Cybernews podcast #30: wild side of women's tech

Does female-oriented technology empower us as women, or is it quite the opposite?

Women are big spenders when it comes to beauty and health products. Since much of the industry is now intertwined with technology, we do try out different gadgets and software for better or worse.

The 30th episode of the Cybernews podcast is dedicated to all the tech sis (after tech bros) out there, using (or not) apps to log their periods or sex habits, toying with mental health apps or tapping into technology to lose (gain) weight.

“All tech feels very much male-coded. I haven't seen any women wearing the Apple Vision Pro because I feel like it's just very male-coded,” Cybernews journalist Niam Ancell said.

In our first all-female participants episode, we discuss the following:

• The craziest tech inventions for women, including brain sensing headbands and magic mirrors

• The hidden dangers of period trackers and similar apps

• How women feel about using tech in the US after Roe vs. Wade

• How AI is impacting women and fueling deepfake pornography

• Analogue vs. cyber flashing – very different experiences yet the same “yuck” feeling

• The objectification of women online

We need to warn you that this podcast contains a lot of TMI because feminine health and experiences are no longer a taboo and should be discussed publicly.

“I used to mark when I was having sex with my boyfriend at the time because, you know, I maybe didn't feel like I was getting enough, um, and wanted to throw it in his face,” Stefanie Schappert, a senior journalist at Cybernews, joked. Or did she?

So consider yourself warned! The podcast is mostly TMI.