Impossible Tradeoffs with Katie Harbath

Katie Harbath
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Impossible Tradeoffs with Katie Harbath

Technology and democracy are at a crossroads. Technology can potentially empower people and make our democracies more responsive. Or technology can be used to manipulate and divide us. Welcome to Impossible Tradeoffs. I’m Katie Harbath. In this weekly podcast, we’ll talk about and analyze the most fascinating headlines. We’ll make predictions about where things are going. And we’ll talk to experts about the challenges we face and how we might look for solutions. anchorchange.substack.com

  1. 12/19/2024

    2024 - A Recap of the Year the World Voted

    For my last podcast of season three and 2024, I’m thrilled to welcome Ravi Agrawal, the Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy magazine, to reflect on this historic year of elections. We discussed the significant trends and observations from the 2024 elections globally during our conversation. He highlights the challenges incumbents faced, the role of cybersecurity and AI in elections, and the geopolitical implications of these electoral outcomes. The discussion also delves into the future of Indian politics, the impact of technology on global relations, and the evolving media landscape. Thank you all for listening this season. I’ll be back in 2025! I’ve got many things planned, including turning this into a video podcast, so stay tuned. Anchor Change with Katie Harbath is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Anchor Change with Katie Harbath at anchorchange.substack.com/subscribe

    42 min

  2. 12/12/2024

    NPR and C-SPAN on Navigating a Changing Media Landscape

    This week I had the honor of moderating a fireside chat with NPR CEO Katherine Maher and C-SPAN CEO Sam Feist at the National Conference on Citizenship’s annual conference. We were able to record it to bring to you on this podcast. Katherine and Sam both took on these roles this year, and some of the things we discuss include: * Reflections on the evolving role of civic media in an increasingly polarized society. * How NPR and C-SPAN approach trust-building and transparency in today’s media landscape. * The importance of local news and its impact on civic engagement, voter turnout, and community resilience. * Insights into the challenges of adapting to digital platforms while preserving core missions. Fast Company just named C-SPAN a Brands That Matter honoree for its ability to turn government coverage into TikTok-ready entertainment. * The role of artificial intelligence in improving media accessibility and efficiency while maintaining editorial integrity. * Discussion on addressing ideological diversity in newsrooms and ensuring balanced coverage. * Key takeaways on fostering civil conversations and bridging divides in American politics. I hope you enjoy! Support the Insights That Keep You Ahead Your support as a paid subscriber enables me to dive deeper into the critical intersections of tech and politics, delivering unique analysis and curated insights you won’t find elsewhere. By upgrading, you gain access to exclusive content, early previews of key stories, and a community of like-minded readers who care about these pressing issues. Join me in shaping a more informed conversation—your support makes this work possible, and I couldn’t do it without you. Get full access to Anchor Change with Katie Harbath at anchorchange.substack.com/subscribe

    50 min

  3. 12/05/2024

    Bluesky's Approach to Trust and Safety

    I’m grateful this week that Aaron Rodericks, Vice President of Trust and Safety at Bluesky, made the time to join me for a conversation about how the platform is tackling the surge in users it’s seen in the U.S. since the election. This isn’t the first time they’ve seen such growth spurts—another happened in Brazil when X was briefly banned. These rapid user increases bring unique challenges to moderating content and require some impossible tradeoffs. Aaron talks about the different approaches Bluesky takes to content moderation, the unique aspects of the platform, its decentralized nature, and the challenges of scaling operations amidst rapid user growth. Aaron shares insights on content moderation, the balance between automation and human oversight, and the evolving policies to address emerging harms. The discussion also touches on user control, verification processes, and the future compliance and product development roadmap. To learn more about Bluesky’s approach, read Mike Masnik’s piece Protocols, Not Platforms: A Technological Approach to Free Speech. Also, here is an interview Wired did with CEO Jay Graber this week, as the platform crosses 24 million users. Please support the curation and analysis I’m doing with this newsletter. As a paid subscriber, you make it possible for me to bring you in-depth analyses of the most pressing issues in tech and politics. Get full access to Anchor Change with Katie Harbath at anchorchange.substack.com/subscribe

    41 min

  4. 11/28/2024

    Engaging with Curiosity and Grace

    Happy Thanksgiving! I decided to release an episode today because I figured people would want something to listen to while prepping the turkey or driving to see family and friends. I also know that Thanksgiving and the holidays can be a time when tough conversations arise, especially after an election. That’s why I wanted to talk to Lori Brewer Collins. Lori is an executive coach. She and I met after the 2016 election when she created a program called Cultivate the Karass to help people across the political spectrum develop relationships with people on the other side of the aisle. I knew Lori’s son Jake before he died in 2015, and the idea for this came from a post-it note he had on his computer in the White House. Lori is a master at creating spaces for people to feel heard. In this conversation, she discusses her work in leadership development and the importance of fostering connections across ideological divides. She emphasizes the significance of building trust, creating safe spaces for dialogue, and the art of deep listening. The discussion also highlights the role of vulnerability, curiosity, and inquiry in facilitating meaningful conversations and understanding among diverse groups. We explore the complexities of facilitating difficult conversations, particularly around race and political differences. We also discuss the emotional exhaustion following elections, the importance of understanding diverse perspectives, and strategies for navigating family discussions with grace and kindness. Lori emphasizes the need for curiosity, intentionality, and the power of listening in fostering meaningful connections amidst differing viewpoints. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Thank you so much for listening to and supporting this work. It means the world to me. Anchor Change with Katie Harbath is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Anchor Change with Katie Harbath at anchorchange.substack.com/subscribe

    48 min

  5. 11/21/2024

    Decoding Gen Z's Relationship with Technology

    This week on the podcast, I chatted with Rebekah Park, Vishnupriya Das, Devika Kumar, and Laura Murray, researchers at Gemic, a global growth strategy firm. They worked with Nhu Le, Rachel Xu, and Beth Goldberg from Google’s Jigsaw on a study looking at how young people in India and the US trust online content in the age of generative AI. I wrote about this study back in October and have been quoting it nonstop to people exploring how the information environment has changed, especially in the context of the election. The team comprised anthropologists and strategists and the conversation delves into the origins of their research, the importance of understanding the social dynamics of information, and the unique approach they took in studying Gen Z's interaction with technology, particularly in the context of a two-country study involving the US and India. The team emphasizes the significance of qualitative research and the intimate understanding it provides in exploring how individuals navigate the digital landscape. The conversation delves into the research methodology and findings of a study on online behavior, focusing on the qualitative aspects of user engagement and the emotional dynamics that influence trust in information. The participants' experiences reveal a complex interplay between light and heavy content consumption, highlighting the importance of feelings in shaping online interactions. The discussion emphasizes the need for a nuanced understanding of how people navigate information in a digital landscape, particularly in the context of misinformation and trust. I highly recommend you look at the seven information modes that emerged from their work and consider how people want to get heavy information, such as politics and news, versus more lighthearted stuff. I think this research is essential for professionals looking to get information out into the world and those who are trying to shape the online information environment. Please support the curation and analysis I’m doing with this newsletter. As a paid subscriber, you make it possible for me to bring you in-depth analyses of the most pressing issues in tech and politics. Get full access to Anchor Change with Katie Harbath at anchorchange.substack.com/subscribe

    53 min

  6. 11/07/2024

    An AI-Generated Podcast Experiment

    Image created by ChatGPT If I’m honest, I’m still processing everything. I’m giving myself and others the space to process everything. But, I still wanted to do a podcast. I have this deep fear that if I don’t stick to a schedule, I’ll fall off the wagon of creating content. It's probably not true, but I like to keep doing things to move forward. Since I had no idea where we would be as a country today, I decided to conduct an experiment I’ve wanted to do for a while for this week’s podcast. Back in October, Google’s Notebook LLM tool, which uses AI to generate podcasts, went viral because of its quality. I decided to upload my six most popular Anchor Change posts from the last two years and ask it to create a podcast acknowledging that we were two days after Election Day and to look at how technology had impacted our information environment. Here are the top posts: * Platforms run away from politics and news / July 9, 2023 * The Future of our Information Environment / Oct 9, 2024 * Zuck’s Letter to Jordan and the Telegram CEO Arrest / Aug 28, 2024 * Digging Into Ten Overused Tech Tropes / Apr 3, 2024 * Our World in 2025 / Jan 3, 2024 * Cambridge Analytica Five Years Later / March 16, 2023 It’s a pretty interesting conversation between the two AI hosts and not too bad. I wish I could have given a longer prompt about what I wanted them to focus on and in what order, but for a first go I’m excited at this possibility to repurpose content in other formats. Enjoy! Anchor Change with Katie Harbath is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Anchor Change with Katie Harbath at anchorchange.substack.com/subscribe

    18 min

  7. 11/04/2024

    Future Trends in Political Campaigning

    In this episode, I welcome Maria Giannopoulos who shares her unique journey at the intersection of politics and technology, particularly her role in the 2024 Republican National Convention. She discusses the extensive planning involved in organizing such a large-scale event, developing a digital strategy to engage both on-site attendees and online audiences, and the increasing importance of influencers in political campaigns. Maria also reflects on her experience at Google, the cautious approach tech companies take towards elections, and her insights on future trends in digital politics, including the potential impact of AI and AR/VR technologies. Maria is known as @greekmaria on various social media platforms and you can also find her at Greekmaria.com. Please support the curation and analysis I’m doing with this newsletter. As a paid subscriber, you make it possible for me to bring you in-depth analyses of the most pressing issues in tech and politics. Get full access to Anchor Change with Katie Harbath at anchorchange.substack.com/subscribe

    35 min

  8. 10/31/2024

    How votes in the U.S. are counted and certified (and why you should care)

    In this episode, Nicole Schneidman discusses the critical processes involved in the electoral system, emphasizing the importance of understanding what happens after voting. She outlines key dates in the election cycle, changes in election laws since 2020, and the journey of a ballot from submission to certification. The discussion also highlights the increased scrutiny and risks faced by election officials, as well as the role of courts in ensuring fair election practices. Nicole discusses the critical aspects of ensuring voter access and election integrity, the role of courts in addressing misinformation and legal challenges, and the importance of monitoring threats and harassment during elections. She explains the distinctions between election officials, poll workers, and poll watchers, and emphasizes the need for tech companies to prepare for the election process. The conversation also delves into the challenges of content moderation in the context of election-related information and concludes with a call for calm and trust in the electoral process. You can learn more about this period in this post Nicole and I wrote. Anchor Change with Katie Harbath is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Anchor Change with Katie Harbath at anchorchange.substack.com/subscribe

    46 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Technology and democracy are at a crossroads. Technology can potentially empower people and make our democracies more responsive. Or technology can be used to manipulate and divide us. Welcome to Impossible Tradeoffs. I’m Katie Harbath. In this weekly podcast, we’ll talk about and analyze the most fascinating headlines. We’ll make predictions about where things are going. And we’ll talk to experts about the challenges we face and how we might look for solutions. anchorchange.substack.com

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