruz on Believing to Belong: https://helendecruz.net/docs/DeCruz_belongbelief.pdf Simone Natale et. al. on chatbot relationships: https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221119021 Rosanne Ramos on her relationship with Eren: https://www.newsweek.com/ai-artificial-intelligence-chatbot-romance-1820752 Michael Geoffrey Asia on his life as a chatbot: https://data-workers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Emotional-Labor-Behind-AI-Intimacy-1.pdf Ruo-Ning, Li, et. al. “Is a random human peer better than a highly supportive chatbot in reducing loneliness over time?” Journal of Expermental Sociology, Vol. 125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2026.104911 CBC Understood Artificial Intimacy: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1353-the-naked-emperor Pullback Podcast Episode on Relationships with Chatbots: https://pullback.podbean.com/e/computer-love/ Paranormal Programming: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-23-ideas/clip/16133623-we-believe-artificial-intelligence-believe-ghosts CBC Front Burner on Relationships with Chatbots: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/can-you-have-a-real-relationship-with-an-ai-1.7206945 CBC Spark on Relationships with AI: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/bots-like-chatgpt-aren-t-sentient-why-do-we-insist-on-making-them-seem-like-they-are-1.6761709 A Harem of Computers: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/audio/9.6564912 (Jennifer) Jill Fellows website: https://jenniferjillfellowsphd.opened.ca/ Cyborg Goddess Podcast: https://cyborggoddess.opened.ca/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Aug 31

    Rogue, with Eryk Salvaggio

    When is AI 'going rogue' and when is it just sloppy oversight by the companies designing the models? The answer won't surprise you -- probably -- but in this episode we discuss why we can both not believe the doom-hype marketing hype of AI companies and still be a bit worried about where this is all taking us. Erik Salvaggio unpacks and explains all of this better than anyone I know. Recorded Aug 27, 2026. Released Aug 31, 2026. Eryk Salvaggio’s website cyberneticforests.com Linked In: Eryk Salvaggio’s Post https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eryk-salvaggio_when-you-see-a-headline-claiming-that-ai-activity-7485551550107656192-d-tq  The System From Nowhere https://mail.cyberneticforests.com/the-system-from-nowhere/ On Stochastic Flocks & The Critical Problem of Useful AI https://www.techpolicy.press/stochastic-flocks-and-the-critical-problem-of-useful-ai/  On RLVR (the verifiable rewards bit) - "It's Not X, It's Y" https://mail.cyberneticforests.com/its-not-just-data-its-post-training/  The Data Fix: Soulless, with Eryk Salvaggio https://shows.acast.com/the-data-fix/episodes/639d6648b0a821001040e0e2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. Aug 10

    Plausible, with Tracy Valcourt

    Tracy Valcourt and I discuss this strange new AI phenomenon of using ads to sell both conservative veering on fascist ideology and AI production in itself, as a package. We meander through the strange worlds of advertising and AI and (re)consider the plausible. Recorded July 30, 2026. Released August 10, 2026. That white guy who can’t get a job at Tim Hortons? He’s AI | Visual investigations -- CBC 2025 No Camera. No Crew. Just AI | Toyota Tundra Commercial Being a Luddite Is Fun Again -- Janus Rose,Jul 27, 2026, 404 New Yorkers Are Defacing This AI Startup’s Million-Dollar Ad Campaign -- Rae Witte, Sep 30, 2025, Futurism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Jul 27

    Coalition, with Kris Akin and Matthew Shaw

    The Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development co-released the Data Center Opposition Report in April 2026, which we discuss in this episode with Kris Akin and Matthew Shaw. Recorded June 23, 2026. Released July 27, 2026. Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development Our Research — Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development Data Center Opposition Report — Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development Map of Community Organizations Focusing on Data Centers — Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. Jul 13

    Whispers, with Nicole Sugarman, Shawmar Pitts, Steph Jordan, Livia Garofalo, Cella Sum, and Linda Huber

    This episode was a recap of an event called How to Stop a Data Center that took place at Swathmore College in April 2026. I was able to listen via Zoom and then later asked available panelists to come on the podcast to discuss community-based activism against AI data centers. Recorded June 17, 2026. Released July 13, 2026. Fight Data Centers https://www.kairosfellows.org/fightdatacenters For more info on Stop the Data Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan: Stop the Data Center Campaign link tree https://linktr.ee/stopthedata  Stop the Data Center substack for major updates and calls to action https://stopthedatacenter.substack.com/  How to Stop a Data Center https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/04/10/how-to-stop-a-data-center/  For more info on Steph Jordan https://stephaniebethjordan.com/  'PENNSYLVANIA IS PERFECT' https://newint.org/science-and-technology/2026/pennsylvania-perfect PENNSYLVANIA’S POWER Why Local Authority Is the Key to AI Infrastructure Decisions  https://datasociety.net/library/pennsylvanias-power/ DATA AS DESTINY IN THE STEEL CITY How Pittsburgh’s Industrial Past Is Being Leveraged for an AI Future https://datasociety.net/points/data-as-destiny-in-the-steel-city/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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About

Hi everyone, my name is Mél Hogan and I’m a critical media studies scholar based in Canada. I’m working on a project called The Data Fix through a series of conversations with scholars, thinkers, and feelers. Together we explore the significance of living in a world of data, and especially the growing trend of “digital humans” in the form of chatbots, holograms, deepfakes, ai images and videos, and even tech that revives the dead. The conversations are minimally edited, and serve as an archive of the collective thinking and feeling that is going into the Data Fix project. Please see thedatafix.net for more details and show notes. Thank you so much for listening.  Cover art by Oona Ode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Mél Hogan
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    93
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Mél Hogan
  • Show Website
    The Data Fix

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