Beyond Politics: How Do We Get Government to Pay Attention When Technology Impacts Our Health?

Today, we wanted to bring you portions of a conversation that Matt Robison had on the Healthier Tech Podcast with host R Blank. Some of you may recognize that name from my previous conversation with him in which we talked about the science behind electromagnetic radiation and some of the effects that that type of radiation — which comes from everything in the world around us that runs on electricity — has on our bodies, our brains, and our health. There is some pretty compelling science that suggests it’s a problem. There are direct effects that are measurable in the cells inside our body, and there’s a lot more research that’s needed on the association with various diseases. So what can we do to get the government to take this on?

The show is also about other intersections between our health and technology.  That includes mental health and social health, the kinds of issues that have been raised by the Facebook whistleblower Francis Haugen, and some of the documents that she’s brought to light about research that Facebook has done about the impact of social media, particularly on teenagers, and most particularly on young women.  We also consider some of the other social effects that we’ve seen in terms of misinformation. The question is the same: how can we get the government to address technology that is harming us?