Check us out on:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/actuallyusefulpod/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@actuallyusefulpod" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">TikTok</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ActuallyUsefulPod" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">YouTube</a> This episode, we chat with feminist journalist Lyz Lenz about the agony of dating apps – their deceptive mechanics, the illusion of choice, their impact on gender inequity, and why the f*ck Trevor from Iowa thinks he can do better?? In Falcon Mode, we discuss app options for supporting older friends and family members as they navigate increasingly sophisticated scams.  Check out Lyz’s…Books: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/this-american-ex-wife-how-i-ended-my-marriage-and-started-my-life-lyz-lenz/18f51b0ef1ce97d2">This American Ex-Wife</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/belabored-a-vindication-of-the-rights-of-pregnant-women-lyz-lenz/813eac04c7914758">Belabored</a>, and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/god-land-a-story-of-faith-loss-and-renewal-in-middle-america-lyz-lenz/f3a66a1a09607f66">God Land</a>Newsletter: <a href="https://lyz.substack.com/">Men Yell at Me</a>Podcast: <a href="https://pod.link/1848439767" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Dingus of the Week</a> We’d love to hear from you. Email us at <a href="mailto:heyactuallyuseful@gmail.com">heyactuallyuseful@gmail.com</a> or find us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/actuallyusefulpod">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@actuallyusefulpod">TikTok</a> (reluctantly).

Why do so many once-beloved internet platforms end up toxic, predatory, and unusable? In an age where tech giants have monopolized our attention, privacy, and livelihoods, how can individuals claw back some agency? 

Every other Thursday, Actually Useful co-hosts Ariel and Josh talk with creators of radically useful consumer tech to explore what it takes to build and protect the loveliest parts of the internet. If you’re exhausted by parasitic products and feel trapped in an ecosystem of unethical, undelightful tech, this one’s for you.