Seriously Social

Finding hope in troubled times

What helped you find hope this past year or two? Was it a person, a hobby, or something else? In the final episode of Season 4 we explore where individuals look to keep hope alive in their toughest times. With insights from our expert guest, Professor Lenore Manderson, we also consider areas where Australia has stripped some people of the right to be hopeful.

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Lifeline 13 11 44

Are Buy Now Pay Later schemes changing our attitudes to debt?

If you have a few ‘buy now pay later’ purchases on the go, is that debt? And if it is, do you think of it as good debt or bad debt? With the introduction of options like Afterpay and its many competitors, this episode explores how debt has become a game that's easy to begin but nearly impossible to end, especially for Australia’s young people. 

Useful Links

• Buy Now, Pay Later: The Extraordinary Story of Afterpay Jonathan Shapiro & James Eyers
• Young people, debt and consumer credit pilot study report University of Newcastle

Do incentives work?

Have you found it harder to motivate yourself these past two years? What incentives would have turned things around? We talk to two experts about incentives and learn that humans aren’t as rational as we’d like to think, making the business of incentives a tricky one indeed

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Jo Pybus HerCanberra

Trust me, I’m an expert.

Ever cut your own hair then speed dialled your hairdresser for a fix? Regretted a spot of DIY? If so, you’ll have a new respect for experts. But now that everyone has a platform, which voices can we trust to keep us informed? Or are we happier just listening to anyone willing to tell us what we want to hear? Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley and Ken Henry (a familiar name to many) join us in this episode of Seriously Social where we sort the experts from the commentators and help you understand the difference. 

Useful Links

Australian Academy of Science

Australian Academy of the Humanities

Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering

Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences

National Science and Technology Council

The strange persistence of monarchies

Go on, admit it. When Prince Harry and Megan Markle left the UK – you took note. Ok, maybe YOU didn’t, but millions of others did.  But why, in modern society, are monarchies so persistent? Guided by declared republican Professor Dennis Altman, we look at monarchies from a global perspective: the ones that work, the ones that don't, and the ones that remain popular even when they make no political sense.

Useful Links

• God Save the Queen: The Strange Persistence of Monarchies by Dennis Altman

Is online dating changing our relationships?

If you hooked up with your partner in recent years chances are, you met online. For those who spent their early years of dating ‘old school’, the shift to online dating came with some bias. But what is the impact of internet dating on human relationships? Hear from Emerita Professor Christine Beasley, author of Internet Dating: Intimacy and Social Change (2021).

Useful Links

• Internet Dating: Intimacy and Social Change by Christine Beasley and Mary Holmes

 

Money Justice: Revenge or recompense?

Can money right a wrong? How hard is it for victims going through the court system seeking money justice? In this episode, Turia Pitt talks frankly about why she pursued a financial settlement, Professor Kathleen Daly explains money justice and its roots, and lawyer Josh Bornstein gives an insider's perspective on the road he’s seen victims travel in their quest for financial recompense.

Useful Links

• Books by Turia Pitt
• Liebeck vs McDonald's: The Hot Coffee Case Allison Torres Burtka (American Museum of Tort Law)

The making (and breaking) of memory

Can you trust your memories? Ever wondered if your earliest recollections really happened the way you remember them? Professor Amanda Barnier helps us explore the strengths and challenges of memory: how it works and how others can help us to remember better. Plus, Professor Kate Darien-Smith helps uncover how historians shape memories on everyone’s behalf.

Useful Links

• Personal and intergenerational narratives in relation to adolescents' well-being Robin Fivush, Jennifer G Bohanek and Widaad Zaman
• Features of Successful and Unsuccessful Collaborative Memory Conversations in Long-Married Couples Celia B Harris, Amanda J Barnier, John Sutton and Greg Savage

Why ageism is such a hard “ism” to fight

Feeling old? Good news: you’re trending. Globally, there are now more people over the age of 65 than five and under. By 2050, there’ll be more over 65s than under 21s. But in Australia, where 1 in 10 Australian companies will not hire people over 50, ageism is rife.  So what’s the cost of excluding older people, and what are some solutions to our ageist society?

Useful Links

• University of Queensland Ageing Mind Initiative
• United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing
• The WHO Age-friendly Cities Framework

How to retire well

How will you retire well? How much money will you need to maintain your standard of living once you’re not working, particularly in your last 20-30 years of life? With help from our guest Professor Andrew Podger from the Australian National University (ANU), you’ll learn when to throw money into superannuation (and when to supercharge your efforts); what you’ll need to spend through each stage of retirement and what your super fund should be doing to help you better understand your finances in those twilight years.  

Useful Links

• The Callaghan Report Retirement Income Review
• MoneySmart