Utopias with Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan
The Utopias Podcast with Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan
In the wake of an era where alarmism and crisis branding sells - whether in relation to climate change, new technologies, or polarization, we have a huge opportunity to embrace our capacity for innovation, empathy, and compassion towards one another. To get there it is high time to have creative, productive, and truly progressive conversations about our planetary future, and approach such from every discipline and perspective we can.
Hosted by UCLA professor and public intellectual Ramesh Srinivasan, the “Utopias” podcast presents a new narrative, a vision of life futures based on a set of conversations that celebrate the work and perspectives of “dreamers”, or those who represent and care deeply for the endless potential for human creativity, expression, and optimism. We share the stories of those who believe in the potential for our planet, and are doing the important work to try to empower our tomorrow in a way that we can all benefit from.
This podcast brings back the realms of the scientific, emotional, artistic, legal, poetic, musical, ecological, and spiritual into conversation with one another as together, we imagine and advocate for futures for our planet and species that lift us all up. Dr. Srinivasan’s guests shall run the gamut, bringing artists, journalists, politicians, scientists, environmentalists, monks and religious practitioners, and scholars together. Utopias shall inspire listeners to imagine new futures defined by compassion, an appreciation of diversity alongside unity, and the recognition that we live in an extraordinary time where we are all in ‘it’ together.
Produced by Tulin Chang Maltepe. Music by Albert Ortega
Utopias with Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan
33. UpScrolled Founder & CEO Issam Hijazi on the Future of Digital Platforms
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Issam Hijazi is a Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian technologist and the founder and CEO of UpScrolled, a social media platform meant to give users a greater degree of personal control over their online experiences and interactions, free from dictatorial algorithms. With professional experience at IBM, Oracle, and Hitachi, Hijazi founded UpScrolled in direct response to concerns over censorship and the covert suppression, or “shadow-banning,” of pro-Palestinian content on major social media platforms. UpScrolled has pledged never to covertly suppress content, functioning as an independent alternative to algorithm-driven social media. Since its launch, the platform has reportedly grown to 5 million users. Hijazi has since emerged as a prominent and necessary voice in the global technology conversation and was an opening-night keynote speaker at the 2026 Web Summit in Doha.
Tune in to the Utopias podcast for a conversation between Hijazi and Professor Ramesh Srinivasan on social media, censorship, free expression, technology, and the future of independent digital platforms.
Follow UpScrolled on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and their website. Follow Ramesh on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, X, YouTube, LinkedIn, and on his website.
Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com.