Magic & Illusion: Secrets Killed 60 Seconds at a Time?

Magic & Illusion: Secrets Killed 60 Seconds at a Time?

Author: Gareth King August 15, 2025 Duration: 46:21
Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world
TechnologyScienceSociety & Culture

By demystifying the craft, exposing its secrets, and reducing complex tricks to bite-sized content, has the internet eroded the very foundation of magic - mystery itself?

We're joined by Cosentino - Australia's most successful magician, illusionist, and escape artist, known to audiences around the world as The Grand Illusionist - who has built a career on creating wonder in a world that wants to know how everything works, and has more to say about the internet's impact on his craft than you might expect.

Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? - the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life - whether we want it to or not.

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In this episode we investigate how social media and digital exposure have changed the relationship between magicians and their audiences, examine the tension between transparency and mystery in a world that can Google anything, explore how technology has simultaneously threatened and enhanced the art of illusion, and ask whether wonder can survive in an age of instant answers.

00:00 - The journey to becoming The Grand Illusionist

04:07 - How technology changed the art and business of magic

07:37 - The evolution of performance styles in a digital age

12:05 - Navigating fame and social media as a performing artist

17:06 - The tension between keeping secrets and the internet's hunger for exposure

22:47 - How magic has evolved to survive - and thrive - in the digital age

27:45 - The impact of technology on live magic performance

31:46 - The art of creating genuine wonder when audiences have seen everything

37:13 - How Cosentino leverages technology to enhance rather than diminish the craft

41:20 - Advice for aspiring magicians trying to build a career in a demystified world

Guest links - Cosentino

Website: https://www.cosentino.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecosentino/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/officialcosentino

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCosentino/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecosentino


It’s a question that nags at anyone who’s ever felt a pang of nostalgia or a wave of digital fatigue: are we better or worse off because of our constant connection? Hosted by Gareth King, Ruined By The Internet? digs into that uneasy feeling, moving beyond simple headlines to explore how our online world actively moulds society, culture, and the texture of daily life. This isn’t about reviewing apps or gadgets; it’s about treating the digital realm as the pervasive environment it has become. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with leading thinkers and researchers from around the world, dissecting the real evidence behind our shared anxieties and hopes. You’ll hear nuanced discussions that ask whether the casualties we often blame on technology are inevitable, or if we’re simply misdiagnosing deeper societal shifts. This podcast provides a space for considered reflection, offering listeners a clearer lens through which to view their own place in a world that is, for better or worse, thoroughly wired.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 30

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Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world
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