Technically Spiritual

In a world where misinformation is profitable, we face a great responsibility and burden to educate ourselves AND trust those that have done the real research (not just used Google, a for-profit search engine that serves advertisers, not people).

We love information that fits our own worldview -- this is called cognitive bias. When you use Google, it serves up information and stories (humans love storytelling) that it believes you will enjoy. There is NO law saying the information it shows you must be true. The algorithm knows you personally, and will serve you the “answers” you want, whether or not that misinformation harms you.

But there are ways to combat truth decay and misinformation. In our world where information has never been more accessible, it’s a matter of choice -- choosing research and truth over blissful ignorance.

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In this episode of Technically Spiritual, we discuss how tech affects people and the world through the lens of agriculture, food systems, and the power that comes from access to data.

Jenny Melo, Fulbright scholar & PhD student, joins us this week to share her expertise on the socio-ethical impacts of agricultural technologies.

Tune in to learn how our current agricultural/food production system perpetuates deep inequality in our neighborhoods and all over the world.

And lastly, learn how spirituality, science, and curiosity intersect to help us become better citizens, with an opportunity to make a better world.

Jenny Melo is an applied scholar from Colombia with training in business, social sciences, and sociology. She had devoted her professional life to better understand the social implications of business, particularly in rural settings. Currently and through a Fulbright Scholarship, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Rural Sociology at the University of Missouri - Columbia, where is researching the socio-ethical implications that digital agricultural technologies pose for small farmers in the Latin American context.

Show notes here: https://www.technicallyspiritual.com/podcast/15

On Oct. 6th, 2020 host Prerna Manchanda hosted a virtual conversation with the Technically Spiritual community to discuss the documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’. The group discusses the impacts of social media on our mental health and contemplate solutions that promote individual and collective healing. This episode presents the highlights from the discussion.

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Getting distracted isn’t just about how it affects your productivity. It’s about how it affects your level of suffering, as it pulls focus away from the people and things that matter most deeply to you. Especially in our current digital age, prioritization is incredibly tricky, and yet more important than ever.

In this episode, host Prerna Manchanda speaks speak with world-renowned author Nir Eyal about his book Indistractible, and he shares how to get the best from technology without it getting the best of us.

Prerna and Nir discuss how to start identifying the triggers that lead to distraction, as well as practical, realistic tools to help you make for time for traction—actions that pull you towards your intentions (and away from suffering).

They critically review what’s wrong with the current tech narrative, which currently leaves users (all of us) feeling helpless and Nir offers empowering advice about how to “hack back” tech. In this episode, Nir illustrates why becoming Indistractable is the skill of the century and he generously shares the framework for how we can all get there.

Visit www.technicallyspiritual.com for the show notes, offerings, and more!

Should Facebook, YouTube, and other social media companies be held accountable for creating a culture of misinformation, polarization, and hate? Can they continue to hide behind ‘Freedom of Speech’ to absolve themselves of responsibility? Is it time for government to step in? In this episode, Prerna reflects on social media’s contribution to insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021. In a lit-review style, she shares research from world-renowned scholars to discuss how we got here and what Americans can do to get democracy back on track.

Visit www.technicallyspiritual.com for the show notes, offerings, and more!

Scholars Referenced:

Roger McNamee

Renee DiResta

Guillaume Chaslot

Yaël Eisenstat