Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world cover art

Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world

Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world

By: Gareth King
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Is the internet really ruining everything, or are we just looking at it wrong? Ruined By The Internet? uses technology as a lens to investigate its effects on society, culture, and modern life. Not products. Not industry news. The human costs of the digital world we all inhabit - whether we wanted them or not. Through conversations with psychologists, musicians, political scientists, FBI investigators, anthropologists, economists, researchers, and experts from every field technology has touched, each episode takes a social or cultural focal point and examines it from every angle. How is social media changing us? Is AI reshaping human behaviour? And what are the real consequences of our very online lives? Ruined By The Internet? is created, hosted and produced by Gareth King. New investigations drop regularly - follow or subscribe wherever you listen. Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/ Share your thoughts: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/ Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow/Gareth King Hygiene & Healthy Living Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Criminal Investigations: Has Crime’s Digital Trail Gone Dark? | FBI, Cybercrime, Encryption & Digital Privacy

    Criminal Investigations: Has Crime’s Digital Trail Gone Dark? | FBI, Cybercrime, Encryption & Digital Privacy
    Aug 18 2026
    Criminal investigations have always had a fundamental asymmetry - one where investigators had more tools, more resources, and more power than the people they pursued. But in a world where the most dangerous criminals can communicate, coordinate, and disappear without detection, has technology handed crime the ultimate advantage?Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? – the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life – whether we want it to or not.Follow or subscribe to never miss the next investigation. https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/We're joined by Eric Robinson - ex-FBI Special Agent of 24 years and SWAT operator for 15 - who investigated drugs, gangs, crimes against children, financial crimes, and national security, and has followed the trail of digital evidence further than most people ever will.In this episode we investigate how encryption and the dark web have shifted the balance of power between criminals and investigators, examine why platform non-cooperation is often more about branding than genuine resistance, explore the role of open source intelligence as one of the most powerful new tools in law enforcement, and ask whether AI will tip the scales back toward investigators - or hand criminals their most powerful weapon yet.(00:00) Eric Robinson's background and what 24 years in the FBI actually looked like(03:58) Encryption and encrypted messaging: the real challenge for law enforcement(08:05) Open source intelligence and why it's changed everything(12:07) The dark web: what it actually is and how it's used by serious criminals(15:58) Platform non-cooperation: legal reality versus public positioning(19:57) How technology has changed specific crime categories(21:50) AI and the future of law enforcement: tool or threat?(25:58) Balancing privacy rights and investigative necessity(28:02) Legal protections for civilians and where they apply(30:08) Human experience versus AI: what machines still can't replace in investigations(34:07) Emerging threats and the new crime categories technology is creating(36:07) Privacy, government power, and where the line should sit(38:02) Memes, social media, and how online culture is being weaponised(40:03) Radicalisation and online extremism: what the investigation actually looks like(44:02) The evolution of crime in the digital age: where it's heading nextKey takeaways:• Human Error Overrules High-Tech Privacy: Despite advanced encryption, bad actors regularly expose themselves through simple laziness - failing to delete messages, or through personal connections that allow informants and undercover operatives to breach otherwise secure networks• Digital Flexing Creates a Double-Edged Problem: Social media boasting provides law enforcement with easy actionable evidence for warrants, but simultaneously floods agencies with non-credible low-level threat reports that tie up vital manpower• Platform Resistance Is Usually Branding: Tech platforms publicise their refusal to cooperate with law enforcement to project a stance on privacy and free speech — but legal mechanisms like search warrants routinely force compliance in legitimate criminal investigations• Physical Confrontation Remains the Essential Vulnerability: Regardless of how sophisticated an online operation or dark web market is, real-world law enforcement relies on physical interactionsIf this episode got you thinking, check out:Truly Disappearing: Powering Our Own Perpetual Surveillance? | Digital Footprints, Online Privacy & Data Retention https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/ZGMxOTZlZTMtMTM4Yi00MmI4LWI0YTgtNzU3YjE5N2Q3Y2NlChild Safety: Public Platforms Full of Private Predators? | Online Safety, Cyberbullying, Social Media & Digital Parenting https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/M2U3MWEyMGEtM2I3NC00ZjUxLTk0YzItYTY3NDhmZjUwNTBmConspiracy Theories: Weaponised From the Fringe to Your Feed? | Misinformation, Radicalisation & the Attention Economy https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/Nzc2YzYwMDAtODRhNy00MDBiLWE1NGUtOTViYzcyNmUyYTAyGuest links – Eric RobinsonWebsite: https://preachertobreacher.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/_eric_robinson/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-robinson-9220053a4/Join the investigationVisit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/Share your thoughts: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow
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    50 mins
  • Science: Has Rigour Been Sacrificed for Reach? | Predatory Publishing, AI-Generated Research, Scientific Fraud & Public Trust

    Science: Has Rigour Been Sacrificed for Reach? | Predatory Publishing, AI-Generated Research, Scientific Fraud & Public Trust
    Aug 4 2026
    The internet promised a new era of science – one of open collaboration, democratised access, and knowledge freed from institutional gatekeepers. But has it instead created an ecosystem where fraudulent papers and AI-generated junk research are often indistinguishable from the real thing?Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? – the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life – whether we want it to or not.Follow or subscribe to never miss the next investigation. https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/We're joined by Kent Anderson and Joy Moore - veterans of scientific publishing with over 50 combined years of experience - who have watched the self-built infrastructure science uses to regulate itself get systematically upended, and often from within. Their new book How the Internet Disrupted Science is out now.In this episode we investigate how the shift to open access publishing opened the door to predatory journals and paper mills, examine how AI and LLMs are flooding the scientific ecosystem with automated unverified research, explore how the attention economy is stripping science of context and turning it into partisan weaponry, and ask whether the self-regulating infrastructure of science can survive the digital age - or whether it's already too late.(00:00) Has the internet ruined science, and how did we get here?(01:12) The emergence of systemic problems in scientific publishing(04:57) The fundamental mismatch between slow science and fast digital platforms(06:51) Predatory publishing and fake papers: what they look like and how they spread(09:37) The scale of problematic and AI-generated content in scientific literature(15:25) How misinformation in science affects public health and policy decisions(20:02) The role of AI and LLMs in accelerating scientific fraud(25:13) Public trust, the attention economy, and what science communication has become(31:12) The democratisation of science: genuine benefit or Trojan horse?(34:43) How social media headlines are distorting public understanding of research(39:28) The new generation of digital-native scientists: problem or solution?(42:19) The single most dangerous consequence of what the internet has done to science(43:15) The future of science and technology governance(45:09) Section 230, platform regulation, and who is actually accountable(47:15) AI inference engines and the concerns nobody is talking about loudly enoughKey takeaways:• The Producer Pays Trap: The shift from reader-paid subscriptions to open access created an economic incentive to push volume over quality - opening the door for predatory publishers and schemes designed purely to churn out papers for profit• AI Degrading Scientific Integrity: Generative AI and LLMs are flooding the ecosystem with automated unverified research - creating over 1.2 million problematic papers and counting• Weaponisation in the Attention Economy: Scientific research is increasingly stripped of context, turned into clickbait, and co-opted to support partisan narratives, sell questionable products, or influence public policy• Fundamental Misunderstanding of How Science Works: Bad actors routinely misuse isolated papers as definitive proof for sweeping claims - when true science is iterative, community-driven, and not a tool for confirmation bias or algorithmic outrageIf this episode got you thinking, check out:Journalism & News: From Fact-Checking to Attention-Seeking? | Media Trust, Misinformation & Citizen Journalism https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/MmJlMjUwNTAtNDQzNy00ZWQ0LWFkOWYtMTJhM2IwNzM1NGRhSleep: Screens Stealing Our Slumber? | Screen Time, Sleep Science & Digital Wellbeing https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/N2NlNGQ3ZmItYTk1Yy00MjRlLTk5YjAtMmUyODM0OTRlNTQzThe Internet: A Corporate Hijacking of Digital Freedom? | Big Tech, Digital Censorship & Online Freedom https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/MmIzMDA0ZTQtMDA1Ny00OTE1LTkyY2QtNjhhM2NlMzJmODdhGuest links – Kent Anderson & Joy MooreWebsite: https://www.disruptedscience.com/Podcast: https://disruptedscience.podbean.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DisruptedScienceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentranderson/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-moore-a94865Join the investigationVisit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/Share your thoughts: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow
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    51 mins
  • Helping People: Has Empathy Turned Us into Targets? | Online Scams, Digital Deception, Cyber Safety & the Psychology of Trust

    Helping People: Has Empathy Turned Us into Targets? | Online Scams, Digital Deception, Cyber Safety & the Psychology of Trust
    Jul 19 2026
    We used to rely on biological cues to verify a stranger in need. But in a faceless digital world full of scams and deception, has our empathy become a liability - and left us in a state of permanent suspicion?Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? – the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life – whether we want it to or not.Follow or subscribe to never miss the next investigation. https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/We’re joined by Travis Simcox, a cyber threat hunter and former cognitive science researcher – a combination that makes him uniquely placed to tell us what the digital world is doing to our instinct to help.In this episode we investigate how the internet transformed scams from local nuisances into a global industry, examine how AI is dramatically amplifying the sophistication and emotional manipulation of digital deception, and ask whether the era of the inherent high-trust society is gone forever - or whether there's a way back.(00:00) The digital shift in trust and what it's done to our instinct to help(02:07) Scale of online scams: from village communities to virtual identities(04:15) High trust societies versus the permanent mistrust the internet created(05:45) Modern phishing: far beyond the basics most people know about(08:42) The rise of romance and investment scams and the psychology behind them(11:03) The Golden Triangle: a hub for untouchable cybercrime operating beyond the law(16:16) Emerging scams: executive gift card and overpayment fraud(20:10) How AI is supercharging scam sophistication and emotional manipulation(25:56) Can regulation and individual vigilance actually counter AI-driven scams?(39:58) Practical protective strategies for individuals and businesses(42:59) The permanence of digital mistrust, and what that means for how we liveKey takeaways:• Illusion of Scale: The internet allows a single malicious actor to project dozens of fake identities simultaneously - completely undermining the natural societal balance of trust that biological cues once maintained• The Confidence Gap and AI: While headlines focus on AI writing malware, the more insidious threat is generative AI telling low-level scammers exactly what to say to emotionally manipulate victims - lowering the barrier to sophisticated deception dramatically• The Devastation of Pig Butchering: The most financially and socially destructive digital scams are long-term investment or romantic setups that systematically drain victims until they've alienated friends, pawned belongings, and sold their homes - leaving them entirely destitute• Permanently Broken High-Trust Society: Because global digital connectivity bypasses local law enforcement and enables lawless operations in special economic zones, the era of inherent high-trust society may be permanently goneIf this episode got you thinking, check out:The Internet: A Corporate Hijacking of Digital Freedom? | Big Tech, Digital Censorship & Online Freedom https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/MmIzMDA0ZTQtMDA1Ny00OTE1LTkyY2QtNjhhM2NlMzJmODdhTrust in Information: The End of Believing Our Own Eyes? | Misinformation, Media Trust, AI & Digital Literacy https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/MGMwN2YyNzItZmU3Yy00Njk0LTkxNWYtYmU5NDdkN2VkY2Y3Child Safety: Public Platforms Full of Private Predators? | Online Safety, Cyberbullying, Social Media & Digital Parenting https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/M2U3MWEyMGEtM2I3NC00ZjUxLTk0YzItYTY3NDhmZjUwNTBmGuest links – Travis SimcoxWebsite: https://behindthesurface.netYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Behind_The_SurfaceLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tsimcoxJoin the investigationVisit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/Share your thoughts: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow
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    45 mins
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