What Happens Next?
The Handmaid’s Tale. Brave New World. Mad Max. Fictional dystopias have never seemed so close to becoming reality. Is it too late to change our course? What Happens Next?, a podcast from Monash University, examines some of the biggest challenges facing our world and asks the experts, what will happen if we don't change? And what can we do to create a better future? Learn from leaders, listen to the people making a difference, and discover how you can help drive change.
Episodes
10.11.23
What Happens Next?
Can We Learn to Be More Civil? | 93
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each episode.
With the advent of social media, conversations and disagreements are magnified. But as our exchanges become increasingly digital, we must remember that behind every screen, there’s a fellow human being.
In the last episode of Season 8, Dr Susan Carlan...
3.11.23
What Happens Next?
Are We Getting More Rude? | 92
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
Lockdown helped stop the spread of COVID-19, but it didn’t do our social skills any favours. Have we forgotten how to get along?
Civility goes beyond simple politeness – it’s a crucial virtue that binds people together. It’s also essential for maintai...
27.10.23
What Happens Next?
Can Escapism Be Good for Us? | 91
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
Content warning: This episode contains drug references. To skip them, jump ahead to 08:04.
Whether through television, books, games, films or music, escapism serves as a crucial element of the human experience.
This week, Dr Susan Carland and her ...
20.10.23
What Happens Next?
What Are We Trying to Escape? | 90
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
“What Happens Next?” returns with a new topic: escapism. From pseudo-nostalgia that transports us to imagined pasts, to the allure of live action role-play and video games, host Dr Susan Carland and her expert guests shed light on the power of esca...
13.10.23
What Happens Next?
What Can Influencers Teach Us About Women and Work? | 89
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
They’re in your social media feeds, on YouTube, and these they’re days even appearing in movies. The rise of influencer culture has been meteoric, but what’s going on behind the selfie stick? And what does it have to do with g...
06.10.23
What Happens Next?
Does Influencer Culture Have a Dark Side? | 88
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
This week on “What Happens Next?”, we’re kickstarting a new series on influencer culture.
Did you know roughly 70 per cent of influencers identify as female? Specific industry research indicates that this percentage can be even higher ...
29.9.23
What Happens Next?
Can We Unlock Humans Full Potential? | 87
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
This week, Monash University's podcast, "What Happens Next?", concludes its series on transhumanism with conversations from leading experts in medicine, business, and design.
Monash graduate Alex Naoumidis, co-founder and co-CEO of MindsetHe...
22.9.23
What Happens Next?
Are Humans About to Evolve? | 86
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
The latest episode of “What Happens Next?” takes you along for a ride through the fascinating – and frightening – world of transhumanism, a concept in which technology is harnessed to augment human abilities.
Monash alumna Tan Le, the founder and CEO...
15 September 2023
What Happens Next?
Can Art Help Our Climate Anxiety? | 85
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
In the third episode of our exploration of climate anxiety, host Dr Susan Carland explores the shared experience of climate anxiety and how art can be used to reach the core of human emotions. Our expert guests create and study music a...
7 September 2023
What Happens Next?
How Can We Conquer Climate Anxiety? | 84
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
The climate anxiety you may be feeling isn't an isolated problem. It's a shared experience and one that can be addressed through empowerment and action.
The emotional toll of climate change often leaves us feeling paralysed. But as t...
1.9.23
What Happens Next?
Why Are We So Anxious About Earth? | 83
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch full episodes.
The world’s heating up, and so is our anxiety.
Climate anxiety, or eco-anxiety, is an unprecedented and growing mental health crisis. How do we wrestle with a planet-sized problem?
This week, host Dr Susan Carland begins a three-part exploration of climate anxiety. Sh...
25.8.23
What Happens Next?
How Can We Balance Work and Play? | 82
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
Last week on Monash University’s podcast, “What Happens Next?”, host Dr Susan Carland and her expert guests uncovered how neglecting play in adulthood can lead to decreased creativity and escalated burnout rates. This week, the podcast explores ...
18.8.23
What Happens Next?
What Happens When We Stop Playing? | 81
New this season: Subscribe to Monash’s YouTube channel to watch the video version of each full episode.
The season eight premiere of Monash University’s podcast, “What Happens Next?”, kicks off with a fun topic – fun itself.
In today’s episode, host Dr Susan Carland and expert guests in music, mindfulness and more discuss the consequences of gro...
What happens when we stop playing? Are humans on the verge of evolution? And are we becoming more rude?
An all-new season of the multi-award nominated What Happens Next? podcast launches later this month, and will tackle these questions and more.
Your host, Dr Susan Carland, addresses a new set of topics looking at the future we’re facing if we don’t change, the future we could have if we do, and how to get the kind of future we ...
In part two of “A Pride Open Road”, Monash University’s student delegation lands in Sydney for WorldPride23 at the largest-ever LGBTIQA+ human rights conference held in the southern hemisphere.
Join the students as they attend the conference and engage with inspiring thought leaders, change-makers, and grassroots activists. You’ll also hear excerpts from Professor Paula Gerber’s fascinating panel discussion with former Chief Justi...
It’s Pride Week at Monash University, and “What Happens Next?” is back with two special bonus episodes to celebrate.
In part one of “A Pride Open Road”, meet three student delegates chosen by the University to attend the WorldPride23 Human Rights Conference in Sydney.
Hear the stories of their own personal journeys, and follow along as they participate in Melbourne’s Midsumma Pride events, meet Olympian and WorldPride Rainbow Cha...
24.2.23
What Happens Next?
What Is Reproductive Justice? | 80
In the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v Wade, women and pregnancy-capable people were left reeling. It was a clear example of how hard-won gains can be reversed, even decades later.
The silver lining is that the decision brought attention to issues surrounding reproductive care that had long been overlooked or simply ignored. Protests ...
When the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June 2022, it was a blow not only to reproductive health in the States, but to human rights across the globe. Reproductive justice – individuals’ freedom to control decisions regarding contraception, abortion, sterilisation, and childbirth – is a human right, and the decision set a dangerous example.
A new series of Monash University’s podcast, “What Happens Next?”, examines the s...
3.2.23
What Happens Next?
Is Food Insecurity Getting Worse? | 77
Have you noticed your grocery bill rising lately? Get used to it.
When we think of “food insecurity”, many of us think of extreme poverty in the global south, not of Australia and other first-world countries. Nevertheless, food insecurity is a serious issue here – and one that will only continue to grow.
Climate change brings with it warmer temperatures and r...
3.2.23
What Happens Next?
Is Food Insecurity Getting Worse? | 77
Have you noticed your grocery bill rising lately? Get used to it.
When we think of “food insecurity”, many of us think of extreme poverty in the global south, not of Australia and other first-world countries. Nevertheless, food insecurity is a serious issue here – and one that will only continue to grow.
Climate change brings with it warmer temperatures and r...
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