Nathan Schneider, a media studies professor at UC Boulder and author of "Governing Spaces," dives into the disillusionment with social media’s impact on democracy. He reveals how platforms have morphed from neutral forums to polarized battlegrounds. Schneider discusses emerging decentralized alternatives like Mastodon and the need for diverse networks tailored to specific purposes. He emphasizes empowering users against centralized control and the importance of nurturing creativity and responsibility in digital engagement, especially in the global South.

The TikTok ban decision passed down by the Supreme Court late last year is a clear violation of First Amendment precedent, but President Trump’s refusal to enact it as law is a constitutional crisis in the making. We brought Stanford Law professor, rising First Amendment star scholar, and Moderated Content host Evelyn Douek on the […]

Ho ho ho, five years of Reimagining the Internet holiday specials! For this year’s edition we’re spreading holiday cheer by showering our dear listeners with gifts. From good Wikipedia rabbit holes to the gift of network effects, everyone here at iDPI is offering something from the heart. Links to some gifts mentioned in this episode: […]

Laurel Schwulst, an artist, designer, and educator known for founding the Fruitful School program, joins to discuss her vision for a PBS-like organization on the Internet. She proposes an initiative to foster a more humane web that encourages curiosity and community. The conversation delves into ultralight web design, highlighting the importance of accessibility and personal expression. Schwulst contrasts gifting with sharing, emphasizing the relational value in digital interactions. Ultimately, she envisions a curated online space that champions creativity and connection.

Building a Good Web doesn’t just mean making the current Internet a nicer place, but making an Internet that everyone can use. This week Lola Odelola (Lola’s Lab, formerly of Bocoup) joins the Good Web series to talk about the fundamentals of web accessibility and the fascinating process the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) uses […]

Founder of Are.na, Charles Broskoski, discusses the platform's growth, sustainable business model, subscription pricing, fostering a healthy community, diverse online interaction, and unique approach to social media and community building. Are.na prioritizes genuine connections and creative expression over rapid expansion, promoting an environment that supports mental health crises and caters to introverted individuals.

Metafilter contains the seeds for everything from Twitter to Reddit to comments sections on blogs, and it’s older than podcasts, the blog boom, Facebook, and well, basically everything online. Owner Jessamyn West sat down for a deep conversation with Mike about how MetaFilter’s reliance on community-focusd governance and person-scale moderation has helped it achieve its […]

Michael Wood-Lewis from Front Porch Forum joins us for this second (maybe third?) appearance to help us kick off our Good Web series, where we’re highlighting the successful people building a better, smaller Internet. Michael was gracious enough to have producer Mike Sugarman up to the FPF offices in Burlington, VT to give us an […]

To kick off our Good Web series, Cory Doctorow joined us for a deep dive into his enshittification theory, and how regulation, labor power, competition, and user self-help will make it a thing of the past. We also got him to tell us a little bit about his new novel The Bezzle. Cory first joined […]

CW/TW: Intimate partner violence, child exploitation Diana Freed has spent the past several years radically reframing the threat model in cybersecurity with groundbreaking research into how domestic abusers utilize everyday technology like smart phones and tracking apps. Diana sits down with us to talk about digital safety for survivors of intimate partner violence and youth, […]