Future Tense

Algorithmic feeds are meant to personalise our online experiences, but increasingly they're flattening our culture and fostering a dull conformity, according to best-selling author Kyle Chayka. And the influence they exert on our lives is increasingly physical not just digital. Also, data scientist Gloria Mark who has crunched the numbers on how our attention spans have fared over the past decade or so. If you can keep focused, you might find it fascinating.GuestsProfessor Gloria Mark – data scientist and psychologist, Department of Informatics, University of California, IrvineKyle Chayka – author and contributing writer for The New YorkerFurther informationGloria Mark - Attention Span: A Ground Breaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity Kyle Chayka – Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture 

In our uber-connected world, the development and management of really anything is becoming increasingly complex. Planning for the future has to involve more than just grand ambitions, it also needs to be alert to unintended consequences. Otherwise things you didn't even dream about will go wrong and that can prove enormously costly. Part of the solution is to think past the immediate and adopt a systematic approach to thinking.GuestsDr Edward Crawley – Ford Professor of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)Dr Isabel Sebastian – Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology SydneyGavin Maguire – Global Energy Transition Columnist, Reuters NewsNicola Twilley – Writer and podcaster, author of the forthcoming book "The Birth of Cool"

Nostalgia triggers our emotions and that in turn makes us vulnerable to manipulation. We speak with Richard King about the commodification and weaponisation of nostalgic sentiment. Also, New York Times critic-at-large, Jason Farago, on why he believes our cultural age might be the least innovative in half a millennium.GuestsRichard King – author and criticJason Farago – author, social commentator and critic-at-large, The New York TimesFurther informationRichard’s Griffith Review essay - Nostalgia on demandJason’s NYT essay - Why Culture Has Come to a Standstill

Most people want to eat better. And many of us have embraced the trend toward "natural" foods and conscious eating.We equate "natural" with healthy, nutritious and virtuous, but that can often be way off the mark. New research shows many healthy alternatives are anything but. And our embrace of the term natural is more about expressing identity and morality rather than healthy eating. Empowering people to understand what and how they should eat is what it should be about – and one way to do that is by using a food labelling app.GuestsProfessor Sarah Bridle – Chair in Food, Climate and Society, University of YorkAlan Levinovitz – Associate Professor of Religious Studies, James Madison UniversityLaura Marchese – Researcher, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin UniversityJulie Chapon – Co-founder of the Yuka appLisa – Brisbane-based food-rating app userFurther informationSarah Bridle: Food and Climate Change -- Without the Hot Air, UIT CambridgeClimate Stack Calculator - A free tool to help you add up the climate impact of different food choicesPlay the game: Which of your food choices have the biggest climate impact?   Take A Bite Out of Climate – resources and games to learn how food choices contribute to climate change BBC Future – Foodprint Calculator