What makes scrolling on our phones dangerous? What does our scrolling have to do with digital surveillance? And who is surveilling whom, and for what reason?

In this episode, Jara explores the unsettling world of digital surveillance. Together with this week’s guest, Guilel Treiber, she uncovers who the surveillers of the digital world are and peeks behind the curtains of their sleek self-staging to reveal their hidden desires. Yes, this episode will probably make you feel a strong urge to throw your phone away. But luckily, Guilel has some ideas on how to resist digital surveillance without having to live off the grid.

Guilel is an assistant professor of ethics and political philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Studies. One of his specializations is the societal stakes of digitalization.

If you want to delve deeper into the rabbit hole of digital surveillance, follow Guilel’s suggestions and listen to the podcasts Black Box by The Guardian and The Coming Storm by the BBC. Or read the books suggested by Guilel (best in conjunction): Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

Why do insects in the house make us jump? Have we always hated bugs that much? And what do the small animals have to do with morality – and warfare?

In this episode of In a Nutshell, Antonia takes a peek at insects that make people’s skin crawl and, together with this week’s guest researcher Charlotte Meijer, answers the question of why we’re so bugged by bugs. Spoiler alert: there hasn’t always been such straightforward hatred against flies, worms, cockroaches and co.

Charlotte is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Arts, where she researches the history of insects, focussing on the development of a negative narrative surrounding the little animals. In her research, she is answering, amongst other things, why many insects today are seen as dirty and undesirable.

Would you like to learn more about the history of insects? For literature about insects and warfare, follow Charlotte’s recommendation and read Edmund Russell’s book War and Nature or J. R. Mcneill’s book Mosquito Empires. For literature about insects and disease, read J. L. Cloudsley-Thompson’s book Insects and History or Plagues and Peoples by William McNeill. For more information on insects and pests, read Getting under our skin by Lisa Sarasohn. And if you're interested in insects and the arts and sciences, read Onderkruipsels (in Dutch) by Jan de Hond, Eric Jorink and Hans Mulder.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

Why are the current treatments for depression not effective enough? How can a what-fits-who approach help solve this problem? And can the already overwhelmed mental health sector actually provide more customized treatments?

Welcome back to In a Nutshell – a podcast of Vox in which we explore everything you never knew you needed to know more about. We kick off the second season by taking a critical look at the current depression treatments. Together with Ellen Driessen, we discuss the role the match between a patient and a therapist plays, how to make the mental health sector more sustainable, and we get some tips on what to do when experiencing depression.

Ellen is an assistant professor at Radboud University’s Department of Clinical Psychology and a licensed mental health care psychologist at Pro Persona’s Depression Expertise Centre. Currently, Ellen also leads an international research team that aims to create a tool to help select the optimal treatments for people with depression based on their personal characteristics.

Do you want to know more about depression and its treatments? Follow Ellen's suggestions and visit the following websites: For more information on antidepressants, click ⁠here⁠. For more information on depression, follow ⁠this link⁠. And, here you can visit the website of the ⁠Depression Association⁠.

⁠Here ⁠you find a guide to mental healthcare in the Netherlands if you want to know where to turn to.

Are you thinking about suicide? Take it seriously and don't try to deal with it alone. Reach out to ⁠113 suicide prevention.⁠ Phone number: +31 800 0113; Chat: ⁠https://www.113.nl/chatten⁠.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise