The Hidden Costs of Technology and Our Search for Selfhood with Vauhini Vara

The One You Feed

Eric Zimmer, The One You Feed

Buddhism, Education, Self-improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Vauhini Vara discusses the hidden costs of technology and our search for selfhood. She explains how we live in a world where technology functions as both a lifeline and a trap—offering connection, convenience, and possibility while also shaping our choices, exploiting our attention, and redefining how we see ourselves. Together, Eric and Vauhini explore the tension of relying on tools we can’t seem to live without, the subtle ways algorithms alter our communication, and what it means to hold onto authentic selfhood in the digital age. Feeling overwhelmed, even by the good things in your life? Check out Overwhelm is Optional — a 4-week email course that helps you feel calmer and more grounded without needing to do less. In under 10 minutes a day, you’ll learn simple mindset shifts (called “Still Points”) you can use right inside the life you already have. Sign up here for only $29! Key Takeaways: Exploration of the dual nature of technology as both beneficial and exploitative. Discussion on the impact of major tech companies like Amazon, Google, and OpenAI on personal identity and society. Examination of the ethical implications of consumer choices in a global capitalist system. Reflection on how technology alters human communication and relationships. Analysis of the concept of "algorithmic gaze" and its effects on self-perception and identity. Personal narratives intertwining technology with experiences of grief and loss. Consideration of AI's role in creative processes and its limitations compared to human expression. Discussion on the commodification of identity in the age of social media and audience capture. Insights into the ongoing negotiation between convenience and ethical considerations in technology use. Emphasis on the importance of individual agency and conscious decision-making in navigating the digital age. If you enjoyed this conversation with Vauhini Vara, check out these other episodes Distracted or Empowered? Rethinking Our Relationship with Technology with Pete Etchells Can Radical Hope Save Us from Despair in a Fractured World? with Jamie Wheal Human Nature and Hope with Rutger Bregman For full show notes, click here! Connect with the show: Follow us on YouTube: @TheOneYouFeedPod Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Follow us on Instagram This episode is sponsored by AG1. Your daily health drink just got more flavorful! Our listeners will get a FREE Welcome Kit worth $76 when you subscribe, including 5 AG1 Travel Packs, a shaker, canister, and scoop! Get started today! BAU, Artist at War opens September 26. Visit BAUmovie.com to watch the trailer and learn more—or sign up your organization for a group screening. LinkedIn: Post your job for free at linkedin.com/1youfeed. Terms and conditions apply. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	When I communicate, and I think this is not just because I'm a writer, I think it's because
0:03.6	I'm a human being.
0:04.4	When I communicate, the gratification I get from that communication is from having made the effort
0:10.5	of communicating myself.
0:11.8	And it sort of does nothing for me if a machine does it for me.
0:17.0	I mean, it doesn't feel that different from like using a magic eight ball or something to produce words.
0:31.1	Welcome to the one you feed. Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance of the
0:36.7	thoughts we have.
0:38.0	Quotes like, garbage in, garbage out, or you are what you think, ring true.
0:43.5	And yet, for many of us, our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us.
0:47.8	We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, or fear.
0:52.6	We see what we don't have instead of what we do. We think things that
0:56.3	hold us back and dampen our spirit. But it's not just about thinking. Our actions matter. It
1:02.5	takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a life worth living. This podcast is about how
1:08.5	other people keep themselves moving in the right direction, how they feed their good wolf.
1:15.5	We live in a world where technology is both a lifeline and a trap. Take Amazon. I once swore them off after a broken blender and the most absurd customer service call imaginable. I made a big declaration.
1:29.2	That's it. No more Amazon. And my grand boycott lasted five days. And the worst part, I disliked
1:37.4	myself a little when I went back. Because it wasn't just the blender. This was already a company
1:42.5	that had killed my beloved bookstores, and now it
1:45.5	feels like they're coming for everything else. That's the trap. We keep returning to what we wish
1:51.2	we didn't need. Wahini Varro explores this exact tension in her book's searches, selfhood in the
1:58.2	digital age, showing how the very tools that connect us also exploit us.
	...

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