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NPR reporter Rae Ellen Bichell introduces us to Sue Bryson, a public radio fan in Virginia – who shares the story of how NPR saved her life. 

Sue Bryson's Story

Guy Raz introduces us to a very precocious public radio listener. 

Our Youngest Fan

What was going through Hillary Clinton’s mind while 2016’s election night unfolded? As a global leader in digital communications and Senator Clinton’s Head of Digital Marketing throughout the 2016 campaign, Andrew Bleeker has a better idea than most people. He joins us for Episode 5: Money, Message, & Mobilization. 

Some people may think that we elect our presidents in the same way we choose our popes—but in reality our elections and campaigns are now firmly rooted in tech. And during this divisive election, it was apparent that there are currently three main motivations in all political campaigns: money, message, and mobilization. In this episode of the podcast, Tom and Andrew focus on the role that Ad Tech, digital communications, and social media played in the two very different campaign trails. Even though the Democrats and Republicans were using each strategy in very different ways, they were still key motivators for both parties. 

Explaining the importance of search engines, social networks, and video in reaching voters, Andrew takes us through the new challenge of engagement vs. persuasion. Lots of new tech pushes persuasive content out to the target audience but has to also compete for attention with the likes of Buzzfeed and Vox. And if it doesn’t cut, it just doesn’t reach those all-important voters. In a world in which content and social media can win an election, it’s become all too clear that digital communications are now best-placed at the heart of every political campaign.

Episode 5: Money, Message, & Mobilization - Andrew Bleeker Talks Hiliary 2016 with Tom Serres

Episode 5: Money, Message, & Mobilization - Andrew Bleeker Talks Hillary 2016 with Tom Serres

Right now there are 400,000 bots creating around 20% of all Internet chatter. How are we meant to determine the authority of the online content we read if there are now robots and non-humans generating such a large percent of it? In Episode 8, Howard Rheingold—critic, writer, teacher, and one of the earliest pioneers of the Internet—and Tom Serres discuss Fake News and the Real Politics of Technology.


Howard has always been ten-years ahead of everyone else, and was writing about social media way back in the 90s. He has written various books on the cultural, social, and political implications of modern communication media, cementing his status as a leading thinker in social media. In this episode we look at the issues of fake news and Internet literacy. 


There are various things that have an effect on the way we experience tech, from the type of political environment we are into our own individual knowledge of certain technology. So the best way we can currently improve our use of tech and the Internet is to ensure we have the best fact-checking tools and sites at our disposal. But then, who’s fact-checking the fact-checking sites?


Howard also discusses the need to control our own attention. As the web was created by people, the way we think of it affects how it evolves. If we only use the web as an echo chamber, we only reinforce our own opinions, which makes it incredibly difficult for people to look beyond what they believe. For the Internet to continue being valuable, we need to figure out how to give people the tools and desire to fact-check.

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