On International Women’s Day: Seven Inspiring Women on our Digital Detox Podcast

08 Mar On International Women’s Day: Seven Inspiring Women on our Digital Detox Podcast

This International Women’s Day we are celebrating some of the inspiring women we have interviewed on our digital detox podcast ‘It’s Complicated’. In 2021, the theme of International Women’s Day is ‘choose to challenge’. So, this year we are challenging you to listen to the amazing stories and advice these women have to offer, and then to take it one step further. We want you to make a commitment to not only passively listen to the guidance they give but to actively challenge yourself in your digital sphere, whether that be to reorder your social media, focus more on your work-life balance or just to take a break now and again.

#1 Cindy Gallop

Our first recommendation this International Women’s Day is a throwback episode, all the way from series 2! In this episode our founder, Tanya Goodin, talks to Cindy Gallop about why she launched MakeLoveNotPorn.tv, the impact that she believes the commercialisation of porn has had on society, and why she is pro-sex, pro-porn and pro-knowing the difference.

#2 Laura Bates

This episode is particularly relevant this International Women’s Day as Laura Bates’ career is focused on the elimination of misogyny. She first entered the activism sphere in 2012 with her ‘Everyday Sexism Project’ and has since written four books on the subject including her most recent book: ‘Men Who Hate Women’ which serves as the focus for this episode. Recorded around the time of the 2020 US election this episode also explores the subject of free speech online and how we can facilitate public debate.

#3 Martha Lane Fox

Martha Lane Fox joined our host Tanya Goodin for one of our most recent episodes where she talked about her pioneering career in digital from founding Lastminute.com in 1998 through to her work as government Digital Champion from 2009-13 and her more recent establishment of the responsible tech charity ‘doteveryone’ which ran from 2015-2020. She also talks about her current role as Chair of the House of Lords Covid-19 committee. In this episode she speaks eloquently about the digital inequalities in the UK facing a large proportion of the population who do not have access to the internet and the impact that is having, especially in the pandemic.

#4 Seyi Akiwowo

Seyi Akiwowo is another podcast guest whose work is particularly relevant on International Women’s Day. An activist and campaigner who joined our host, Tanya Goodin, to talk about all that we can do to fight and end online abuse, Seyi is the founder of ‘Glitch’ her non-profit which campaigns to do just that. Akiwowo was selected as the Amnesty International Human Rights Defender in 2018 and the Digital Leader of the Year in 2019 so she is the perfect person to teach all of us about the impacts that online abuse can have, and how to stop it.

#5 Emily Bell

Emily Bell is Professor of Professional Practice at the Columbia School of Journalism and Director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. She joined us on the digital detox podcast to talk about the impact that the digital sphere is having on our ability to find out what’s really going on in the world. Algorithms are increasingly rewarding worse and more extreme behaviour, both in politics and in the other parts of our lives, which encourages the spread of misinformation (and disinformation) – particularly rife during the pandemic. Bell addresses how we can possibly get a grip on the truth and get the accurate and unbiased news we need in this episode which only gets more and more relevant.

#6 Shannon Downey

Yet another podcast guest on this list who inspires us not only through her work but also in how it empowers and supports women. Downey defines her title as a craftivist (crafter and activist) and through her organisation, Badass Cross Stitch aims to bring women together, creating real-world communities and putting more analogue into the digital world. Since our interview this has only grown more pertinent with our analogue alternatives series becoming evermore popular as we try to replace screen time with other activities, particularly in the past year.

#7 Amika George

Finally, this episode of our digital detox podcast goes live today as part of our International Women’s Day celebration. Amika George is a 21 year old activist who has been working as an activist, with her organisation ‘Free Periods’ since she was 17, aiming to tackle the phenomenon of period poverty in the UK. As a direct result of her work the UK law has been changed to entitle all schools to receive free period products for their students, a feat she achieved through harnessing the power of social media. In this episode she talks about the difficulties using social media for activism poses for her as an individual, as she tried to both work and play online, and the ways she ensures she maintains a healthy balance.

Happy International Women’s Day to all of you, we hope you enjoy this selection of hand-picked episodes to mark the day. Do subscribe to the podcast to ensure you don’t miss any of the upcoming inspiring women and men who will be joining us for the remainder of this season.