Watts On Your Screen

Is Life Better With Meta?

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:56:43 GMT

I talk to Adam, who uses the Meta AI Glasses to see what his own eyes can't.

🔗 LINKS

You can find the previous Meta Glasses episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meta-glasses-all-content-no-consent/id1770285895?i=1000750382402

And you can find the Sunny Skies shop here: https://sunnyskies.shop/

If you're interested in some accessibility-focused smart glasses, check out Echovision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kf6hr9MeTo

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Good Vibes Only

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:38:39 GMT

An ambient excursion through positive and peculiar comments on the internet. Headphones on 🎧 for this experimental bit of audio. Don't worry if it's not your cup of tea, the next episode will be more normal.

If you like this episode, you may also like:

Unseen & Appropriated: https://pod.fo/e/356927

The Final Boss of Ad Data: https://podfollow.com/watts-on-your-screen/episode/bd9e088ac6bcc847bff6f433bd646673ea978f2d/

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meta Glasses: All Content, No Consent

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 22:22:52 GMT

The stories of two women in Nottingham who discovered Tik-Tok videos of themselves which had been secretly recorded using Meta smart glasses and uploaded without their knowledge or consent. I also explore the motives, attitude, and Discord server of "Carlos", the man behind the glasses. That's him in the cover art.

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunsets & Grids

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:29:47 GMT

An investigation into ubiquitous stock imagery used to depict cyberspace, technology and the 1980s. I examine the pop culture of the 80s, the influence of technology, certain cities, and synthwave.

🔗LINKS:

📰 Useful articles on the subject:

https://www.psd-dude.com/tutorials/resources/80s-font.aspx

https://medium.com/@cywjoel/outrun-the-aesthetic-deconstructed-dbd3cd8679b7

https://wearethemutants.com/2017/02/16/vanishing-point-how-the-light-grid-defined-1980s-futurism/

https://indieground.net/blog/80s-grid-history/

📕 Michel Tcherevkoff's book: https://archive.org/details/tcherevkoffimage0000tche/page/n151/mode/2up

🎥The Rise of the Synths documentary website: https://theriseofthesynths.com/

🎥My documentary, Follow the Stickers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_6Q4uOLIY4

📼The 77-Year-Old Giga-Chad Boomer who loves GIFs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9SO7cZU_nM

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unseen & Appropriated

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 22:55:45 GMT

A summary of the month of January 2025 told via unseen snippets of mundane video in an audio collage that I narrate. Yeah, it's an odd one, but give it a chance.

🔗LINKS:

My Roosevelt documentary: https://youtu.be/uxyP0ue681A

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to Actually Reduce Online Harms

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Professor Andy Phippen talks about about his 20 years of experience in the world of online harms. We talk about the effectiveness of prohibition, the online safety act, harm reduction, and what young people actually say about their internet usage when you take the time to ask them.

🔗LINKS:

The news story about the grooming victim in Wiltshire who was told by the police that he had done something illegal: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjrdz0qegg3o)

Andy's book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-80286-7

My newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

Substack’s nazi problem: https://www.platformer.news/substack-nazi-push-notification/

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Demolishing local journalism? Clickbait, school skirts, and parish councils.

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 22:16:10 GMT

I talk to local journalist Corey Bedford about the various pressures and business interests that are shaping the world of online local journalism.

🔗LINKS:

Corey's conversation with Hold the Front Page after he took voluntary redundancy from the Leicester Mercury: https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2023/news/cuts-threatened-journalist-quits-for-sake-of-mental-health/
The Mirror's article 'Girl, 12, put in school isolation because her 'hips are too wide for a pleated skirt' https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/girl-12-put-school-isolation-24912521
The Grimsby Live article 'Parish Council meeting gets heated as residents question councillors over hedge drama': https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/parish-council-meeting-gets-heated-3159518
The Rest is Entertainment episode 'The Secrets of Tipping Point': https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-secrets-of-tipping-point/id1718287198?i=1000726929576
Nottinghamshire Live's drone footage of the cooling towers being demolished: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/gallery/amazing-drone-footage-shows-nottinghamshire-10426683
The ongoing saga between Nottinghamshire Live and Reform UK: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/news-opinion/reform-voted-against-debate-nottinghamshire-10511120
The National Union of Journalists' statement on the situation: https://www.nuj.org.uk/resource/nuj-responds-to-reform-refusing-to-speak-to-local-journalists-in-nottinghamshire.html

🔉SFX ATTRIBUTIONS

Motorway and Rain - 1.wav by SpaceJoe -- https://freesound.org/s/486613/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
explosion 5.wav by Logicogonist -- https://freesound.org/s/685417/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Meal Karen's True Identity

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:50 GMT

I investigate the origin of infuriating videos of people being thoroughly unreasonable. Where do they come from? Why are they made? Are they real? Who's behind them?

🔗LINKS:

📰 Reuters article: https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/british-police-officer-questioning-driver-clip-is-skit-2023-11-23/

📺 The video mentioned in the Reuters article: https://x.com/stillgray/status/1720075180830228516

🎵 Hamad's Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thehalalham

📰 A Rolling Stone article about Karen videos and the Norwegian royal family: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/fake-karen-viral-videos-tiktok-instagram-1234814549/

📺 Louisa's video about the original video: https://www.tiktok.com/@mymatecherry/video/7342608253005729056

📺 An example of the kind of exposure the McDonalds video got: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrSNX-qRAaM

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Final Boss of Ad Data

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 18:52:12 GMT

I talk to the anthropomorphised embodiment of all my online ad data in a horrifying fever dream.

🔗LINKS:

How to download your info on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/212802592074644/

How to download your info on Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/181231772500920

How to download your info on eBay: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/How-can-I-download-like-an-excel-or-cvs-file-of-my-purchase/td-p/33445982

How to download your info on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=TP1zlemejtTn6pwYKS

How to download your data on Hinge: https://help.hinge.co/hc/en-us/articles/360011235813-How-do-I-request-a-copy-of-my-personal-data

How to download your data on Tinder: https://www.help.tinder.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005626726-How-do-I-request-a-copy-of-my-personal-data

How to download your data on Bumble: https://bumble.com/en-us/help/how-can-i-request-my-data-or-retrieve-past-conversations

How to download your data on Spotify: https://support.spotify.com/uk/article/data-rights-and-privacy-settings/

There are probably many more places you can request your data from but I think these cover some of the most interesting / intrusive areas of our online lives: socialising, dating, shopping, and listening.

🎞 Here's a link to Luke's film review insta: https://www.instagram.com/watchwithluke/

📻 Here's my interview on Creators by TrueFans: https://pod.fo/e/2fbc96

My show page on TrueFans: https://truefans.fm/watts-on-your-screen

lounge-jazz-elevator-music-324902 is by Ievgen Poltavskyi: https://pixabay.com/music/traditional-jazz-lounge-jazz-elevator-music-324902/

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dad, I'm a Wikipedian

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:05:51 GMT

I talk to 'whiz kid editor' Andrew, an administrator and bureaucrat on Wikipedia. We talk about how he got started on the site, the effects it's had on him, and how tens of thousands of wikipedians work tirelessly to maintain the internet's largest free repository of information.

🔗LINKS:

The BBC article on US House of Representatives IP address getting blocked: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28481876

water-splash-bubble-01.wav by junggle -- https://freesound.org/s/274016/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Teacher Talks TikTok, Classrooms, & 10 Yr Olds Watching P*rn

Sun, 18 May 2025 21:32:10 GMT

I talk to a teacher about keeping his online life and his professional life separate, how realistic the Netflix series Adolescence is, and how online content is manifesting in the classroom in amusing, innocuous, and disturbing ways.

⚠ Adult topics and language throughout.

🔗LINKS:

🎧Those Who Can't Teach... Anymore - the podcast I recommended: Those Who Can't Teach Anymore

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Goodboys? Catching Predators and Getting Views

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 20:36:27 GMT

I talk to Adam, Deen, and Ryan: "The Goodboys" about the Tik Tok and Youtube videos they make. We discuss pranking police officers, the motivations behind their predator hunting content, and what happened when they caught their maths teacher allegedly trying to meet a 15 year old boy for sex.

👩‍⚖️ LEGAL NOTE: I am not aware of any ongoing legal action regarding the predator sting we discuss in this episode. Out of an abundance of caution, I have still bleeped out the name of the teacher in question.

⚠ CONTENT WARNING: Child sexual abuse is discussed throughout.

🔗 LINKS:

The Goodboys TikTok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@goodboyssyt

The TikToker who inspired them: https://www.tiktok.com/@domthetroll

Information about the 'Well well well' meme: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/well-well-well-like-a-moth-to-a-flame-tiktok

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Podcaster to God Pastor - The Tech Savvy Priest

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 23:51:32 GMT

I talk to Father Sebastian Hamilton about being a priest in the online world, his early foray into podcasting, and his affection for a certain stop-motion duo. It's a cracking listen, lad.

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

77-Year-Old Giga-Chad Boomer

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:27:18 GMT

Meet Dave, the 77-year-old giga-chad boomer who makes gifs that get millions of views a day.

🔗 LINKS: You can find Dave's work here:

https://www.giphy.com/dotdave

https://www.3dgifartist.com

https://bsky.app/profile/3dgifartist.bsky.social

🎧 Sound effects used in this episode include:

London Underground Tube Departing.wav by Motion_S -- https://freesound.org/s/178899/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

clock-tower.wav by xserra -- https://freesound.org/s/78405/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

🙏 Thank you to Luke Smith for lending his voice to Dave's emails.

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social Media Stifled my Creativity

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 22:52:11 GMT

What's it like to delete all your social media? What are the social ramifications? And do you miss it? I talk to Sam about the reasons he took the decision to delete his social media. We discuss creativity, comparison, and the 2006 England football team.

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Living Life Through a Screen - Addiction, Self-Help, and Pornography

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:12:24 GMT

How can you go from living vicariously via the internet to actually experiencing life? I talk to Adam about his experiences with internet addiction and the self-help content he found helpful.

🔗 LINKS:

The HealthyGamerGG video that the consumption vs production clips come from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2--Nhxasrew

Adam's Youtube video: https://youtu.be/InY1cxhJldo

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learning English from the Internet

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:02:04 GMT

How does being bilingual online change your experience of both the internet and the English language? I talk to Julia about the differences between the english-language internet and the polish-language internet, how being a directioner sharpened her language skills, and how certain phrases don't necessarily translate from screen to speech.

⚠ CONTENT NOTE: There is a brief mention of self-harm. If you'd like to avoid it, skip the section of the podcast from 3:30 - 5:10.

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being a Swiftie is All-Consuming

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 21:57:46 GMT

We've all got a Swiftie in our lives, but what does being part of Taylor Swift's army of fans actually mean? I talk to Leanne about the community and friendship she's found through this one-woman subculture.

I messed up the sound on this one. Sorry. I promise it won't happen again.

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Making Friends Online

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 09:09:04 GMT

Did your mum ever teach you not to talk to strangers? Well Stefan's mum musn't have. In this episode we talk about seeking, forming, and maintaining online friendships. We also talk about the history of queer chat platforms and tensions between friendship and sexual attraction.

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being an Autism Influencer with SheWearsSocks

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 21:27:01 GMT

I talk to Pippa, aka shewearssocks, about being an autism influencer on TikTok. We discuss the peculiarities of sudden popularity, her responsibilities as a neurodivergent creator, and her attitude to the constant push to Make More.

🔗LINKS:

Pippa's TikTok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@shewearssocks

👱‍♂️ MORE ABOUT MATT

You can follow me on Instagram: @mattwattsmakesdocs

Here's my website: https://www.mattwattsmakesdocs.co.uk/

Here's my newsletter: https://themattazine.beehiiv.com/

💌 WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN?

Please send voice notes and messages about your unexpected online experiences to: wattsonyourscreen@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.