Download This Show

Download This Show is your weekly guide to the world of media, culture, and technology. From social media to gadgets, streaming services to privacy issues. Each week Rae Johnston and guests take a fun, deep dive into how technology is reshaping our lives.

Download This Show is a technology podcast hosted by ABC Australia, with 49 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

ABC Australia hosts Download This Show, a technology show with 49 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Download This Show

  Can technology save us from climate change?

  Oct 2, 202629 min

  Technology helped get us into the climate crisis. Could it also get us out? Bringing extinct species back to life, seeding clouds to control the weather, and cleaning up nuclear energy are just some of the "techno fixes" hawked as solutions to our biggest environmental problems. But at what cost? And if we are entering an era where technology can reshape the planet, who gets to decide how it’s used, and how do the rest of us get a say? GUEST: Richard King, author of Here Be Monsters , which asks is technology reducing our humanity; and Brave New Wild which asks can technology save the planet. ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Download This Show

  Can books survive the age of algorithms?

  Sep 25, 202629 min

  What impact is reading on your Kobo or Kindle having on your brain? As AI turns up in writing, reviewing and literary prizes, how do we decide what's genuinely human creativity? And how is the Australian publishing industry changing as a result of BookTok, Bookstagram and Goodreads? GUESTS: Anna Burkey, CEO of Australia Reads . Bec Kavanagh, senior tutor in creative writing and publishing at the University of Melbourne, and former bookseller. Bec & Anna's book recommendations: Anna says Jaclyn Moriarty who wrote Time Travel for Beginners (2026) has an incredible way with words. Bec prefers works in translation (writing translated from one language to another) as well as short fiction writers. She says Rita Bullwinkle's Headshot (2025) was phenomenal, and that Dahlia de la Cerda's Reservoir Bitches (2024) is top of her TBR list. Voting is still open for the ABC Radio National's Top100 Books countdown. You can vote for your favourite Australian books here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/top-100-books-2026/106621398 ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Download This Show

  How much do our devices know about us?

  Sep 18, 202629 min

  It's not just phones. How much do our TVs, streaming boxes, and browsers know? This week, we look at research that suggests some LG TVs may be gathering more information about our viewing habits than we realised. Plus, there's a streaming box promising free access to subscription services. Is it too good to be true? And how much does it know about me? And, a former white-hat hacker gives us an internet hygiene refresher. Is public wifi risky? Can I save my passwords in my browser? And does multi-factor authentication actually work? GUESTS: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, AAP specialist reporter. Alex Hope, professional ethical hacker and cybersecurity expert. ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Download This Show

  Roblox under pressure from Australia's eSafety Commissioner over child safety

  Sep 11, 202629 min

  The eSafety Commissioner has accepted a court-enforceable plan from Roblox to address child safety concerns after questions were raised about whether the platform was meeting its obligations under Australia's Online Safety Act. We'll unpack what parents need to know. Also on the show, Microsoft is putting time limits on its Xbox Cloud Gaming subscribers. What is cloud gaming, and what does this tell us about the future of digital ownership? Plus, Melbourne International Games Week returns from 2-11 October. Is it worth going? GUESTS: Edmond Tran, managing editor of This Week in Video Games Gemma Driscoll, video game commentator and host of Good Game Spawn Squad . ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Download This Show

  What Australia's Privacy Act reforms mean for the tech you use

  Sep 4, 202629 min

  Australia's proposed Privacy Act reforms are some of the boldest changes to privacy law we've seen in years . How could it change the tech we use every day? And does this mean Australia is setting a new global privacy standard , or catching up to the rest of the world? Also on the program, one of Australia's spiciest privacy debates has been the use of wearable cameras . The e-Safety Commissioner has proposed that smart glasses should have an automatic blurring feature . How easy would that be to implement? Would it change the effectiveness of the glasses? And, there are now cameras in toothbrushes! Specifically, Dyson has just announced an AI-powered toothbrush that helps users water floss their teeth. Will this revamp oral health tech, or is it just another bizarre gadget? GUESTS: Alice Clarke, freelance tech journalist and author of the Through The Looking Glass Substack. Karin Verspoor, Dean of the School of Computing Technologies at RMIT University . ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Download This Show. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.