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

The internet promised us connection that never sleeps. But has it also been sabotaging our rest - leaving us locked in a nightly battle with a digital world that refuses to turn off?
We're joined by Chelsea Reynolds - sleep researcher and clinical psychologist - who is exactly the right person to ask about what happens when bedtime becomes screen time, and whether our screens are the problem, or the solution.
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 - new episodes regularly.
Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/
Help us investigate ourselves: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/
Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow
In this episode we investigate how screens and digital habits are disrupting our sleep biology, examine the sleep displacement hypothesis and what it actually means for how we rest, explore the psychology behind why we choose screens over sleep even when we know better, and ask whether the same technology keeping us awake could ever genuinely help us sleep.
00:00 - The internet's impact on sleep and why it matters
04:59 - Sleep biology and exactly where technology interferes
09:57 - The sleep displacement hypothesis: are screens stealing our hours or just our quality?
15:00 - Navigating sleep aids in a world full of digital solutions
20:01 - How the blurring of work and personal life is destroying sleep boundaries
25:04 - The bright light hypothesis and how screen wavelengths affect sleep patterns
25:09 - Understanding sleep routines and where technology fits in
30:36 - Teenagers, sleep needs, and the specific risks of digital exposure
33:00 - The risk factors most people don't know are affecting their sleep
35:30 - How to transform technology from sleep disruptor into sleep aid
37:23 - Practical sleep strategies for a screen-saturated world
39:44 - The nuance of technology's role in sleep: it's not all bad
Guest links - Chelsea Reynolds
Website: https://www.bedtimewindow.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-reynolds-29b43191/

When it comes to empowering ourselves, we were told the internet would give us back control. But instead, has it simply delivered a more efficient way for us to become products, and successfully rebranded objectification as agency?
We’re joined by Courtney Kocak - writer, comedian, and author of the memoir Girl Gone Wild - to investigate one of the most uncomfortable questions about what technology has done to identity, autonomy, power, and the people caught in between.
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 - new episodes regularly.
Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/
Help us investigate ourselves: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/
Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow
In this episode we trace the journey from early 2000s media to today's self-monetisation platforms, examine how the attention economy and algorithms have reshaped desire and self-perception, investigate the rise of online male communities and their generational impact, and ask whether AI is accelerating the problem - or simply making it harder to see.
00:00 - The Internet's impact on empowerment and objectification
03:10 - From early 2000s media to today's self-monetization platforms
07:50 - The evolution of pop culture and its increasingly explicit direction
09:12 - Tracing the cultural roots of today's online extremity
13:28 - The influence of the attention economy
14:37 - The rise of the manosphere and its impact
16:29 - The generational difference: navigating online life and authenticity
20:13 - Shifting attitudes toward sex work and societal acceptance
23:29 - The influence of explicit online content
25:34 - How online validation shapes our self-perception
27:13 - Authenticity and the rejection of algorithm-driven content
30:18 - The potential and pitfalls of AI in digital content and society
34:47 - The impact of AI-generated actors and content on creative industries
36:57 - The slow political response to AI and digital regulation
38:15 - The importance of nuanced conversations
39:41 - Concerns about technology's societal effects
Guest links — Courtney Kocak
Website: https://www.courtneykocak.com/
Podcast: https://www.privatepartsunknown.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneykocak/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneykocak

The internet was supposed to make the rental market more efficient and transparent. But has it instead turned the basic human need for shelter into a frantic, dehumanising battle with technology - where algorithms, platforms, and data have more power than the people looking for a home?
We're joined by Thomas Sigler - Deputy Head of the School of the Environment and Associate Professor of Human Geography at the University of Queensland - whose research sits at the exact intersection of urban geography, technology, and how we live.
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 - new episodes regularly.
Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/
Help us investigate ourselves: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/
Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow
In this episode we investigate how short-term rental platforms hollowed out housing supply, examine the role of PropTech in reshaping how we search and apply for homes, explore the data privacy implications of digital rental applications, and ask whether the technology that promised transparency has simply handed more power to landlords, platforms, and property influencers.
00:00 Introduction to the Rental Market Crisis
02:57 The Impact of Short-Term Rentals
06:04 Understanding the Rental Market Dynamics
08:47 The Role of PropTech in Rental Searches
11:55 Community Resistance and Transient Populations
15:02 The Rise of Digital Nomadism
17:51 The Transparency of Digital Platforms
21:07 Privacy Concerns in Rental Applications
24:09 Regulatory Challenges in the Rental Market
26:45 The Influence of Property Influencers
29:56 FOMO and the Property Market
33:10 Crisis in the Housing Market
36:05 The Future of Housing and Technology
38:59 What renters can actually do
Guest links — Thomas Sigler:
https://environment.uq.edu.au/profile/9602/thomas-sigler

The internet promised to make self-improvement accessible to everyone. But has it instead turned it into a spectator sport - replacing process with performance, and pushing us to consume playbooks rather than actually build habits?
We're joined by Justin Leff - behavioural coach and founder of Solilium Coaching - who helps people with discipline, wellness, and self-understanding, and has seen firsthand what happens when the algorithm becomes the self-improvement plan.
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 - new episodes regularly.
Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/
Help us investigate ourselves: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/
Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow
In this episode we investigate how algorithms and social media have reshaped our goals and motivation, examine the danger of social comparison in a world of curated success, explore how digital overload creates decision fatigue, and ask whether AI is finally the personalised self-improvement tool we were promised - or just a more sophisticated version of the same one-size-fits-all problem.
00:00 The Impact of the Internet on Self-Improvement
03:12 Globalisation of Ideas and Goals
06:07 The Dangers of Social Comparison
09:08 The Role of Role Models in the Digital Age
12:03 Chasing Status vs. Genuine Self-Improvement
15:12 The Journey of Self-Discovery
18:05 The Process Over Quick Fixes
21:14 The Impact of Digital Overload on Motivation
24:08 Navigating Decision Fatigue in a World of Options
28:03 The Future of Self-Improvement Without Social Media
30:41 AI's Role in Tailored Self-Improvement
35:08 Finding Authentic Peer Support in Self-Improvement
37:13 The Importance of Community in Personal Growth
Guest links - Justin Leff
Website: https://www.soliliumcoaching.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soliliumthoughts/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoliliumThoughts

The internet promised to revolutionise how we get around - delivering a modern, efficient, and affordable alternative to the old ways. But did the revolution simply replace one system with an unstable, exploitative gig economy, offering the illusion of flexibility with almost zero protections?
We're joined by Rod Barton - former Victorian Member of Parliament and founder of the Transport Matters Party - who fought the regulatory battle for taxi drivers firsthand, and understands better than most what happens when platforms disrupt an industry and governments struggle to keep up.
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 - new episodes regularly.
Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/
Help us investigate ourselves: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/
Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow
In this episode we investigate how rideshare platforms dismantled the traditional taxi industry, examine the safety and insurance gaps that opened up in the process, explore the rights of gig economy workers caught between flexibility and exploitation, and ask whether government regulation has any hope of keeping pace with the platforms rewriting the rules.
00:00 - The internet's impact on the taxi industry
03:01 - What the taxi industry looked like before rideshare
05:52 - The regulatory framework rideshare bypassed
08:57 - Safety and insurance gaps in rideshare services
12:13 - Gig economy workers — flexibility or exploitation?
15:05 - Customer service in the age of algorithmic dispatch
17:50 - Where the gig economy is heading
21:00 - The role of government in regulating platform transport
23:55 - What a fair path forward looks like for drivers and riders
Guest links — Rod Barton
Website: https://rodbarton.com.au
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/rod-barton
Facebook: https://facebook.com/RodBarton08