In this episode of Looks Like New, host Júlia Martins Rodrigues speaks with Warren Liu, a Media Studies doctoral student. Liu examines how video games shape culture—both by reflecting colonial legacies and by offering space to challenge them.
Their conversation explores how games can spark decolonial thinking and open new paths for cultural exchange. From reclaiming narratives and traditions to reimagining design and player agency, they discuss how gaming can become a tool for inclusivity, empathy, and social change.
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Who gets to belong in the digital future?
Who gets to participate in society—and how do we build systems that serve everyone, not just the privileged few?
In this episode of Looks Like New, MEDLab's Júlia Martins Rodrigues speaks with Dr. Nicol Turner Lee, a leading expert at the intersection of technology and social justice, about what happens when entire communities are left behind in our rapidly digitizing world. As Director of the Center for Technology Innovation and founder of the AI Equity Lab, Turner Lee has dedicated her work to making AI and internet access more inclusive, ethical, and equitable—from the U.S. to the Global South. We explore insights from her groundbreaking book Digitally Invisible and discuss how we can rethink AI governance to create a more just digital future.
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Are you being trained?
AI is advancing at lightning speed—so fast that questions of ownership and data use often get left behind. What control do we really have over our data in these massive language models? And how can we rethink governance for AI?
On this episode of Looks Like New, MEDLab fellow Andy DiLallo speaks with Berlin-based artist, musician, and technologist Mat Dryhurst. Known for his work on collective ownership and digital governance. We hear how DIY music culture shaped Mat’s approach to technology, the importance of transparency in AI, and the role institutions can play in building ethical, trustworthy AI frameworks.
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Is anything new in influencer marketing?
It’s easy to look at today’s pop culture and advertising and feel nostalgic for earlier generations—but were those eras really so different? What trends have remained consistent throughout our history?
In this month’s episode of Looks Like New, hosted by MEDlab’s associate director Júlia Martins Rodrigues, we hear from Art Bamford, Ph.D., lecturer in Media Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, a fellow at the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture, and co-author of Every Parent's Guide to Navigating Our Digital World.
Art Bamford is currently researching the influence of Protestant revivalism on modern American advertising and public relations. In this episode, he shares fascinating insights into the historical relationship between celebrity, advertising, and scandal—and how these forces have shaped enduring trends in pop culture.
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Are our health apps negatively impacting us?
In the digital age, it's hard to resist free conveniences—but are they really free? So much of our data is constantly being bought and sold without our knowledge, making it crucial to find safe alternatives to keep our private information truly private.
On this month's episode of Looks Like New, hosted by MEDlab fellow Stephanie Abdalla, Anna Muller joins us all the way from Brazil to discuss the importance of data control, especially for individuals with uteruses.
Anna Muller brings a wealth of knowledge to the conversation. She is a biomedical specialist in neuroscience and behavior, a health instructor focused on fertility, perception, and hormonal health, as well as a speaker and content producer specializing in menstrual education. Together, Stephanie Abdalla and Anna Muller dive into the world of fertility tracking apps, the risks and realities of data control, and possible safer alternatives—drawing from history, academic discourse, and personal insight.
Looks Like New is the podcast that asks old questions about new technology. Each month, we speak with someone who works with technology in ways that challenge conventional narratives and dominant power structures. The name comes from the phrase “a philosophy so old that it looks like new,” repeated throughout the works of Peter Maurin, the French-American agrarian poet.
Looks Like New is a production of the Media Enterprise Design Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month on KGNU radio at 6 p.m., or online as a podcast at lookslikenew.net.
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