IDEA Podcast Relaunches as Ethics Untangled

Ethics Untangled is a series of conversations about the ethical issues that affect all of us and features Dr Jim Baxter exploring different topics trying to make sense of these problems.

In this first episode, we talk to Dr Joe Saunders from the University of Durham about how we should behave online.
 
Have you ever wondered why online interactions are so unpleasant so much of the time? If you've spent some time on social media, you'll probably be aware of things like echo chambers, virtue signalling and polarisation. In this episode, we draw on some of the research concerning these and other pernicious phenomena, and try to make a start on working out how we, as individuals, can avoid these pitfalls and make social media a more pleasant, constructive place.
 
What do you think? Is civility the answer? Or are there things we have good reason to be uncivil about? Are there things we can do better as individuals, or should we concentrate on reforming the platforms themselves, which currently seem to thrive on conflict? Or should we just abandon social media altogether?

How to listen

Listen to the first episode of Ethics Untangled on the BuzzSprout website.