The Cave Project

Teens are not using social media wrong. They’re just using it in ways that make adults feel ancient, confused, and mildly attacked.In this episode of The Cave Project, Jenny and Greg Swan unpack new data on teen social media habits, why parents keep side-eyeing Snapchat, TikTok, and group chats, and what adults can do besides trying to parent the algorithm.It’s a funny, honest conversation about trust, media literacy, teen communication, and staying close enough that your kids might actually come to you when the internet gets weird.🎧 Listen for a practical, not-panicked take on teens, tech, and parenting in the feed era.#TheCaveProject #TeenSocialMedia #DigitalParenting #MediaLiteracy #ParentingTeens

We rewatched Her. Listened to Esther Perel do couples therapy with a chatbot. And had a fight about whether AI can love you back. Inside: the "flirty voice" debate, the mannequin reframe, and the question that would not leave us alone. Who is the robot? 🎧🤖

Is the AI industry even talking to the rest of us?In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan unpack The AI Doc, or How I Became an Apocaloptimist. It's a new documentary that puts the biggest names in AI in one room and asks: is this good or bad? Should we be having kids? And does anyone actually have a plan? From Sam Altman to Geoffrey Hinton to the doomers who think your children won't survive high school, the film swings between terror and hope like a pendulum. And so do we.They dig into what the AI industry can't agree on, what it means for the rest of us, and why the gap between "imagine a better future" and "tell me what to do tonight" keeps getting wider. This isn't a tech review. It's a parenting conversation, a policy conversation, and a sanity check. All at once.Along the way, they talk about:🎬 The documentary everyone should see but only 6% of Twin Cities moviegoers did🚪 Why Jenny walked out of the theater during the doom section, and what pushed her over the edge🐜 The ants metaphor that has been living in Greg's brain rent-free since Saturday🎤 Greg asking Tristan the same question at SXSW for the fourth year in a row, and still not getting a satisfying answer🤖 What AI actually is right now (spoiler: it cannot count movie theater seats)⚖️ The Meta and Google verdict that just made the big-tobacco lawsuit theory very real👶 The techno-optimists who are thrilled to be having kids right now — and the doomers who would never.🏫 What to ask your school board, your kids, and your Congress person this week.🍣 Robot cats, sushi, and the moment we realized the future already happened and we did not even blinkThis episode is for anyone trying to figure out where they land between doom and hope. The AI industry is having its conversation at 30,000 feet. We are having ours on the ground. Come sit with us.

In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan pull up their real Screen Time stats on mic, break down the American Academy of Pediatrics’ newest guidance, and watch the Toy Story 5 trailer to ask the obvious question: are we really doing “tech bad” again?We talk about why we don’t feel guilty, why we’ve never been a “no screens” family, and why restriction without relationship doesn’t teach kids how to live in the world they’re actually growing up in.This episode is for: parents who are tired of screen-time shame, anyone raising kids in a world built to capture attention, Toy Story adults who felt either very excited or personally attacked by that trailer, and people who want something more realistic than “just set limits.”

Are we absolutely sure that what we’re seeing is even real?In this episode, we dig into the increasingly blurry line between real and fake online—from AI-generated bunny videos to deepfakes of ourselves, and the billion-dollar platforms that are encouraging all of it. We explore how tech companies like Meta and OpenAI are normalizing synthetic content at scale and what that means for trust, identity, and the future of human connection.This isn’t a “look what AI can do” episode. It’s a conversation about what it’s already doing—to our feeds, our friendships, and our sense of reality.Along the way, we talk about:🐰 Why that bunny-on-a-trampoline video might be the end of the internet🎭 How deepfakes are shifting from creepy to commonplace📉 The death of real content in algorithm-driven feeds🔓 The risks of uploading your face and voice to AI tools🚫 Why “don’t share it if it feels weird” might be your best defense🧠 What brain science says about why we fall for fakes—and how to fight it👀 How to protect yourself (and your kids) in an era of hyperreal lies🔧 What the tech bros aren’t telling us about the future they’re building

Are we all just… not okay?In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan unpack the emotional and digital overwhelm of the past few weeks — from political violence and algorithmic trauma to school shootings and the unbearable pressure to post through it all.They dig into the cultural churn, social media's emotional toll, and the growing desire to simply log off. This isn’t a hot take. It’s a human one.Along the way, they talk about:🌀 When the algorithm trains you, not the other way around📱 Why muting, unfollowing, or pausing your feed is not failure — it’s survival🧒 How to talk to your kids about scary things without transferring your own panic🧠 The mental load of being extremely online right now🤖 Why “everyone’s yelling” energy is contagious — and how to break the cycle🛑 What not to post, even when you’re mad🧍‍♀️ The power of asking real people real questions — instead of subtweeting them⚠️ Gentle reminder: You don’t have to become the dumpster fire you see onlineThis episode is for anyone feeling off, overwhelmed, or overexposed. The internet is a tool . Not a place you have to live. Take care of your brain. Then come back when you're ready.

Are we being mean to robots? Is it just internet snark or the start of something deeper and more dangerous?In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan explore the sudden rise of “clanker” as an anti-robot slur. They dig into whether discrimination toward AI is harmless fun, a new moral frontier, or just a mirror reflecting how we treat anything with less power than us (including each other).Along the way they unpack science fiction, Star Wars lore, power dynamics, Ray Kurzweil’s predictions, and why your Roomba probably deserves a little more respect.🤖 What “clanker” actually means and where it came from (thanks, Clone Wars)🧠 Why people are projecting emotions onto robots — and then getting mad at them🪞 The ethics of punching down and what it says about us as humans🧼 How to be nice to your robot vacuum and why it matters more than you think🧩 The Singularity, sentience, and whether AI slurs could become digital abuse🔧 “NPCs,” “meat puppets,” and the language we use to dehumanize each other🏆 WWOPD: What Would Optimus Prime Do?This convo will have you rethinking how you talk to Alexa, your self-checkout kiosk, and maybe even your toaster. Because in the future, kindness might be the most human thing we’ve got.Follow & Subscribe for More Tech, Culture & Chaos:📚 ⁠Subscribe on Substack⁠🎥 ⁠Watch on YouTube⁠📸 ⁠Follow on Instagram⁠The future isn’t neutral. Let’s figure it out together. 🚀

Did an MIT paper really prove that ChatGPT is scrambling our brains? Or did 54 Boston adults + a flashy press push just scramble the headlines?In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan tear into the now-viral “Your Brain on ChatGPT” study. Along the way they tackle moral panics, blue-book nostalgia, and why blaming tech is easier than changing how we teach, parent, and work.We unpack:📰 Headline vs. homework – why you can’t stop at the title🧠 EEG ≠ ESP – what brain-scan spikes really don’t tell u📉 Correlation, causation & tiny sample sizes – stats teachers everywhere weep📚 Blue books are back? – the “pens only” classroom backlash🛠️ AI as calculator 2.0 – tooling up instead of dumbing down🚸 Moral panics through history – from radios to Roblox🏆 How to actually teach (and learn) with ChatGPT – prompts, policies, and personal responsibilityThis convo will leave you side-eyeing every “AI is ruining humanity” tweet—and maybe crafting a healthier relationship with the robots and your own brain.Follow & Subscribe for More Tech, Culture & Chaos:📚 ⁠Subscribe on Substack⁠🎥 ⁠Watch on YouTube⁠📸 ⁠Follow on Instagram⁠The future isn’t neutral. Let’s figure it out together. 🚀

What happens when Barbie gets a large-language-model brain? Jenny and Greg Swan crack open Mattel’s new deal with OpenAI and take you on a 50-year joyride through “smart” toys—from the Speak & Spell to Teddy Ruxpin to the Furby that the NSA literally banned. Then they unbox Gabo, a $99 GPT-powered plushie, and see if its kid-safe guardrails can survive three teenagers and Greg’s hacker heart.Spoiler: dying batteries used to be the creepy part—now it’s data, subscriptions, and whether your toddler’s teddy is secretly on 5 G.In this episode:🧸 Speak & Spell → Teddy Ruxpin → Furby → Hello Barbie: how each wave of tech freaked parents out in its own way🤖 Live demo: Gabo the plush robot tells tiger tales, speaks Spanish (¡mono!), and politely refuses to gossip about Jenny🔒 COPPA, content filters, and why “guardrails are the new batteries”💸 $99 vs. monthly doll-brain fees—will parents revolt?🚀 What Mattel’s AI toys could look like under the 2025 tree (and why offline models might be the real MVP)It’s not about making toys talk—it’s about helping kids stay human while they play.Follow & Subscribe for More Tech, Culture & Chaos:📚 Subscribe on Substack🎥 Watch on YouTube📸 Follow on InstagramThe future isn’t neutral. Let’s figure it out together. 🚀

What if joy, whimsy, and surprise weren’t distractions—but design principles?In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan sit down with educator, engineer, and deep sea explorer Dr. AnnMarie Thomas to talk about the power of play—and why we all need more of it.AnnMarie has helped LEGO invent new tools for learning, collaborated with the band OK Go to create STEM curriculum, and taught college students how to build circuses to teach physics. She's also a recovering professor who walked away from tenure to rethink how we learn, create, and live.In this episode, we unpack:🎈 What real play looks like (hint: it’s not pizza parties and ping pong tables)🧠 Why Minecraft might be the best teamwork training Gen Alpha ever gets🎭 How surprise rewires our brains—and why we need more of it in tech📚 What even counts as “technology,” and why our definition is way too narrow🤖 Whether innovation is actually being crushed by productivity cultureThis conversation had us rethinking everything from AI to ice cream. If you’ve ever wondered how to stay creative in a hyper-optimized world, or why whimsy still matters, this one's for you.🪄 It’s not about being silly for the sake of it. It’s about being human.🔥 Follow & Subscribe for More Tech, Culture & Chaos:📖 Subscribe on Substack📺 Watch on YouTube📸 Follow on InstagramThe future isn’t neutral. Let’s figure it out together. 🚀

Jenny and Greg Swan have been married five times—to each other. In this raw and funny episode, they unpack how tech, therapy, and shared calendars helped them redesign their relationship instead of ending it.It’s not about making it work. It’s about making it work better.--🔥 Follow & Subscribe for More Tech, Culture & Chaos:📖 Subscribe on Substack📺 Watch on YouTube📸 Follow on InstagramThe future isn’t neutral. Let’s figure it out together. 🚀

Everyone says they’re busy. But what does that even mean anymore? In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan dig into the cultural chaos of “The Busy Trap”—from calendar overload and contaminated time to why canceled plans are basically a love language. Inspired by Tim Kreider’s now 13-year-old viral essay, they ask: what if being busy isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to navigate—with intention? If you’ve ever answered “How are you?” with a sigh and a rundown of your to-do list, this one’s for you.

South by Southwest 2025 just wrapped, and this year wasn’t just about what’s next in tech—it was about how much of it we’re actually okay with. AI chatbots are getting really personal. Deepfake fraud is up 2137%. Social media is broken (again). And even the people building the future are freaking out.In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan unpack:🤖 AI’s existential crisis—Is it a tool for human flourishing or the beginning of the end?📱 Social media’s identity crisis—BlueSky, the Fediverse, and why no one trusts anything anymore.🎭 Deepfake scams are here—Why you need a family password, like, yesterday.😰 Tech anxiety is real—Even the nerds at SXSW are feeling it.The big question: If we expect the future to be a disaster, do we make it one? Or can we actually shape what’s next?🔥 Follow & Subscribe for More Tech, Culture & Chaos:📬 Subscribe on Substack📺 Watch on YouTube📸 Follow on InstagramThe future isn’t neutral. Let’s figure it out together. 🚀

This week, Jenny and Greg Swan put their living room (and their personal data) on the line in the name of science. Meet Telly—a free 55-inch TV that comes with a mandatory second screen running ads 24/7. The catch? If you unplug it, move it, or refuse to connect it to WiFi, you get charged $1,000. Welcome to the future, where even your TV is tracking you.🤝 Free Isn’t FreeSocial media already monetizes our every move, but what happens when your television starts doing the same? Jenny and Greg break down the trade-offs of a free device that doubles as a consumer behavior experiment.📢 The Ads Are… Not GreatFrom gas station job postings to medical scooters, the Telly’s ad targeting is chaotic at best. If you’re going to force ads into our home, at least make them relevant, right?👀 The Bigger Question: Is This Our Future?What happens when this model expands? A free fridge that won’t open until you watch an oat milk ad? A free Tesla that plays insurance commercials at red lights? Where’s the line between an acceptable value exchange and full-on surveillance capitalism?Jenny’s biggest complaint? The TV is too small for football. Greg’s biggest takeaway? This is just the beginning. Would you take a free TV in exchange for your data?Hit play to hear the full breakdown, and if you’re going to SXSW next month, let’s meet up! We’ve got stickers (which, we promise, do not serve you ads).📩 Subscribe for more tech, culture, and existential dilemmas → thecaveproject.substack.com

This episode, we’re tackling three big themes—tech, gifts, and the state of our brains in 2024. Buckle up (or turn on adaptive cruise control)! 🚙 Buy a Car via Text in 2020 vs. Buying a Car with AI in 2025 Remember when buying a car via text felt revolutionary? Fast forward to now: AI tools like ChatGPT are helping us decode trim levels, compare window stickers, and even predict insurance costs. The process might be smarter, but somehow we’re still waiting hours at the dealership. Progress? Kind of. 🎁 Holiday Gift Guides: More Joy, Less Junk From robot chargers to smart hair tools, our holiday gift guide is packed with fun, tech-forward ideas for everyone on your list. Whether you’re spoiling someone or treating yourself, we’ve got recs to make your holidays feel a little more Jetsons, a little less Flintstones. LINK IS HERE. 🧠 Brain Rot: The Word of the Year That Hits Close to Home Naming “brain rot” as the Word of the Year is a perfect mix of self-awareness and cultural critique. Whether it’s doomscrolling or meme overload, we’re all guilty of it—but maybe that’s okay? Jenny and Greg unpack why some “brain rot” might actually be necessary for mental health.  Be sure to subscribe for future episodes, follow us on Instagram (⁠⁠@the.cave.project⁠⁠), and sign up for updates at ⁠⁠thecaveproject.substack.com⁠⁠.

In this episode of The Cave Project, Jenny and Greg Swan dig into the AI dilemma in education: is it a powerful learning tool or just an easy way to cheat? As schools struggle with this digital shake-up, they explore how generative AI is rewriting the rules—from boosting homework help to sparking plagiarism concerns that could impact college dreams. Be sure to subscribe for future episodes, follow us on Instagram (⁠@the.cave.project⁠), and sign up for updates at ⁠thecaveproject.substack.com⁠.

From TikTok bans to school cell phone policies, Jenny and Greg Swan break down the chaos and contradictions of raising kids in a tech-driven world—minus the overwrought reactions. Be sure to subscribe for future episodes, follow us on Instagram (@the.cave.project), and sign up for updates at thecaveproject.substack.com.

In this episode of The Cave Project, we sit down with stand-up comedian and creative director Matt Keck to chat about the human side behind viral social media phenomena. Known for his witty contributions to the Wendy's Twitter persona and his viral "I'm a Snake" video, Keck shares insights on leveraging humor and social media for global engagement from his home base in Kansas City. Join Jenny and Greg Swan as they explore how Keck's early adoption of platforms like Myspace shaped his career, the psychological impacts of social media fame, and the transition from viral moments to sustainable creative work. Be sure to subscribe for future episodes, follow us on Instagram (@the.cave.project), and sign up for updates at thecaveproject.substack.com.

Social media can both connect us and also push us apart. In this live recording of The Cave Project podcast, hosts Jenny and Greg Swan discuss the social media dilemma, its impact on our daily lives, and how we can reclaim our digital spaces with a human-centric approach. Special thanks to Social Media Breakfast for hosting and Skelly Video Productions for capturing audio and photos. Be sure to subscribe for future episodes, follow us on Instagram (@the.cave.project), and sign up for updates at thecaveproject.substack.com

We're sorry for your loss. This episode of The Cave Project explores the management of digital legacies, the role of AI in recreating memories of the deceased, and how these advances affect our mourning practices. Join Jenny and Greg Swan for a thought-provoking discussion on the ethical dilemmas and emotional impacts of living and dying in a digital age. Be sure to subscribe for future episodes, follow us on Instagram (@the.cave.project), and sign up for updates at thecaveproject.substack.com.

As the first generation to be fully born into the 21st century, Generation Alpha is the most technologically integrated group of humans ever — growing up in a world of advanced digital technology, social media, and artificial intelligence. And they are already getting a bad rap about their digital and social media habits. Join Jenny and Greg Swan for a conversation about who Gen A is, what makes them unique, and some ways we can all make room for them in our crowded digital lifestyle. Be sure to subscribe for future episodes, follow us on Instagram (@the.cave.project), and sign up for updates at thecaveproject.substack.com

If 85% of the population uses the internet (and are online an average of 7 hours per day), how is it that we’re still having conversations about whether being online is good for us or not? Instead, let’s talk about how to be extremely online in a healthy way. Join Jenny and Greg Swan for a conversation about 6 filters to consider for your online lifestyle: safety, heart, the space between them and us, reality versus smoke and mirrors, time IRL and (gasp) time spent in the outdoors. Be sure to subscribe for future episodes, follow us on Instagram (@the.cave.project), and sign up for updates at thecaveproject.substack.com

Social media marketers can be a paradox. Evangelizing the marketing power of social media during the day and then decrying its negative effects at night. Or even further, restricting their own kids from social media when it’s paying the bills at home. Join Jenny and Greg Swan for a conversation about the social dilemma, how Greg changed his mind about social for kids after having kids, and the need for social media marketers to “walk the talk” when it comes to changing the future of social for the better. Be sure to subscribe for future episodes and sign up for updates at thecaveproject.substack.com

Our dumb homes can be smart homes with a few tech purchases, but which are the right ones? Join Jenny and Greg Swan for a conversation about the technology that fuels their home, how Greg “bricked” their smart fridge, how Jenny’s robot vacuum army led to a dog poop fiasco, and how to reconcile surveillance culture with safety when it comes to cameras and microphones in your home. Show notes can be found at gregswan.substack.com, and be sure to subscribe for future episodes!

The holidays are a catalyst for increased screen time. And like It or not, the competition for your family's attention are those screens. But what if you flip the script and look for ways to incorporate screens into your together time instead of vilifying them? Join Jenny and Greg Swan for a discussion about the tensions around screens and holidays, ideas for digital connectedness, and why Greg calls the TV a "screamy box." Be sure to subscribe for future episodes!

“American kids would much rather be YouTubers than astronauts!” was the click-bait headline in the hype cycle of 2019 as parents like Jenny and Greg Swan tried to grapple with the reality that maybe all that iPad time was warping their kids’ career prospects. But today, the tech-forward couple has a more refined POV to share: Kids want to be influencers, and we should help them figure out how to do it. Listen in and be sure to subscribe for future episodes!