Cyborg Goddess

We might think of peace as simply the absence of war. But some scholars and advocates argue that peace isn’t just passive, and it isn’t simply the absence of conflict. Instead, peace is a process that must be cultivated and sustained by intentional choices and the development of peace skills. The problem is that many […]

In this episode, Jill interviews Dr. Dennis Waskul and Michelle Anklan on their study of women’s perceptions and uses of the vibrator. Dennis and Michelle share their research into the somewhat complicated historical relationship the vibrator has with feminist thought, and the ways in which women in the second decade of the 21st century think […]

In this episode, Jill talks to Dr. Simone Natale about his research into the legacy of the Turing Test, and the ways in which this test for artificial intelligence has influenced subsequent AI research. Simone argues that the Turing Test is not so much a test of intelligence (though it is often framed as such) […]

In this episode, Jill interviews Dr. Michael Barnes on his research into online extremism. Michael identifies two different but related paths by which online platforms contribute to the radicalization of individuals and communities: the individual route, and the social route. Lastly, Michael discusses why platforms struggle with moderating and blocking hate speech and other harmful […]

Feminist philosophers have been writing about shaming and moral reproach for decades, but some of the theories and ideas about the moral justification for, and efficacy of, shaming don’t necessarily work when we’re talking about online shaming. In this episode, Jill interview Dr. Celia Edell about her research into online shaming. We’ll talk about what […]

Chatbots purporting to help us with our mental health are nothing new, and have been around since the 1960’s. But they are growing in prevalence. In this episode Jill interviews Rachel Katz on her research into AI facilitated psychotherapy bots. Jill and Rachel examine what a therapy chatbot can and cannot do, and what some […]

In this episode, Jill interviews Dr. Iqra Cheema about her edited collection The Other MeToo’s. The MeToo movement is a massive feminist phenomenon that swept around the globe and across many different social media platforms. But it took different forms, and carried different connotations depending on the social locations of the people participating. Dr. Cheema […]

Hi everyone. Just a quick announcement that we are rebranding here for Season 3. If you tend to get this podcast directly from the website, here is the new URL for Cyborg Goddess! https://cyborggoddess.opened.ca/ And we because X(Twitter) is getting a bit too dystopian for my taste, you can now find us at : CyborgGoddess.bsky.social […]

“Gender, Sex and Tech: Continuing the Conversation” has become “Cyborg Goddess”. We publish 6 episodes a year. We hope you’ll join us!

Hi everyone. Happy 2024! Just an update that Season 3 will begin in the summer of 2024. We’ve got a lot of exciting guests lined up, and I can’t wait to share their work with you! Until then, have a great Winter!!

In this episode, Jill interviews Dr. Jovian Radheshwar to learn about the technologies behind the production and (more importantly) distribution of grass roots hip hop songs. We also explore some of the connections between hip hop music, politics, revolu

In this episode, Jill interviews Dr. Alex Ketchum about her open-access book Engage in Public Scholarship! We investigate what public scholarship is and the various digital tools and platforms that exist for public scholarship. We examine some of the pro

In this episode, Jill Interviews Dr. Sreela Sarkar about her ethnographic research in the neighbourhood of Seelampur in New Dehli India. The Indian government, like many governments globally right now, has been encouraging citizens to take IT skills trai

In this episode, Jill Interviews Dr. Sreela Sarkar about her ethnographic research in the neighbourhood of Seelampur in New Dehli India. The Indian government, like many governments globally right now, has been encouraging citizens to take IT skills trai

In this episode, Jill shares some of her own thoughts, hopes and fears during this “AI moment” we all seem to be in. Relying on work by philosopher Hilde Lindemann, Jill works through some of the ethical and existential questions that have be

In this episode, Jill interviews Chloe Locatelli about her research on sex tech, sex robots and relationships with technologies. Chloe’s research prompts us to consider the personification and gamification of sex tech specifically marketed at heter

In this episode, Amber-Lee Varadi unpacks her research on the Pick-Me Girl, explaining what this trope is, and how it has changed from the mid-2010’s on Black Twitter to the modern iterations found most commonly on TikTok POV videos. Transcripts fo

Content Warning: This episode discusses eating disorders. In this episode, Natasha Crawford and Sarak Kulewska share their research on fitness tracking apps and wearables. They examine the ways in which these devices can be ableist and also the dangers t