The Digital Period

Judith Zoë

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Philosophy
Weekly Series

The Digital Period is an open conversation about the technologies that shape how we live, love, and connect. Philosopher Judith Zoë Blijden talks with users, developers, and researchers to unpack what’s really at stake in our digital lives. Season 2 dives into vulnerability and dating apps, while Season 1 explored autonomy and period apps.

Episode 1

S2. Ep.1. Why I want to talk about dating apps

This is the first episode of Season 2 of the Digital Period. This season is about dating apps. In this first episode Judith Zoë explores what happens when vulnerability meets algorithms. She shares her personal experience using dating apps and introduces the central theme of Season 2: vulnerability, not just as a risk, but as a potential source of connection in digital spaces.
Episode 2

S2. Ep.2. What are dating apps? With dr. Jessica Pidoux

In the second episode of this season Judith Zoë interviews dr. Jessica Pidoux, a post-doc researcher at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland and director of the Swiss NGO personal data. We met on valentines day during the symposium Feelings Inc. organised by Privacy Salon without any preparation. Judith also speaks with a woman who shares her personal experience using dating apps. She explains how they met her felt watched an why she needed to taking breaks now and then to protect her well-being.
Episode 3

S2. Ep. 3. Vulnerability and data protection with dr. Gianclaudio Malgieri

In the third episode of this season, Judith Zoë speaks with dr. Gianclaudio Malgieri, associate professor of law and technology at Leiden University and co-director of the Brussels Privacy Hub. Gianclaudio is one of the leading thinkers on data protection and vulnerability. We talk about power, intersectionality and how dating app design could contribute to empathy and affinity. The episode also features a personal story from someone navigating Grindr, first as a closeted 16 year old and later as a confident adult who has learned how to set boundaries.
Episode 4

S2. Ep.4 Protecting data while dating with Lisa Steinfeld

What really happens to our data when we use dating apps? In this episode, Judith Zoë speaks with Lisa Steinfeld, a data protection lawyer at NOYB, the European Center for Digital Rights. They discuss how companies like Grindr and Bumble process intimate user data, and what it means for our privacy and autonomy. Lisa explains the legal cases NOYB has filed including the successful complaint against Grindr and a new one against Bumble. Together, they explore how users can reclaim power over their data and what collective action can look like in the digital dating world.
Episode 5

S2. Ep. 5. Swiping bias: algorithms and discrimination with Carlota Memba Aguado

In this episode, Judith Zoë speaks with Carlota Memba Aguado, a researcher from the Free University Amsterdam about how dating apps reflect and reinforce structural inequalities and what responsibilities companies have to acknowledge and reduce bias in design.
Episode 6

S.2 Ep.6 Ethical Engineering with Thomas Crul of dating app Breeze

In this episode, Judith Zoë talks to Thomas Crul, lead matchmaking engineer at Breeze. Breeze is an innovative dating app that understands innovation is not just technical, but also about your business model, design, and communication. After discovering that their algorithm might be disadvantaging certain groups, the team at Breeze decided to take responsibility. Instead of ignoring the issue, they’re actively figuring out how to counter algorithmic bias, through engineering, thoughtful design, and transparent communication. In this conversation Thomas opens up about the steps they have taken and openly reflects on his role as an engineer.
Episode 7

S2. Ep. 7 UX design and queer experiences with Lindsay Ferris

In this episode, Judith Zoë talks to Lindsay Ferris, assistant professor and former UX researcher at OK Cupid, about the design of dating apps and how they influence and affect queer people. Lindsay's academic insights are beautifully illustrated by the dater of the episode, who explains how dating apps became a place of romantic and sexual liberation.
Episode 8

S2 Ep.8 Algorithmic Love

In the last episode of this season, Judith Zoë shares what she has learned about vulnerability, dating apps and algorithmic love. The episode explores how vulnerbaility is related to connection and how this relation is shaped and sometimes distorted by technology. What happens when algorithms mediate intimacy? Can love be optimized? And what does real love ask of us today?

See All Season 2 (8)

Trailer

Trailer The Digital Period

The Digital Period is the podcast where we examine our relationship with technology. In this podcast Judith Zoë talk to users, developers and academics about how technology shapes how we relate to ourselves, each other and the tech we keep using. Each season centers a fundamental question. Can menstruation apps improve our autonomy? Can you be vulnerable on a dating app? Is social media actually social? This is not a tech review podcast. It’s an invitation to think together about how technology lives with us, in our most private moments and in our most public connections. We combine academic insights with lived experiences, to create a future where technology serves living a good life. Listen to The Digital Period wherever you get your podcasts.

The Digital Period is an open conversation about the technologies that shape how we live, love, and connect. Philosopher Judith Zoë Blijden talks with users, developers, and researchers to unpack what’s really at stake in our digital lives. Season 2 dives into vulnerability and dating apps, while Season 1 explored autonomy and period apps.

Creator

Judith Zoë
Episodes

18
Seasons

2
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
Show Website

The Digital Period