This is an internet culture and technophilosophy edutainment podcast/vodcast that explores the depths of the digital ocean through dives for treasure – the valuable data that lies between the lures of The Maw, the monster of misinformation that seeks you out to corrupt your knowledge base. In each episode (called a “dive log”), we discuss how to think critically about the internet, its implications, and how to find truly valuable information in this murky sea of data.
The internet is an advertisement-laden nightmare to find truly reputable, usable information for discussions, decisions, and debate. With some humor, savvy, and compromise, we may yet use it to its original potential.
Diver’s Log, Supplemental:
The Maw is out there.
“The Maw”
- Swims in the digital ocean of data, where we dive for information every day.
- An angler fish, created from the birth of HTTP.
- Feeds on time, attention, and emotion.
- Uses algorithms as lures.
- Lures use advertising as attractive lights.
- The maw stores valuable data in its belly.
- Lures grow out of those valuable stores.
- Diving guides help avoid the lures.
- They know where valuable information floats in the open digital ocean.
- They can offer a map to true information to avoid the lures.
- The Maw has an insatiable hunger for what you have to offer, and it will continue to hook and feed on us until we are fully consumed if given the chance.
Framing the Internet
- The internet is not a perfect set of information.
- What you consume on the internet is less than 1% of the actual content on the internet.
- The internet has clear and sometimes hidden borders despite claiming to be “open”.
- The internet speaks in riddles; it tells lies and truths at the same time.
- The internet is evolving constantly.
- The internet is not autonomous and won’t be without a fundamental and universal architecture rebuild.
- The internet is created by, influenced by, and built to be consumed by humans.
Diving Rules
- What you already know changes daily.
- Humans can’t know everything and can always be wrong.
- Subjective truth plays a role but generally has a negative effect on formed realities.
- Objective truths are more solid a foundation to formed realities and factual statements.
- No matter how hard it is to avoid it, refrain from personal attacks where logic failures are the issue.
- Respond with data, not emotions, where possible.
- Assessing value of information may result in a “gray value” – no verifiable truth or falseness to a claim. Gray value is still a valid result of analysis.
- Most importantly: DON’T FEED THE MAW
Play the Audio Podcast Here!
S1E7: Mansplaining Roles of Men Online – The Internet Ate My Baby!!!
Joe invites Fizgig on for a two-hoat interview to discuss the role of men in online spaces. From toxic masculinity to over corrections from patriarchy-smashing, the definition of man is still evolving. And through ChatGPT and the duo's analytical banter, we locate the next steps in man's evolution in society.This episode music and sound effects were self-produced by RepeaterSignal Media and Joe Ryder.
Content Aggregates
- S1E6: Morning Sermon of Trumptopia (YouTube Exclusive)
(THIS IS SATIRE… Adult language – viewer discretion advised) We join the inaugural morning sermon of the cult of Trumptopia as our great Orange Savior prepares to take his rightful place among the gods of this world. Please tell our king I made an episode to praise him and his… Read more: S1E6: Morning Sermon of Trumptopia (YouTube Exclusive) - Dive Barn Vlog: Post election thoughts
Early morning post-election ramblings and rants. Thanks for listening. Sorry for the language. And let’s move forward as America, and shove those middle fingers in the face of the Maw. We demand results from our representatives that benefit all Americans, even those you don’t agree with. And the world, including… Read more: Dive Barn Vlog: Post election thoughts - S1E4: Don’t feed the Maw with your voteThe election of 2024 will be memorable, but how does the Internet influence political decisions? Trolling, shut down tactics and the self-righteous vanquishing of dark forces create polarization in online discourse. Through the lens of Diwali, we explore how we attempt to win victory over darkness, showcase knowledge over ignorance,… Read more: S1E4: Don’t feed the Maw with your vote
- S1E3 – Speech Patterns
In this episode, Joe takes a swim with ChatGPT to learn what the Oracle of the Internet says about speech. What is speech? Does AI have useful insights about how we communicate? This topic will grow over time. We have to start somewhere. This also marks a milestone in our… Read more: S1E3 – Speech Patterns - S1E2: Digital Immortality
In this episode of The Internet Ate My Baby, we dive into the world of post-death sensationalism. In the early part of October, 2024, we saw multiple people with notoriety in society pass away under various circumstances. From Maggie Smith to Kris Kristofferson, the internet was flooded with memorials and… Read more: S1E2: Digital Immortality - S1E1: Certifying You for Future Digital Ocean Dives
RepeaterSignal Media presents the first ever episode of The Internet Ate My Baby, an edutainment podcast about critical thinking, careful consumption of internet source information, and avoidance of corrupting one’s own knowledge base. This first episode was a lot more produced than I was expecting, and probably the ongoing series… Read more: S1E1: Certifying You for Future Digital Ocean Dives
