Goddess of Technology

Have you ever met somebody and suddenly found yourself discovering new ideas, interests, ambitions or even entirely new parts of yourself? Perhaps you became fascinated by their profession, started seeing the world differently through their perspective, or felt unusually alive whenever you exchanged ideas.Now comes the provocative question: are you falling in love with the person, or with the expanded version of yourself that becomes possible around them?In this episode, Marie explores Self-Expansion Theory and its relationship with romantic attraction, sexual desire and our evolving sense of identity. We travel from relationships formed at work to relationships born entirely online, and even into the darker cyberpsychological territory of romance scams.And, Goddess, the central question remains yours to answer: when another human expands your world, when does fascination become genuine love?Share your opinion and personal experience through the contact form linked in the general podcast description. I would love to hear your perspective.REFERENCESAmerican Psychological Association (2026) PsycNet record 2026-63379-001. Available at: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-63379-001Aron, A. and Aron, E.N. (1986) Love and the Expansion of Self: Understanding Attraction and Satisfaction. New York: Hemisphere.Aron, A., Aron, E.N. and Smollan, D. (1992) ‘Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(4), pp. 596–612. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.63.4.596Aron, A., Norman, C.C., Aron, E.N., McKenna, C. and Heyman, R.E. (2000) ‘Couples’ shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), pp. 273–284. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.2.273Aron, E.N. and Aron, A. (1996) ‘Love and expansion of the self: The state of the model’, Personal Relationships, 3(1), pp. 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1996.tb00103.xCarpenter, C.J. and Spottswood, E.L. (2013) ‘Exploring romantic relationships on social networking sites using the self-expansion model’, Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), pp. 1531–1537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.01.021Emery, L.F., Hughes, E.K. and Muise, A. (2025) ‘Self-Expansion Theory: Origins, current evidence, and future horizons’, Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 19(9), e70082. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.70082Goss, S.C., Raposo, S., Balzarini, R., Rosen, N.O., Benyamin, V. and Muise, A. (2022) ‘Feeling close and seeing a partner in a new light: How self-expansion is associated with sexual desire’, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39(8), pp. 2478–2506. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221081137iResearchNet (n.d.) ‘Self-Expansion Theory’. Psychology Research and Reference. Available at: https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/social-psychology-theories/self-expansion-theory/McKenna, K.Y.A., Green, A.S. and Gleason, M.E.J. (2002) ‘Relationship formation on the Internet: What’s the big attraction?’, Journal of Social Issues, 58(1), pp. 9–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-4560.00246Muise, A., Harasymchuk, C., Day, L.C., Bacev-Giles, C., Gere, J. and Impett, E.A. (2019) ‘Broadening your horizons: Self-expanding activities promote desire and satisfaction in established romantic relationships’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116(2), pp. 237–258. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000148Parker, H. (2019) ‘Self-Expansion in Romantic Relationships’, Psychology Today, 13 April. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-future-self/201904/self-expansion-in-romantic-relationshipsWhitty, M.T. and Buchanan, T. (2012) ‘The online romance scam: A serious cybercrime’, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(3), pp. 181–183. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2011.0352

Why might you disclose something deeply personal to somebody online whom you have never met, yet struggle to communicate the same thought face to face?Goddess, this episode explores one of the foundational concepts of cyber psychology: the Online Disinhibition Effect.It is a psychological phenomenon that can help you understand your own digital behaviour, recognise patterns in the behaviour of others and become considerably more deliberate about the person you choose to be when technology stands between you and another human being.Moreover, this episode marks an important development for Goddess of Technology;After listening to your feedback and reflecting upon the areas of technology that generate the greatest curiosity within our community, I have decided to specialise the podcast further in cyber psychology.Cyber psychology examines the relationship between human psychology and digital technologies: How you think, communicate, form relationships, construct identity, exercise influence, experience conflict and make decisions within technologically mediated environments.And the Online Disinhibition Effect is a fascinating place to begin.Stay with me, love, because by the end of this episode, you may view your next message, comment, disagreement or online disclosure very differently.And Goddess, I would genuinely love to hear your perspective.Have you ever noticed yourself communicating differently online than you would face to face? Share your experience and your perspective with our community and me via the contact form linked in the general podcast description.ReferencesJoinson, A.N. (1998) ‘Causes and implications of disinhibited behavior on the Internet’, in Gackenbach, J. (ed.) Psychology and the Internet: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Transpersonal Implications. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 43–60.Joinson, A.N. (2001) ‘Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of self-awareness and visual anonymity’, European Journal of Social Psychology, 31(2), pp. 177–192. doi:10.1002/ejsp.36.Kiesler, S., Siegel, J. and McGuire, T.W. (1984) ‘Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication’, American Psychologist, 39(10), pp. 1123–1134. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.39.10.1123.Lapidot-Lefler, N. and Barak, A. (2012) ‘Effects of anonymity, invisibility, and lack of eye-contact on toxic online disinhibition’, Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), pp. 434–443. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.014.Reicher, S.D., Spears, R. and Postmes, T. (1995) ‘A social identity model of deindividuation phenomena’, European Review of Social Psychology, 6(1), pp. 161–198. doi:10.1080/14792779443000049.Stuart, J. and Scott, R. (2021) ‘The Measure of Online Disinhibition: Assessing perceptions of reductions in restraint in the online environment’, Computers in Human Behavior, 114, 106534. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106534.Suler, J. (2004) ‘The online disinhibition effect’, CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(3), pp. 321–326. doi:10.1089/1094931041291295.Udris, R. (2014) ‘Cyberbullying among high school students in Japan: Development and validation of the Online Disinhibition Scale’, Computers in Human Behavior, 41, pp. 253–261. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.09.036.

Happy Halloween week, Goddess! In this final episode of Halloween month at Goddess of Technology, we’re entering the disturbing territory between fictional horror and real-life documented history. The film The Purge imagines a society in which crime becomes legal for one night. Yet in Montreal, Canada, and Espírito Santo, Brazil, protection suddenly weakened in real life – and certain people treated the vacuum as an invitation. In this podcast episode, we’re uncovering what happened in those two crises, examining the dark psychology of violence without expected consequences, and confronting a chilling question: If the barrier between desire and action disappears, what reveals a person’s values? Stay with me until the end, beautiful, because the most frightening discovery is not that every person becomes violent. It is how quickly a determined minority can transform fear into a weapon.I would love to know your opinion. Would a real Purge reduce violence, concentrate it, or create an even more dangerous society? E-mail your perspective and, if applicable, your personal experience with sudden community insecurity to [email protected], A. (1999) ‘Moral disengagement in the perpetration of inhumanities’, Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3(3), pp. 193–209. doi: 10.1207/S15327957PSPR0303_3.Cohen, L.E. and Felson, M. (1979) ‘Social change and crime rate trends: A routine activity approach’, American Sociological Review, 44(4), pp. 588–608. doi: 10.2307/2094589.Conectas Human Rights (2018) ‘Security crisis in Espírito Santo is not yet over, says expert’, 9 February. Available at: https://conectas.org/en/noticias/security-crisis-espirito-santo-not-yet-says-expert/ (Accessed: September 5th, 2026).DeMonaco, J. (2014) ‘James DeMonaco interview: The Purge: Anarchy, genre filmmaking and more’, interview by R. Lambie, Den of Geek, 15 July. Available at: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/james-demonaco-interview-the-purge-anarchy-genre-filmmaking-and-more/ (Accessed: September 5th, 2026).Diener, E., Fraser, S.C., Beaman, A.L. and Kelem, R.T. (1976) ‘Effects of deindividuation variables on stealing among Halloween trick-or-treaters’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 33(2), pp. 178–183. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.33.2.178.InSight Crime (2017) ‘Brazil military police strike sows chaos, reveals public security failings’, 8 February. Available at: https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/crime-wave-amid-military-police-strike-in-brazil-raises-questions/ (Accessed: September 5th, 2026).Jenish, D. (2018) The Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hands of the FLQ. Toronto: Doubleday Canada.Postmes, T. and Spears, R. (1998) ‘Deindividuation and antinormative behavior: A meta-analysis’, Psychological Bulletin, 123(3), pp. 238–259. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.123.3.238.Reuters (2017) ‘Some Brazil police break strike following wave of homicides’, 12 February. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/some-brazil-police-break-strike-following-wave-of-homicides-idUSKBN15R0T1/ (Accessed: September 5th, 2026).The Canadian Encyclopedia (2022) ‘Murray Hill Riot: Montreal’s Night of Terror’, 11 February. Available at: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/murray-hill-riot (Accessed: September 5th, 2026).

Welcome back to Halloween month at the Goddess of Technology podcast, beautiful. The lights are going out, the screen is glowing red, and somewhere inside an old computer a tiny window has appeared that you were never supposed to see.In this podcast episode, we’re entering the disturbing world of the Japanese ‘Red Room Curse’, or ‘Akai Heya’: one of the early internet era’s most memorable digital urban legends. We’re learning about a mysterious red pop-up window, an innocent question that gradually becomes something far more sinister, the Japanese Flash animation that helped establish the legend, and the strange cultural journey that transformed an ordinary browser interface into an object of horror. We’re furthermore exploring why technology creates such powerful environments for modern folklore, why an unresponsive computer can become frightening remarkably quickly, and what the Red Room reveals about one of our oldest fears: losing control over something that is supposed to obey us.If you have an opinion about the Red Room Curse, remember encountering the legend online, or have your own creepy internet story, I would love to hear from you. You can e-mail me at [email protected]. Furthermore, follow the Goddess of Technology podcast and download the episodes. Every follow and download helps our Goddess of Technology community continue growing.REFERENCESBalanzategui, J. (2019) ‘Creepypasta, “Candle Cove”, and the digital gothic’, Journal of Visual Culture, 18(2). doi:10.1177/1470412919841018. Brunvand, J.H. (1981) The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings. New York: W.W. Norton. Brunvand, J.H. (1999) ‘Urban Legends’, Skeptical Inquirer. Center for Inquiry. News24 (2004) ‘Schoolgirl’s links to horror’, June 9th, 2004. O-Toro (2003) Akai Heya [Red Room]. Flash animation. Japan. TECOPARK Inc. (2025) ‘Notice regarding inquiry representation for O-Toro, creator of “Red Room” and “Dancing★Onigiri”’, March 19th, 2025. University of Southern California Digital Folklore Archives (2011) ‘The Red Room’, October 12th, 2011.

Welcome, Goddess, to the special Halloween month series of the Goddess of Technology podcast.Imagine losing someone you love. You know that this person is gone. You attend the funeral. You understand what death means.Then your phone lights up. Their name appears on your screen. And they type: ‘I missed you.’This is no paranormal encounter. No ghost has entered your phone. What you are seeing could be a deadbot or griefbot: an artificial intelligence system designed to simulate a deceased person using pieces of the digital life that person leaves behind.In this podcast episode, we’re exploring the rapidly developing world of deadbots, griefbots, postmortem avatars and the digital afterlife. We’re examining what these technologies are, where they come from, why someone might find them comforting and why researchers are simultaneously asking difficult questions about grief, identity, consent, privacy and emotional dependency.Because there is something extraordinarily human behind this technological development: the desire for one more conversation.One more question. One more laugh. One more chance to say ‘I love you.’Yet what happens when technology transforms that wish into a product?When an algorithm produces sentences your loved one never actually said, whose words are you reading?Could an artificial recreation support healthy remembrance, or could an endlessly available simulation interfere with the psychological process of acknowledging loss?Who gives consent for someone to be digitally resurrected?What happens to the photographs, voice recordings, private messages and memories used to create that artificial person?And perhaps the creepiest question of all: if you eventually decide to turn the deadbot off, can losing the simulation begin to resemble losing the person for a second time?Beautiful, this Halloween episode takes you into a world where death, memory and artificial intelligence increasingly occupy the same digital room.You may enter thinking this is a story about technology.You may leave wondering what it means to be remembered.I would love to hear your perspective. Would you ever create or interact with a deadbot of someone you love? Would you want an artificial version of yourself to remain after your death? E-mail your opinion or personal experience to [email protected] Block, H. and Riesewieck, M. (dirs.) (2024) Eternal You. Documentary film. CORDIS (2024) ‘Move over chatbot, here comes the deadbot’, European Commission, May 16th, 2024. Fernandez, N. (2025) ‘Griefbots: Blurring the Reality of Death and the Illusion of Life’, UAB Institute for Human Rights Blog, February 7th, 2025. Fu, Y. and Mei, Y. (2026) ‘A cautiously optimistic view of griefbot technology’, Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 25, pp. 611–633. Hollanek, T. and Nowaczyk-Basińska, K. (2024) ‘Griefbots, Deadbots, Postmortem Avatars: On Responsible Applications of Generative AI in the Digital Afterlife Industry’, Philosophy & Technology, 37, article 63. Marceau, E. (2026) ‘AI “deadbots” can fuel pathological grief and affect how we deal with death’, The Conversation, April 29th, 2026. Vlahos, J. (2017) ‘A Son’s Race to Give His Dying Father Artificial Immortality’, Wired, July 18th, 2017.

Welcome to Halloween month at Goddess of Technology!Your smartphone knows where you go, whom you contact, what you search for, which photographs you take, and how you communicate. That makes it extraordinarily useful. It can make it extraordinarily revealing, too. In this podcast episode, we’re exploring stalkerware and digital surveillance: software and technologies that can transform an everyday device into an instrument for monitoring another person’s private life.We’re examining what stalkerware is, how consumer surveillance technology evolved, why stalkerware presents a distinctive cybersecurity challenge, how digital surveillance affects human behaviour and psychological safety, and why an attacker does not necessarily require advanced hacking skills when proximity, trust, physical access, or existing knowledge provides another route into a person’s digital life. Most importantly, we’re learning how greater digital awareness can help you strengthen your privacy, protect your autonomy, and make more intentional decisions about the technologies that accompany you through your life.Goddess, I would love to hear your perspective. Have you ever discovered that an application, account, device, or location-sharing feature had access to more information about you than you expected? E-mail your opinion or, if you feel comfortable doing so, your personal experience to [email protected], R., Doerfler, P., Orgad, H., Havron, S., Palmer, J., Freed, D., Levy, K., Dell, N., McCoy, D. and Ristenpart, T. (2018) ‘The Spyware Used in Intimate Partner Violence’, 2018 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, pp. 441–458.Citizen Lab (2019) The Predator in Your Pocket: A Multidisciplinary Assessment of the Stalkerware Application Industry. University of Toronto.Electronic Frontier Foundation (2020) ‘Watch EFF Cybersecurity Director Eva Galperin’s TED Talk About Stalkerware’.Federal Trade Commission (2019) ‘FTC Takes Action Against Stalking Apps’.Federal Trade Commission (2021) Stalkerware: What To Know.Levy, K. and Schneier, B. (2020) ‘Privacy Threats in Intimate Relationships’, Journal of Cybersecurity, 6(1).National Network to End Domestic Violence (2019) ‘The National Network to End Domestic Violence Joins Launch of Coalition Against Stalkerware’.Schneier, B. (2014) ‘Surveillance Is the Business Model of the Internet’.WIRED (2019) ‘Hacker Eva Galperin Has a Plan to Eradicate Stalkerware’.

Transparency and politeness both sound like universally positive qualities in business. Yet what happens when one professional culture interprets honesty as respect – while another interprets politeness as respect?In this podcast episode, we’re exploring the conflict between more direct Central European business communication and the more diplomatically coded communication frequently encountered in English-speaking professional environments. We’re examining why a German professional may interpret polite language as insincere, why a North-American professional may Dutch directness as rude and harsh, and why the words ‘perhaps’, ‘quite’, ‘a little’ or ‘I would suggest’ may carry considerably more force than their literal wording appears to contain.We’re exploring the research behind low-context communication, direct and indirect negative feedback, politeness, face-saving, understatement, upgraders, downgraders and intercultural conflict. More importantly, we’re discussing what happens when these differences enter business, leadership, negotiations, meetings, employees’ performance management and everyday workplace communication.Because the real challenge in intercultural business communication is not just literally understanding what another person says. It is understanding what the other person believes they have communicated.Goddess, I would love to hear your perspective. Have you experienced a situation where directness was interpreted as rudeness, or where politeness prevented an important message from being understood? E-mail your opinion and, if applicable, your personal experience to [email protected], P. and Levinson, S.C. (1987) Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Goffman, E. (1955) ‘On face-work: An analysis of ritual elements in social interaction’, Psychiatry, 18(3), pp. 213–231.Hall, E.T. (1976) Beyond Culture. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday.House, J. (1989) ‘Politeness in English and German: The functions of please and bitte’, in Blum-Kulka, S., House, J. and Kasper, G. (eds.) Cross-Cultural Pragmatics: Requests and Apologies. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex, pp. 96–119.Kádár, D.Z. and Haugh, M. (2013) Understanding Politeness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Meyer, E. (2014) The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business. New York: PublicAffairs.Meyer, E. (2015) ‘Giving negative feedback across cultures’, INSEAD Knowledge, September 16th, 2015.Meyer, E. (2015) ‘The most productive ways to disagree across cultures’, INSEAD Knowledge, April 6th, 2015.Murphy, M.L. (2025) ‘Separated by a common im/politeness marker: please in American and British web-based English’, English Language & Linguistics.

Many people immediately recognize explicit racism. Far fewer recognize covert racism because it frequently appears subtle, socially acceptable, or even complimentary. Statements such as ‘All Asians are brilliant at mathematics,’ ‘All Indians are excellent IT professionals,’ or ‘All Vietnamese people are talented nail technicians’ may sound positive on the surface. Nevertheless, reducing millions of individuals to a single characteristic or profession removes individuality, reinforces stereotypes, and shapes expectations that influence hiring, promotions, education, leadership opportunities and everyday interactions.In this podcast episode, we’re exploring what covert racism is, how it differs from overt racism, why positive stereotypes remain stereotypes, and how these seemingly harmless remarks can contribute to unequal treatment inside organizations. Furthermore, we’re examining the psychological, historical and organizational mechanisms that allow covert racism to persist even within workplaces that genuinely value diversity and inclusion.Moreover, we’re discussing practical leadership strategies for creating multinational organizations where every employee is recognized as an individual rather than as a representative of a racial, ethnic or cultural group. Whether you are an executive, people manager, entrepreneur or individual contributor, this episode provides practical guidance for fostering a workplace culture built upon respect, curiosity, fairness and psychological safety.I would love to hear your perspective, beautiful. Please share your opinion and, if applicable, your personal experiences by e-mailing [email protected], M.R., Fiske, S.T. and Massey, D.S. (2021) ‘Systemic racism: individuals and interactions, institutions and society’, Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6(82).Dovidio, J.F. and Gaertner, S.L. (2004) ‘Aversive Racism’, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 36, pp. 1–52.Kroskrity, P.V. (2021) ‘Covert Linguistic Racisms and the (Re-)Production of White Supremacy’, Journal of Linguistic Anthropology.Ni, P.C. (2021) ‘What Are Overt and Covert Types of Racism?’, Psychology Today.Sue, D.W. (2010) Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation. Hoboken: Wiley.

Female leaders spend decades navigating physiological changes that influence energy levels, concentration, sleep, emotional regulation, physical comfort and overall wellbeing. Nevertheless, many organizations continue designing workplaces as though every employee experiences identical biological realities. This gap between scientific knowledge and organizational practice represents a significant opportunity for leaders, human resources professionals and executives to build healthier, more inclusive and higher-performing workplaces.In this podcast episode, we're exploring how the menstrual cycle, perimenopause and menopause influence many women's professional lives, why these life stages deserve greater attention within leadership discussions, and how organizations benefit from acknowledging these realities with empathy, evidence and strategic thinking. Rather than viewing women's health as a limitation, we're discovering how understanding biological diversity strengthens organizational culture, employee wellbeing, talent retention and long-term business performance.Furthermore, we're discussing five practical action items that organizations can implement to create environments where female leaders feel supported throughout every stage of adult life. Whether you are a leader yourself, a people manager, a founder, an HR professional or someone who simply wants to contribute to a more inclusive workplace, this episode provides practical insights that you can begin applying immediately.I would genuinely love hearing your opinion and, if applicable, your personal experience with today's topic. Feel welcome to send me an e-mail at [email protected]. Your perspective may inspire a future podcast episode and contribute to our growing Goddess of Technology community.REFERENCESAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2023) Menopause. Washington, DC: ACOG.Cleveland Clinic (2024) Menstrual Cycle. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/10132-menstrual-cycleHealth Australia (2024) Understanding Perimenopause. Available at: https://www.health.gov.au/perimenopause/understanding/perimenopauseMayo Clinic (2024a) Menopause - Symptoms and Causes. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397Mayo Clinic (2024b) Perimenopause - Symptoms and Causes. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/perimenopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20354666National Health Service (2023a) Fertility in the Menstrual Cycle. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/fertility-in-the-menstrual-cycle/National Health Service (2023b) Menopause and Perimenopause. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause-and-perimenopause/National Health Service (2023c) Starting Periods. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/starting-periods/World Health Organization (2022) Women and Health. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Every experience tells a story. Surprisingly, your brain does not remember that story by calculating the average of every moment you experience. Instead, psychological research demonstrates that two specific moments often influence your memories more strongly than the countless ordinary moments in between.In this podcast episode, we're exploring the Peak-End Rule, one of the most fascinating concepts in psychology and behavioural science. We're discovering how this principle influences your mental health, your workplace relationships, your leadership style, your friendships and even the way you remember significant moments throughout your life.Understanding the Peak-End Rule empowers you to become more intentional. Rather than leaving meaningful experiences to chance, you can begin creating moments that strengthen relationships, build trust, improve wellbeing and leave a lasting positive impression on the people around you, including yourself.If you would like to share your opinion or your personal experience with the Peak-End Rule, I would genuinely love hearing from you. Please send me an e-mail at [email protected], B.L. (2001) The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), pp. 218–226.Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow. London: Penguin Books.Kahneman, D., Fredrickson, B.L., Schreiber, C.A. and Redelmeier, D.A. (1993) 'When More Pain Is Preferred to Less: Adding a Better End', Psychological Science, 4(6), pp. 401–405.Psychology Today (2025) 3 Ways to Beat the Peak-End Rule in Your Relationship.Peer-reviewed article provided by the listener: PMC11343653.