The social networks ‘designed to tear us apart’ – podcasts of the week

Sudhir Breaks the Internet considers the ethical and practical dilemmas underpinning our online lives. Plus: Slow Burn returns, considering the events and aftermath of the Iraq war

Sudhir Breaks the Internet
Sudhir Venkatesh boasts an impressive CV, having worked for the FBI, Facebook and Twitter. He is also a sociologist, meaning that he's able to look back at his time working with government and big tech, to examine the growth of online misinformation with an expert eye. Don't expect a fawning look at social media's huge ethical and practical dilemmas in this new Freakanomics podcast; his first episode, titled Designed to Tear Us Apart", considers how division and hate have thrived on the platforms he worked for - and the inertia behind the scenes. Hannah J Davies