Ep. 25: "The Body Digital": How Technology Shapes Who We Are

How are digital technologies changing the way we think, move, communicate, and experience our bodies? What responsibility do we have in shaping that relationship? In this episode of Wellness in Today’s World, writer and educator Vanessa Chang explores the intersection of technology, history, and what it means to be human with host Dr. Debra Kawahara. Drawing on her book The Body Digital, Chang explains how technologies have always shaped our embodied experience, while arguing that the pace and scale of today’s digital tools and AI have amplified their effects. She examines both the benefits of technology, including accessibility and connection, and its risks, including data collection, loss of consent, and the outsourcing of cognitive and emotional labor. 

The conversation also explores how AI is reshaping education, cities, and other systems—and why communities should have a voice in deciding how these technologies are implemented. Ultimately, Chang encourages us to view humans and technology as engaged in an ongoing process of co-evolution and to participate intentionally in shaping that relationship.