Picking Up STEAM

The increasing digital divide is creating a generation of old people who are more socially isolated and disconnected than ever before. Social attitudes and a lack of aged care workers have led to the rise of social robots to help them feel less lonely. But can a robot really replace human contact? Expert Barbara Neves speak with Thomas Feng about accessibility, ageing, the digital divide and robots in this episode of Picking Up STEAM.Dr Barbara Neves is a sociologist from the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne and author of the book, Ageing and Digital Technology.Picking Up STEAM is a podcast by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne about the human consequences of the weird, ugly and the wonderful advances in science and technology. The podcast is hosted and produced by Thomas Feng, with editing and audio engineering by Gavin Nebauer.

Siri. Alexa. Google. We are surrounded by smart technologies and virtual assistants. Today, they do more than just dim the lights. These machines learn and understand our behavior in order to better help us every day. But did you know that this is only possible because of linguists? Expert linguist Dr Judith Bishop speaks with Thomas Feng about the hidden importance of linguists in this episode of Picking Up STEAM.Dr Judith Bishop is the Director of Linguistic Services for Appen, a company which helps trains machines with data and holds a PhD from the School of Languages and Linguistics from the University of Melbourne.Picking Up STEAM is a podcast by the Faculty of Arts at The University of Melbourne about the human consequences of the weird, ugly and the wonderful advances in science and technology. The podcast is hosted and produced by Thomas Feng, with editing and audio engineering by Gavin Nebauer.

Despite the various community benefits, free wi-fi has been slow to take-off in Australia compared to the rest of the world. Why? And should we be more careful in giving our details away for free wi-fi? Experts Nikos Papastergiadis and Scott McQuire speak with Thomas Feng about the internet, public spaces and privacy in this episode of Picking Up STEAM.Nikos Papastergiadis is a Professor in the School of Culture and Communication and the Director of the Research Unit for Public Cultures at the University of Melbourne; Scott McQuire is a Professor of Media and Communications also from the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne.Picking Up STEAM is a podcast by the Faculty of Arts at The University of Melbourne about the human consequences of the weird, ugly and the wonderful advances in science and technology. The podcast is hosted and produced by Thomas Feng, with editing and audio engineering by Gavin Nebauer.

We are seeing a disruption of death. It is normal for people to post on social media at a funeral; you can speak to a chatbot or a physical avatar with the data of a dead loved one; you can curate Spotify playlists to play in coffins. Why? Experts Bjorn Nansen and Tamara Kohn speak with Thomas Feng about the eerie new developments of death in this episode of Picking Up STEAM.Dr Bjorn Nansen is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Culture and Communication, and Prof Tamara Kohn is a Professor of Social Anthropology in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. They’re part of the “Digital Commemoration Project” and are two of the co-authors of the book: Death and Digital Media.Picking Up STEAM is a podcast by the Faculty of Arts at The University of Melbourne about the human consequences of the weird, ugly and the wonderful advances in science and technology. The podcast is hosted and produced by Thomas Feng, with editing and audio engineering by Gavin Nebauer.

Everyone seems to be dating online now because of Tinder. But in swiping for our ideal partner, are we dating different versions of ourselves? How is online dating changing the way we behave online and offline? Pop culture expert Lauren Rosewarne speaks with Thomas Feng about what online dating says about ourselves in the inaugural episode of Picking Up STEAM.Lauren Rosewarne is a senior lecturer in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne who writes, researches and comments on sexuality, pop culture, public policy and feminism in the media. She’s also the author of the book, Intimacy and the Internet.Picking Up STEAM is a podcast by the Faculty of Arts at The University of Melbourne about the human consequences of the weird, ugly and the wonderful advances in science and technology. The podcast is hosted and produced by Thomas Feng, with editing and audio engineering by Gavin Nebauer.