Once seen by politicians as a tool to tackle issues, Capitol Hill is finding out that technology could be a double-edged sword with unintended consequences. Cecilia Kang, National Technology Correspondent at The New York Times, joined to take a closer look at the crossroads between politics and Silicon Valley.
Kang discussed why the Democrats became sour on Silicon Valley. She said the 2016 election was the start of a journey for the Democratic party to evaluate the role of technology companies in the spread of information. Kang added that they wanted to investigate whether social media companies were good or potentially harmful for democracy. When the shock wore off from the election results, they wanted to look into what was behind the outcome.
Are Democrats just trying to find something else to blame for election results they aren’t happy with? Kang pointed out that social media companies themselves have acknowledged that they did play a role in the election. This is evident in the newsfeed algorithm changes implemented by Facebook. The company is now placing a heavier emphasis on content from friends and family opposed to content from publishers.
Managing Editor at Tom's Guide, Kate Kozuch, joins Cheddar to explain how Apple's AirPods now work as hearing aids and what she thinks of Apple Intelligence.
Co-founder and CEO of Rad Intel, Jeremy Barnett, joins Cheddar anchor Dave Briggs to discuss the influencer marketing space and how RAD is changing the game.
Houseplant Founders Seth Rogen and Mikey Mohr joined anchor Dave Briggs to discuss the changing culture around Cannabis and their smoke-ware brand Houseplant.
