The Data Fix with Dr. Mél Hogan

In this first episode of 2026, I speak with Am Johal and Matt Stern, authors of the "O My Friends, There Is No Friend: The Politics of Friendship at the End of Ecology" (2025) to better understand what friendship means these days... at the "end of ecology". Is friendship political? Can an AI chatbot be a friend? Recorded Jan 16, 2026. Released Jan 19, 2026.

Matt Hern, Am Johal O My Friends, There is No Friend (pdf)
https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/022e1f6f-f14a-4c11-a94c-c95610919f8c/9783839470268.pdf

Below the Radar podcast:
https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast.html

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New Cover art by Oona Ode!

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José Marichal is exceptionally good at making the case for why we should all become algorithmic problems and also much more reflective of our engagement with social media. We are altered by recommendation algorithms -- and we should probably think now about how to renegotiate these terms? Happy holidays! Recorded Nov 27. Released Dec 22, 2025.

You Must Become an Algorithmic Problem
Renegotiating the Socio-Technical Contract
https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/you-must-become-an-algorithmic-problem
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In this episode I speak with friends-neighbours-advocates Meg Rintoul and Kathryn Barnwell about current plans in place to build an AI data center in Nanaimo, B-C. -- and allowing ourselves to write a new story about the future. Recorded Nov 27. Released Dec 8, 2025.

'Very scary': Nanaimo neighbours have water worries about new data centre
https://www.reddit.com/r/nanaimo/comments/1oo24s3/very_scary_nanaimo_neighbours_have_water_worries/

'An Island concern': Nanaimo water advocates want new data centre stopped
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OQzc2bhtXw

CBC: AI-related data centres use vast amounts of water. But gauging how much is a murky business
https://www.cbc.ca/news/ai-data-centre-canada-water-use-9.6939684
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In this episode, I got to walk through a recent report called “the high stakes of tracking menstruation” with its author, Stefanie Felsberger, a sociologist of tech & gender. I cannot express enough how much there is to learn from this topic that can help us understand the bigger landscape of tech promises and harms. Recorded Oct 23, 2025. Released Nov 24, 2025.

The High Stakes of Tracking Menstruation - MCTD Cambridge
https://www.mctd.ac.uk/femtech-high-stakes-tracking-menstruation/
https://www.mctd.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/The-High-Stakes-of-Tracking-Menstruation_Accessible.html

Menstrual apps harvest data that ‘puts women’s safety at risk’
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/menstrual-apps-harvest-data-that-puts-womens-safety-at-risk-bd0srb8mt?

Period: The Real Story of Menstruation (by Kate Clancy)
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691191317/period?

Website
https://www.stefaniefelsberger.com
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In this episode, I speak with Justin Hendrix, the CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press, a nonprofit media venture concerned with the intersection of technology and democracy. We talk about ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement), surveillance, and AI. Recorded Oct 21, 2025. Released Nov 10, 2025.

Republican Budget Bill Signals New Era in Federal Surveillance
DEAN JACKSON, JUSTIN HENDRIX / JUL 2, 2025
https://www.techpolicy.press/republican-budget-bill-signals-new-era-in-federal-surveillance/

Amidst Violent Immigration Raids, DHS Turns to Big Tech to Silence Dissent
JENNA RUDDOCK / OCT 3, 2025
https://www.techpolicy.press/amidst-violent-immigration-raids-dhs-turns-to-big-tech-to-silence-dissent/

AI Surveillance on the Rise in US, but Tactics of Repression Not New
DIA KAYYALI / MAR 26, 2025
https://www.techpolicy.press/ai-surveillance-on-the-rise-in-us-but-tactics-of-repression-not-new/
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